Waratahs “amp up” training to resolve slow starts killing their Super Rugby season

THE Waratahs have added more intensity to their training schedule in a bid to throw off the snoozy first-halves sinking their Super Rugby season.

Israel Folau during Tahs training. (AAP Image/Paul Miller)

THE Waratahs have added more intensity to their training schedule a bid to throw off the snoozy first-halves sinking their season.

NSW, who meet the Rebels on Sunday at home, have made a habit of starting poorly and in four of their ten matches have been trailing by 25 points or more at halftime.

The Waratahs have managed to surge back into many of the games, however, and have outscored their rivals in the second half in six of their four game; including the rampant Hurricanes in Wellington.

But stuck on just three wins, and well aware they don’t hand out trophies for second halves alone, the Tahs have been attempting to examine and address why they’re giving up game-killing leads in the first 40 minutes.

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Israel Folau during Tahs training. (AAP Image/Paul Miller)

That has involved “amping up” their opening activities when hitting the training track.

“It’s obviously something psychological because technically we should be more tired in the second half but we have been playing better,” prop Tom Robertson said.

“The coaching staff has changed some stuff at training just a little. Hopefully that will help; starting bigger at training and getting off the ground. Rather than doing closed-in drills we have been doing bigger drills at the start of training so you get your mind on right off the bat.

“But at the end of the day you can do all that at training, it’s up to us to have a good start when we get there. It’s not up to the coaching staff to have a good start, it’s up to us.”

Despite criticism from abroad about the Australian conference, the Waratahs remain privately convinced they’ve shown — albeit incompletely — their potency in Kiwi matches.

“We beat the Blues, the Hurricanes, everyone in the second half pretty much we have beaten. But it’s just giving away that 26 points in the first half, it’s tough to come back from,” Roberston said.

“Our second half demonstrates that we can do it and we can be an unbeatable side, we just have to take it on as a playing group and do it ourselves in the first half.”

Robertson is frustrated by the slow starts that have cost points. (Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

The Waratahs have only gone to beat one side who’d held a 25-plus point lead at half time — the Rebels. They scored in the last minutes to secure a dramatic win.

Melbourne are running last and suffering under the weight of the Super Rugby saga but, just as they experienced against the Kings, the Tahs are wary of a backlash.

Flanker Ned Hanigan said the return of Sean McMahon made the Rebels into a fearsome unit.

“Having a guy like Sean back in the side, he brings that work ethic to the team, they are a good outfit Melbourne,” Hanigan said.

“We are certainly not going on our backfoot thinking it is the same side we played earlier in the year. They’ve got a lot better.”

Originally published as Waratahs “amp up” training to resolve slow starts killing their Super Rugby season