Super Rugby: Brumbies end Waratahs’ season with 35-24 win
Needing to win their final two matches of the season to be a chance of making the Super Rugby playoffs, the Waratahs have fallen at the penultimate hurdle against the Brumbies.
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Update: The Waratahs’ season from hell is over after they crashed out of the Super Rugby playoff race on Saturday night.
Needing to win their final two matches, they tripped up at the penultimate hurdle, smashed 35-24 by a rampant Brumbies outfit that wrapped up the Australian conference with a game to spare.
The Waratahs still have to travel to Invercargill next weekend to play the Highlanders but they’ll be watching the playoffs on TV after producing their worst performance of a season that has been filled with disappointment on and off the field.
“The Brumbies, like we spoke about all week, stuck to their guns and played a really dominant game,” Waratahs skipper Michael Hooper said.
“They’ve worked out a really strong way of playing, they’ve stuck to that and I wish them all the best for the next couple of games.”
ALL OVER BEFORE HALFTIME
Outplayed in every facet of the game, the Waratahs just couldn’t match it with the Brumbies when it mattered.
Even without David Pocock, the Brumbies had no problems chalking up their sixth win from their last seven matches against the Tahs, with a five tries to three romp.
The result was as good as over before the teams had gone to the sheds for halftime oranges after Rory Arnold, Andy Muirhead, Irae Simone and Folau Fainga’a crossed the NSW line.
Nick Phipps, Adam Ashley-Cooper and Curtis Rona bagged consolation tries in the second half for NSW while Tom Cusack added a late touchdown for the Brumbies.
The Brumbies are now assured of at least a home quarter-final regardless of what happens in their last regular season match at home to the Reds next weekend.
“I’m enjoying the way we’re playing at the moment and the group is growing,” Brumbies captain Christian Lealiifano said.
Brumbies coach Dan McKellar said he expected some of his players were now pushing for Test selection.
“If we keep playing well and performing as a team then individuals are doing well so I expect the selectors will look at that.”
SPARED ROTATION POLICY ROW
The only saving grace from Saturday night’s drubbing at Bankwest Stadium is that at least NSW coach Daryl Gibson won’t have to break his pledge to rest his key players as part of the Wallabies’ rotation agreement.
The former All Black had already said there were no guarantees he would spell his internationals if the season was on the line but he doesn’t have to worry about that now.
That means that veteran prop Sekope Kepu, who is heading to London Irish next season, has now played his last game for the Waratahs. He left the field with 20 minutes to go and he’s not the only one departing, leaving Gibson with the prospect of having to rebuild his squad in the off season.
Phipps and Rona are also heading to London Irish but will likely be available next week, as will Ashley-Cooper, though he has not announced his future plans yet.
Bernard Foley and Kurtley Beale have also kept their plans to themselves and with both certain to miss next week, it’s possible they too may have played their last matches for NSW.
“We just haven’t got that moment or that roll on this year,” Foley said.
“We’ve just lost so you’re not happy about it.
“We’re disappointed because we did exactly what we didn’t want to do in that first half.”
LATU BACK IN THE GOOD BOOKS
Waratahs’ bad boy Tolu Latu was on his best behaviour after coming on for the last half an hour.
The hot headed hooker has missed eight matches through suspension this year — six for recklessly charging into a ruck and two more for drink driving — but Gibson brought him on in the second half after getting permission to include him in the squad and he competed strongly.
BRUMBIES 35 (Rory Arnold, Thomas Cusack, Folau Fainga’a, Andrew Muirhead, Irae Simone tries Christian Leali’ifano 5 cons) NSW WARATAHS 24 (Adam Ashley- Cooper, Nick Phipps, Curtis Rona tries Bernard Foley 3 cons pen) at Bankwest Stadium. Referee: Ben O’Keeffe.