Pressure mounts on Coleman as Waratahs beaten in thriller in Fiji

The cruelty of sport was laid bare on a hot and humid day in Lautoka, Fiji, as the Waratahs lost by three points to the Drua in a pulsating encounter that puts even more pressure on coach Darren Coleman.

The Waratahs had fought back impressively from a poor first half to level the game 36-36 after 80 minutes, but in the golden point period of extra time, Drua reserve Kemu Valetini hit a long-range drop goal that broke NSW hearts at the death.

At the final whistle, Waratahs players sat on the bench with their heads bowed, most with iced towels around their necks to try and bring down their body temperatures to a reasonable level after fighting for so long in oppressive conditions and against a tireless opposition in the Drua.

Five-eighth Tane Edmed was inconsolable, fighting back tears after doing so much right during the game, including a last-minute tap tackle as the Drua charged at the Waratahs line. His defensive heroics will be no consolation after his drop goal attempt in extra-time crashed into the post.

Edmed’s performance almost told the story of the Waratahs’ season so far in Super Rugby; so much was there to applaud, but just failing with the final, crucial execution to seal off the game.

Although this was the Drua’s first victory over the Waratahs in five attempts, crucially none of the previous games were played on their home ground of Churchill Park, which provides one of the most daunting challenges in world rugby for any visiting team.

Max Jorgensen takes on the Drua defence.Credit: Getty

At Churchill Park, teams are not just facing a Drua team that hits and runs hard, they are facing a raucous crowd that pulsates with energy with every play from their team, cheering everything from a maul to a line break from the stands as they chant toso Drua, toso, roughly translated as, “let’s go Drua”.

The love for the Drua in Fiji cannot be underestimated. After just two seasons its male and female players are now seen on huge billboards advertising everything from bank accounts to cooking oil and their exploits on and off the field are chatted about incessantly in the roadside roti stands.

Inside the Drua’s training base, a huge poster says, “We will look to the hills where our help comes from”, which partly explains where they gain their strength from with fans that travelled for hours from all over the country by bus, bicycle and car to see their team.

Drua centre Iosefo Masi, who two years ago was on a training contract at the North Queensland Cowboys in the NRL, excelled for his team, running through for a hat-trick of tries in the first half that bamboozled the Waratahs and sent the crowd into a frenzy with umbrellas and placards flying into the air every time he touched the ball.

Fergus Lee Warner catches a ball at a lineout as the Fijian crowd looks on.Credit: Getty

It looked ominous at half-time as the rain hammered the tin roof of the stand and the Waratahs went into the sheds 26-10 and a player down, after winger Mark Nawaqanitawase was sent to the sin bin for deliberately knocking the ball down on his 50th appearance in front of friends and family.

The Waratahs looked short of energy and ideas as they were frequently drawn into the unstructured rugby that the Drua excel at playing, but the second half brought a complete change for NSW as they finally found their confidence and rhythm.

Breakaway Charlie Gamble started the fightback with a try just after half-time, before Joey Walton, Mahe Vailanu and Lachlan Swinton all went over to complete what looked like an incredible comeback, tying the game at 36 points each.

After 80 minutes, the crowd wasn’t sure whether this meant the game was over, most spectators not familiar with Super Rugby’s golden point period of extra time.

The Waratahs players looked absolutely exhausted, almost to a man lying on the ground, trying to shake some life into their legs and grind out a win that could save their season.

It wasn’t to be. Captain Jake Gordon, drenched in sweat, was left to try and make sense of the game.

“We’re probably good over a quarter of the way through the season,” Gordon said. “There are positives, I don’t want to get bogged down in the negatives, but we’re an aspirational team, we want to be at the top end of the table and we need to be more clinical. We need to find ways to close out those games.”

In a season of painfully narrow defeats, including consecutive two-point losses against the Highlanders and the Blues, the Waratahs board will now make the difficult decision whether Coleman is the man to take this team forward. There is no straightforward answer to their predicament.

Jonathan Drennan travelled to Fiji as a guest of Rugby Australia.

WARATAHS WOMEN THUMP DRUA

The NSW Waratahs have exacted some revenge with a comprehensive 62-21 Super Rugby Women’s win over defending champions Fijian Drua in Lautoka.

The Waratahs piled on 10 tries to consolidate top spot on the ladder and turn the tables on the Drua after two painful finals losses to the Pacific Islanders.

The Tahs had their four-year title streak ended by the Drua in the 2022 decider, before slipping up again in last year’s semis after finishing the regular season as undefeated minor premiers.

Their hunger for redemption was on full display on Saturday as the Waratahs were never headed after Maya Stewart scored the first of her two tries in the second minute of the match.

Fellow winger Desiree Miller also notched a double.

Centre Georgina Friedrichs, prop Bridie O’Gorman, lock Katie Leaney, hooker Brittany Merlo, flanker Sky Churchill and replacement forward Eva Karpani also crossed as the Waratahs converted a 24-14 halftime lead into a 41-point rout.

“It was a really physical game,” Waratahs captain Piper Duck said.

Arabella Mackenzie of the NSW Waratahs running with the ball.Credit: Getty

“And the way they play the offload game with such intensity, they really put us under the pump today, so I’m really happy we got out on top there.

“But that score does not resemble how hard that game was. That was tough.”

The Western Force are on track to make the finals for the first time after posting a 24-14 win over the Queensland Reds at HBF Park.

with AAP

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