Coach Daryl Gibson backs Waratahs to rise to the challenge against Lions
NO-ONE is giving the Waratahs a chance of beating the Lions, but NSW coach Daryl Gibson believes his side have already overcome harder challenges and can win their semi-final.
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DON’T go telling the Waratahs they haven’t got a hope of beating the Lions on Saturday night — they have heard it all before.
They know the odds are heavily stacked against them because they have never won a playoff match away from home.
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And they also don’t need reminding that taming the Lions at Ellis Park is one of the toughest tests in Super Rugby because the thin air on the South African Highveld sucks all the oxygen and energy out of visiting teams.
Save your own breath telling them all that because Waratahs coach Daryl Gibson just keeps reminding his players, they’ve already overcome a bigger challenge just to get to the semis.
“We’ve been under the radar all year but we’ve been a team that’s really improved all year and we’ve really earnt our way to the semi-final,” Gibson said. “We’re really determined to get another week this season and it’s a good place to be.
“No-one’s giving us much of a chance, we believe we can win this game.”
Gibson knows a thing or two about challenges. He played 19 Tests for the All Blacks and 77 matches for the Crusaders, so was always having to fend off players wanting his spot.
Coaching has been no different, but after the Waratahs finished 16th last year, Gibson said the pressure of playing for a spot in the grand final is child’s play compared to when the team gets walloped every week.
“The biggest challenge of my career was last season,” he said. “Coming out of that season with only four wins in a season that promised a lot more.
“I don’t see this as a challenge, I see this as a reward for all the effort that has gone in.
“I don’t find it as a challenging because it’s easy to be in charge of a team that’s going well.”
Gibson has been remorseless in pushing his players to the limit to get them ready for moments like this but they are starting to see the rewards.
Hooker Tolu Latu was told in no uncertain terms that he wouldn’t start a match until he improved his work ethic but has finally been picked to join the run-on team.
Latu found a willing accomplice in Michael Hooper, who joined him the gym each morning, and spent the whole season trying to impress Gibson but finally did it in time for the biggest game of the year.
“I said to him, one of my greatest pleasures of life would be arriving at training at 7am in the morning and walking into training and seeing him there working away at his skill, and then he started doing it, every morning,” Gibson said.
“I had coffee, around the corner, here was Tolu Latu throwing balls to Michael Hooper.
“That showed me straight away that he’s committed to his practice of wanting to be better. It was a good sign.”
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