No more chances for Waratahs, beat the Rebels or it’s all over

NSW Waratahs will walk the finals tightrope in their clash against Melbourne Rebels.

NSW’s Joey Walton crashes through a tackle against the Brumbies. Picture: Getty Images

So now the equation is simplicity itself. Either the NSW Waratahs beat the Melbourne Rebels in the Super Rugby AU competition in Sydney on Saturday or their year is over.

Yet even winning does not solve all of the Tahs’ problems, not unless they claim a bonus point and the Rebels fail to get within seven points of them. Otherwise, they have to sit by on their bye and watch anxiously as the Rebels do battle with the so-far winless Western Force in the final round on September 4.

How has it come to this? How could the Waratahs go from being described as “world-beaters” last week — OK, it was a tongue-in-cheek description from Brumbies coach Dan McKellar directed at the Sydney media — to needing to finally win at their third attempt against the Rebels this year to keep their alive?

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For 53 minutes, the Waratahs were seriously pushing the Brumbies in Canberra on Saturday night. They trailed 19-11 but had a Jack Dempsey try disallowed and the Brumbies had been gifted seven points by a glaringly obvious mistake by the television match official in advising that “there was no clear evidence” that halfback Ryan Lonergan was ahead of the kicker before racing through to score.

“Then I think they just finished over the top of us,” said Tahs coach Rob Penney. “We made far too many errors, gave too many penalties away and our lineout really didn’t function. And when you put all those things together you put yourself under pressure, you chase the game in wet conditions and you create opportunities for the opposition when they are as good as the Brumbies.”

Coaches generally confine themselves to talking about their own players but Penney singled out three Brumbies who he felt deserved more credit than was given.

“I think that (lock) Cadeyrn Neville is playing extremely well and he is coming off the back of an injury so he hasn’t had a lot of footy but he is playing really well,” he said on Sunday.

“I thought No.8 Peter Samu had a wonderful game. When he played for the Crusaders he was a really dominant figure and I would say he hasn’t been that same figure in Australia but I think last night, because the Brumbies got him on the edge a bit more, he really showed what he is capable of.

“Lachie McCaffrey (the blindside flanker) I thought was an unsung hero for them.

“Those three players in particular really hurt us, just with their work ethic, their toughness and their skill sets at crucial times.”

Pete Samu scores a try for the Brumbies against the Waratahs at GIO Stadium on Saturday night. Picture: Getty Images

There will be, in Penney’s mind, no respite this weekend.

“The Rebels are a bloody good side and we haven’t gone well against them,” he said, referring to the 10-24 and 10-29 defeats suffered at Melbourne’s hands this year.

“Against Queensland last week … they probably should have beaten them up there and they convincingly beat the Brumbies. So they are a very difficult proposition.”

Brumbies coach Dan McKellar, utterly vindicated by his side’s 38-11 win after coming in for criticism for making 16 team changes — “we have a 37-man squad mentality but you have to deliver; it can’t just be words, you have to deliver through your actions” — was mostly delighted his team had taken the plunge this season, despite the fact it was almost snowing in Canberra.

“We haven’t been at our best in this competition,” McKellar said.

“I said to the players last night that we have been dipping our toe in the water whereas it is time to dive in.

“If we win on Friday night (against the Force in Canberra) we will be hosting the final so there is plenty for us to play for. We won’t be treating the opposition with anything but 110 per cent respect.”

Force coach Tim Sampson summed up his side’s two choices following their 57-5 thrashing by the Reds at Cbus Super Stadium on Friday.

“We can roll over now and just look forward to getting home and look at the finish line. Or we can bounce back from what was a very disappointing performance on Friday night and get a big scalp. Get a huge scalp.

“You have seen us throughout the whole competition, the character and the spirit of this squad, and I am hoping that will show through this week.”

The Reds go into the bye with Hamish Stewart expected to recover quickly from his hip injury but with the prognosis not so rosy for fellow centre Josh Flook who suffered a shoulder dislocation.