Waratahs plan to smash the Chiefs like it’s 2014 in premiership bid
THE Waratahs have promised to emulate Tatafu Polota-Nau’s brutal 2014 performance against the Chiefs this weekend - a fixture so important NSW believe a win can propel them to a second Super Rugby title.
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THE Waratahs are confident of winning their second Super Rugby title this year after breaking the two-year Aussie hoodoo against Kiwi teams, and say they’ll need to reproduce their brutal effort of 2014 against the Chiefs this weekend to propel them.
In that game in New Plymouth on May 31, 2014, Tatafu Polota-Nau smashed Chiefs flanker Sam Cane in the 72nd minute and sidelined him with a serious knee injury for weeks, a hit NSW prop Sekope Kepu described as “one of the loudest collisions I’ve ever heard”.
It was one of the most physical contests in Super history, eventually won 33-17 in hostile enemy territory against the defending champions, after which the Tahs rang a cowbell in the visitors’ changerooms.
NSW didn’t look back, going undefeated for the rest of the year to win their maiden premiership.
Polota-Nau has since moved to European rugby, but the Tahs players from that match regaled younger teammates about the match at training on Monday.
“That was probably the turning point of our season,” said Kepu, who was next to Polota-Nau when he cut Cane in half.
“It is one of the loudest collisions I’ve ever heard.
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“I remember walking to the sheds and [Polota-Nau’s] tooth was missing - his tooth was in his mouthguard.
“Taf was someone who made a difference in that game, put his body on the line, lost a tooth, Sam Cane was out for a few weeks with a knee injury.
“Those are memories you hold and want to pass on. If you can make a difference in a game, like Taf, that goes a long way. That definitely gave me confidence, and I’m sure the guys around us confidence.
“That’s something [then NSW coach Michael Cheika] always spoke about, you’re going out to war, you’re basically going out to injure the opposition, not in a wrong way, doing it the right way and just being physical.”
After knocking over the Highlanders last Saturday to end Australia’s 40-game losing streak to Kiwi franchises, NSW is again heading across the Tasman to play the Chiefs on Saturday in Hamilton.
Tahs forwards coach Simon Cron has unshakeable belief that this team is a premiership contender.
“Our goal is to win the whole thing, not second, not third,” Cron said.
“But to do that, we’ve got to be consistently performing at the level that allows us to win all the tight games, the big moments.
“On the weekend, in terms of our performance for 83 minutes, it was more consistent through that game. now we’ve got to make sure we replicate that at every facet, at every moment, in the next game and the next game.
“That puts you in a spot to take it out.”
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Originally published as Waratahs plan to smash the Chiefs like it’s 2014 in premiership bid
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