Zac Guildford focused on regaining starting spot for Waratahs

Zac Guildford’s focus for Waratahs is on what is best for team and how he can get back into the starting side.

Zac Guildford scored a try on his return for the Waratahs against his old side, the Crusaders, in Christchurch last Friday night.

Zac Guildford admits the “old Zac” would have thrown his toys out of the cot and sulked if he was dropped, but the new version is ­focused on doing what is best for the team.

Guildford, a former All Blacks winger, was given a lifeline by NSW Waratahs coach Daryl Gibson this year after his career was threatened by alcohol abuse.

After starting for the Waratahs in the early rounds of this season, Guildford had a shocker in their upset loss to the Melbourne Rebels on April 3 and was dropped from the 23-man squad.

The demotion, along with a broken toe, got on top of Guildford and he was given some time off before being sent to get both his head and his game back together with Sydney club West Harbour.

A season-ending knee injury to star playmaker Kurtley Beale gave Guildford an opportunity to redeem himself, which he managed to do despite the Waratahs’ 29-10 loss to his old team, the Crusaders, in Christchurch last Friday night.

Coming off the bench, Guildford scored a try that not only gave the Waratahs some respectability but also denied the Crusaders a valuable bonus point.

“I started off the season playing quite well,” Guildford said. “Had a game against the Rebels where I played like s — t and picked up an injury. I wasn’t too happy with myself. Wasn’t in the best mind frame.

“The old Zac would have had a bit of a sook and thrown his toys. I just bit the bullet, did what was best for the team, went back to club rugby, really enjoyed the group of guys there.

“Just got stuck in and Kurtley’s injury the other weekend, which was terrible, opened a door for me and hopefully I can make the most of it.”

Guildford admitted he was nervous before playing against the Crusaders, where he notched up 61 caps between 2010 and 2014.

“I was a bit nervous during the day, and I was only on the bench, but I was just pleased I got some game time,” Guildford said. “Unfortunately, we let them get away to a big lead in the first half. The second half we were chasing the game.

“We played well in phases, but against a team like the Crusaders it’s not good enough.

“If we start taking our chances, we can be a much better team. We can push those good teams who are definitely beatable, but I’m glad we took something away from them.”

The Waratahs remain on top of the Australian conference, one point ahead of the Brumbies but they have a hard run home, starting with the Chiefs in Sydney on Friday night.

“They are similar to the Crusaders,” Guildford said. “They play a good style of game.

“We know we have attacking threats all over the park. We have been kicking a lot. Hopefully, we can keep the ball in hand a bit more and score a few more tries.”

Guildford said he was ready to start again and could compete with league convert Reece Robinson for a wing spot or Rob Horne could move from the wing to the midfield to partner Israel Folau.

Intriguingly, Folau, who has recently switched from fullback to outside centre, lined up at inside centre on a couple of occasions against the Crusaders. At inside centre Folau could use his off-loading skills in the same way as Sonny Bill Williams.

Guildford, who signed with the Waratahs for just one season, said he had not had any talks about extending his deal.

“I’ll probably go back to the ITM Cup in New Zealand and see what happens,” he said.