Super Rugby: Waratahs happy to tone down flashy style if it means picking up more wins

The Waratahs have tried to be flashy and it just hasn’t worked, so now it’s time for Plan B, which isn’t pretty but is effective and means more kicks, less running and plenty of grind.

The Waratahs are happy to win ugly if that’s what it takes.

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The time for playing pretty will have to wait a bit longer for the Waratahs.

They have lost too many close games this season when they’ve tried the razzle dazzle and it hasn’t worked.

Now, they just need to grind out wins even if that means playing ugly and hoofing the ball every chance they get to play for field position.

That’s exactly what they did last week against the Rebels and it worked out in the end so expect more of the same against the Sharks on Saturday night.

The Waratahs are happy to win ugly if that’s what it takes.

“It was part of the game plan,” veteran centre Adam Ashley-Cooper said.

“We thought we could play a bit of territory and get pay for that.

“We’re certainly happy with the way we came out of the sheds in the second half and were able to apply pressure with the kicking game.

“It’s just a matter of being competitive and making those kicks attacking kicks so if we can do that it sets us up in a nice position on the field to attack from.”

Coach Daryl Gibson has already flagged his intention to stick with the kicking game that worked so well against the Rebels by picking Jake Gordon ahead of regular Wallaby reserve and new dad Nick Phipps as the starting halfback for the second week in a row.

“It’s still very close between Nick and Jake and I foresee that Nick will get an opportunity in the next few weeks,” Gibson said.

Karmichael Hunt and Adam Ashley-Cooper will stay in the centres for the Sharks clash.

“Obviously we’ve got a for a real kicking plan of late, we’ve seen that as a real opportunity for us to add to something different to that game and Jake excels in that area, it’s a real strength of his.”

The only change Gibson has made to his starting side from last week is recalling Curtis Rona on the wing for Alex Newsome, leaving Kurtley Beale at fullback after he took over from Israel Folau and allowing Karmichael Hunt and Adam Ashley-Cooper to remain in the centres.

The backline is not as potent without Folau but is more settled because Beale has a superior kicking game and Hunt and Ashley-Cooper are a better defensive combination, which they will need to be against the visiting South Africans.

"It's about stopping their momentum,” Ashley-Cooper said.

“They're a gainline-focused team, they're a team full of big athletes, big bodies and a lot of attacking threats, particularly in that back three.

“So for us, defensively we’ve got a huge job so it's a matter of stopping their momentum and staying on top of them.”

Jake Gordon has pipped Nick Phipps for the halfback role again.

Apart from their imposing physical threat, Gibson isn’t sure what to make of the Sharks this season.

Three weeks ago they looked like world beaters when they ran up 42 points away to the Lions in Johannesburg but a week later they gave up a half century at home to the Jaguares then last round they lost at home to the Reds.

"The competition for us is at a really interesting stage. The table is very congested, there's clearly the Crusaders and then there's the rest of us all battling for spots and positions," Gibson said.

“But South African sides always come with great physicality and if you can’t compete there, you’re going to come second.”