Waratahs go back to drawing board in bid to fix fractured defence, disciplinary issues

THE Waratahs have faced up to the defensive horror show that leaked 55 points but fixing up another ugly stat from their loss to the Lions will be just as critical against the Sharks.

THE Waratahs have faced up to the defensive horror show that saw them miss 33 tackles and leak 55 points but fixing up another ugly figure from their loss to the Lions will be just as critical against the Sharks in Durban.

Waratahs defence coach Nathan Grey said NSW players had stuck their hands up and conceded their porous defence in the Lions’ 55-36 victory at Ellis Park was “unacceptable” and they’d spent a large part of their week in Durban working on solutions.

But amid a long and ugly list of stats that emerged from their Johannesburg performance, Grey also identified the 16 penalties conceded as a number also in need of urgent correction in their clash with the Sharks on Sunday morning (AEDT).

“Patrick Lambie is a very good goal kicker and we have away 16 penalties against the Lions, so if you give that many opportunities to a quality goal kicker like Lambie they are going to accrue points really easily,” Grey said.

Waratahs defence coach Nathan Grey lays down the law at training. Picture: Brett Costello

“We have to make sure our discipline is a significant step-up from last week. We will still try and force turnovers and push the line but we have to be really accurate.”

With the Sharks are a bigger, more physical South African foe, and spirits damaged from their defeat, the Waratahs have been boosted by the returns of Will Skelton and livewire halfback Nick Phipps from injury this week.

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But there was no hiding from the team’s awful defence at Ellis Park in game reviews this week.

Grey was reluctant to use the lung-sapping altitude as an excuse but conceded the “new environment” for many players was a factor in the Lions’ running rampant through their defensive lines.

“Both teams are playing at altitude and guys who haven’t played there before, you certainly go through a period where you struggle and it is very taxing on you. We are certainly not looking at that as an excuse but that just was one of the factors that went into it,” Grey said.

“But at the end, missing 30-oidd tackle is unacceptable from our point of view.”

Missed tackles is one thing but perhaps the concerning defensive stat for the Waratahs came in the Lions’ “advantage line success” column. According to FoxSports Stats, the Lions the got to and through advantage line 79% of all their runs. That number is usually around 60%, and was the Waratahs’ worst ad-line concession in eight seasons.

It indicated a lack of power in defensive contact or a breakdown in systems, or both.

Grey said the players had accepted responsibility for the defensive shocker and so had the coaches.

“I don’t think a few of us showed up to the game on the defensive side,” Dempsey said.

Grey added: “A lot of defensive misses were technique things, our position and our squeeze and our lead drive. All of those things are things our players can control.”

Waratahs player David Lolohea falls off a tackle.

Urgently fixing up the rolling maul defence is a priority, too, after the Lions scored four tries directly or indirectly in that zone. The Sharks will naturally head to the same place, acknowledged Grey.

Dempsey said there was still plenty of confidence in the Waratahs’ expansive game style, but defence was obviously in need of major repair work.

“We’re all 100 per cent behind the game plan and the strategy that we want to play this year. It’s pretty obvious that at the weekend the defensive side wasn’t up to it,” Dempsey said.

“We put 30-odd points on which is enough to win games of Super Rugby. It’s obviously the other side of the field and the game that we need to work on. It’s pretty obvious to be honest.”

Originally published as Waratahs go back to drawing board in bid to fix fractured defence, disciplinary issues