Super Rugby 2018: Never mind pack, Tahs wary of Lions backs

There was no guile behind Daryl Gibson’s claim that he wanted to have ‘some bigger bodies’ to counter South African forwards.

Waratahs winger Taqele Naiyaravoro at Allianz Stadium ahead of tonight’s clash against the Lions. Picture: Toby Zerna.

There is the myth. The Waratahs have brought lock Tom Staniforth into their pack to help counter the massive South African forwards they will encounter tonight when they play the Lions of Johannesburg at Allianz Stadium.

Then there is the reality: the Waratahs pack weighs 873kg, the Lions 879kg.

There was no guile behind Daryl Gibson’s claim that he wanted to have “some bigger bodies in our forward pack to cater for those big South African forwards”. That’s the perception Australians have always had of teams from the republic, that all of their forwards — and most of their backs — were bred, as Chris Handy used to say, “when meat was cheap”.

The fact that the Lions have made the Super Rugby final for the past two years has further enlarged them in the Australian psyche. Never mind that the quirkish draw allowed them to go all the way through last season without playing a single New Zealand side in the regular season and then only two Kiwi sides in the finals — both at home, both at altitude, before losing 14-8 to the Crusaders in the final. Still, they did play all five Australian teams along the way and beat them all, including the Waratahs by 55-36 at Ellis Park.

So there is no question that the Lions tonight will pose a formidable threat, the biggest of the season so far, according to Tahs vice-captain Bernard Foley.

And stats do tell a sterile tale. They give no indication that the smallest forward on the field tonight, Lions flanker Kwagga Smith, who weighs just 94kg, ­almost certainly will be the most dynamic and dangerous of the visitors. But that’s forgetting Malcolm Marx, who may well be the most dynamic hooker in world rugby.

The evidence is that the Lions will play far above their weight. But this, too, is a quality the Waratahs also aspire to. The biggest physical mismatch in the forwards will be 101kg Michael Hooper against 122kg prop Jacques van Rooyen, a type of discrepancy the Waratahs and Wallabies captain deals with every week throughout the season.

The match comes at a critical juncture for both teams. Both have won five matches — the Tahs out of seven games, the Lions out of eight — but the momentum is all with NSW. They have won four straight and not since their banner season of 2014 have they strung five together. By contrast, the Lions have beaten only the Sunwolves and the Stormers in their past five outings.

Yet, as Foley said, while they are very much a typical South African side that can inflict a lot of pain on their opponents at set-piece time, they are, like the Bulls, also developing some devastating backline attack.

With 43 tries to their credit, 11 more than the Crusaders and Rebels, it is fair to say it’s no longer a work in progress.

“It’s a really good time to get them (in the week before a bye) and to see actually how we’re going,’’ Foley said.

“It’s a good marker to see how well we will hold up against these sides that have been successful in this competition. So the forwards are under no illusion that they have to step up in the set piece. They’ve been going really well the last couple of weeks but the challenge has been thrown to them and they’ve matched it but this week it goes up another notch.

“They’re a traditional South African side where they can really hammer you or set that platform up front. They really pride themselves on their set piece, their driving mauls.

“But they also love to chance their arm and love to play from deep. They’ve got some extremely creative backline players, ­especially (five-eighth) Elton Jantjies. If he’s confident and ready to go, they’re a really dangerous side.

“They’re a side that can hit you all over the place, up front and if you give them any space, out wide. They’ve got the players to finish.”

The Waratahs have learned to deal with Israel Folau’s injury. His time on the sideline, which may have been a good thing, given all the other distractions going on in his life, has given the Waratahs a chance to explore other attacking options and they have chanced on to a rich vein of form in winger Taqele Naiyaravoro.

“He’s been really good for us the last couple of weeks … just damaging. His workrate and his appetite for the ball have been phenomenal,” Foley said.

They also are looking far more settled using other playmakers at 10, allowing Foley to scout wider. Kurtley Beale has always played this role to perfection but lately fullback Bryce Hegarty is looking far more comfortable at first receiver than he ever was at the Rebels.

And they also have discovered something New Zealand teams have long based their games around — defence is the best form of attack.