Alofa Alofa and Taqele Nayaravaro ready to add impact for Waratahs from bench against Lions

TWO years ago they lined up against each other on the NRL’s biggest day. But Alofa Alofa and Taqele Nayaravaro are now ready to team up at the Tahs.

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - MAY 13: Alofa Alofa catches a ball during a Waratahs Super Rugby training session at Allianz Stadium on May 13, 2014 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Brett Hemmings/Getty Images)

TWO years ago they lined up against each other on the NRL’s biggest day.

But on Sunday afternoon Alofa Alofa and Taqele Nayaravaro will be teaming up in a new code, hoping to use their polar-opposite dimensions to help steer the Waratahs to their own title decider.

New Waratahs recruit Nayavaro and rookie-contracted Alofa faced off in their former league careers when they both played in the NSW CUP Grand Final in 2012.

Alofa’s Newtown Jets triumphed over Nayaravaro’s Balmain Ryde-Eastwood Tigers, but despite being touted as future NRL regulars, the pair’s progress stalled in 2013 and both sought new beginnings in rugby.

Nayaravaro will potentially make his debut from the Waratahs bench on Sunday against the Lions, where he will be seated alongside Alofa.

It is likely both will see gametime as shock weapons in the second half, but the Lions’ shock will based on different things.

Hot-footed stepper Alofa gives away 27 kilograms to the 120kg powerhouse Nayavaro, who only needed one club game last weekend for Michael Cheika to issue a call-up to the NSW pine.

“We’re excited about the potential of the Fijian Flyer,” said Waratahs centre Adam Ashley-Cooper.News_Rich_Media: Israel Folau says claiming back-to-back wins for just the second time this season is a key objective when the Waratahs take on the Lions this weekend, looking to make a strong push towards the finals.

“He’s a big boy and he’s done a lot of damage at training already.

“More than anything it’s getting him comfortable with the players and his positioning, which he’s worked on really hard this week.

“If he gets any chance it’s going to be exciting to see what he does. Hopefully he gets on the field and showcases his physical dominance.”

Despite confidence within the NSW camp Nayaravaro’s background in rugby will see him adapt positionally swiftly back from league, Ashley-Cooper said a fellow code convert had been helping the 22-year-old this week.

“We’ve all shared that responsibility and more than anyone the wingers and also Izzy,” he said.

“Izzy spent a lot of time with him this week, putting him where he wants him.

“There’s no doubting what he can do with the footy in his hands, it’s just a matter of putting him in the right positions to defend correctly.”

The Waratahs will have had 15 days between games when they run out against the Lions, and the combination of a bye and frequently underestimated opponent does lay out a banana skin feel for another must-win match for the Tahs.

Due to the zero-point byes, NSW have slipped to third in the Aussie conference and eighth overall.News_Rich_Media: Waratahs coach Michael Cheika insists his coaching style will not change after breaking his silence since an altercation with a South African cameraman two months ago.

Ashley-Cooper conceded Waratahs outfits of old may have fallen into a trap of treating rivals lightly, and who can forget the boo-inducing Cheetahs loss of 2011?

Ominously, the $8 Lions are on a five-match losing streak and are the biggest outsiders since the Cheetahs, who were rated $10 no-hopers.

But Ashley-Cooper said there would be no lax attitude toward the Lions after they scared the Highlanders last week.

“I could say we have been guilty of that in the past, not respecting the opposition enough and suffering from that complacency against these teams that aren’t performing so well in the competition,” he said.

“But the competition this year is that anyone can win on the night and just thinking about that certainly will allow us to prepare for this game a little bit better than we would have in previous years. I’m sure that we’ll deal with it accordingly.”

The Waratahs trained extensively in maul defence this week, with the Lions the competition leaders in rolling maul metres (averaging 25 metres per game).

Ashley-Cooper said there was no escape the need for “physicality, first and foremost” to beat the Africans, who won four of their first six games but haven’t won in their last five.

Based on successful strategies of the past, expect the Waratahs to also attempt to speed the game up to a point where the Lions can’t hold on; staying away from Lions’ strengths by rarely kicking the ball out and taking taps over scrums.

The Waratahs have beaten the Lions with bonus point wins in their last three encounters.