Australian Super Rugby outfit the Waratahs saw off a spirited second half performance by the Chiefs to see them beat the New Zealand side by 23 – 16 in Sydney on Friday.

The Tahs were impressive in the first 40 minutes, but their lacklustre showing in the second half shows there is much room for improvement.

The Tahs got off to the perfect start when wing Atieli Pakalani went over after four minutes. The Sydney-siders’ big pack has been one of their strengths for many seasons now, and the way they shoved the Chiefs back in the first scrum was ominous. From the resultant tighthead five metres from the line, the Tahs scored after a few phases – once wing Pakalani ran a good angle.

The Chiefs hit back with a penalty, but they would’ve felt they required more after scrumhalf Brendon Leonard dropped the ball with the line in reach.

They narrowed the gap to 6-10 after quarter of an hour, but the Tahs’ forward dominance meant they spent long periods in the Chiefs’ 22.

Good decision-making exemplified the Tahs’ work at the breakdown, which ensured they repeatedly got quick ball from the rucks. That allowed scrumhalf Luke Burgess much space around the fringes, and he constantly made easy meters or broke the line.

It was a positive for the Tahs, but as is often the case with the Chiefs, defence seemed to be an afterthought, while they didn’t commit sufficient defenders around the breakdowns. With quick ball in the best space to attack in the modern game, the Tahs tore them to shreds with no pillar defenders.

Their second five-pointer was a penalty try after numerous collapsed scrums from the Chiefs, while they had earlier also brought down a maul on their own line. To make matters worse for the visitors, during that five-minute period of five-metre scrums, tighthead Nathan White was also sin-binned for his role in the offences.

Kurtley Beale started at flyhalf with Berrick Barnes out injured, and the flyhalf capped his armchair ride in the first half with a penalty that handed his side a 20-6 lead at the break.

The Tahs would’ve been searching for a bonus point in the second stanza, but their minds seemed set that the result had already been determined. Their standards slipped alarmingly during the third quarter, and the Chiefs took advantage.

A poor kick downfield from Beale offered the Chiefs their favoured type of attacking ball, and after numerous phases after the counter-attack, fullback Tim Nanai-Williams flopped over close to the ruck. At 20-13 with 20 minutes to go, all the momentum was with the visitors, despite trailing on the scoreboard.

The Chiefs sorted out their defensive structure and commitment, while the Tahs were the side who handed the opposition easy yards around the fringes, with replacement scrumhalf Tawera Kerr-Barlow proving a menace. The Tahs won a few turnovers, but typifying their negative mindset, they’d repeatedly kick ball away, which gave the Chiefs many opportunities.

However, Mike Delany missed two penalties that would’ve narrowed the gap to one point. Eventually it was left to Nanai-Williams to kick the goal, leaving the score at 20-16 with seven minutes to go.

Fortuitously the Tahs managed to hold on, their only points of the half coming from a Beale penalty in the final movement.

Man of the Match: Waratahs hooker Tatafu Polota-Nau set the trend for his side’s strong forward performance in the opening half, with his strong scrummaging an asset that often goes unnoticed. He also proved to be one of their best ball-carriers with his work-rate impressive.

The scorers:

For the Waratahs:
Tries: Pakalani, Penalty try
Cons: Beale 2
Pens: Beale 3

For the Chiefs:
Try: Nanai-Williams
Con: Delany
Pens: Delany 2, Nanai-Williams

Yellow card: Nathan White (Chiefs, 25 – repeated scrum infringements)

Teams:

Waratahs: 15 Lachie Turner, 14 Atieli Pakalani, 13 Ryan Cross, 12 Tom Carter, 11 Drew Mitchell, 10 Kurtley Beale, 9 Luke Burgess, 8 Wycliff Palu, 7 Phil Waugh (captain), 6 Ben Mowen, 5 Pat O’Connor, 4 Dean Mumm, 3 Sekope Kepu, 2 Tatafu Polota-Nau, 1 Benn Robinson.
Replacements: 16 Damien Fitzpatrick, 17 Paddy Ryan, 18 Sitaleki Timani, 19 Dave Dennis, 20 Pat McCutcheon, 21 Brendan McKibbin, 22 Daniel Halangahu.

Chiefs: 15 Tim Nanai-Williams, 14 Lelia Masaga, 13 Richard Kahui, 12 Dwayne Sweeney, 11 Sitiveni Sivivatu, 10 Mike Delany, 9 Brendon Leonard, 8 Liam Messam (captain), 7 Tanerau Latimer, 6 Scott Waldrom, 5 Isaac Ross, 4 Craig Clarke, 3 Nathan White, 2 Hika Elliot, 1 Toby Smith.
Replacements: 16 Aled de Malmanche, 17 Sona Taumalolo, 18 Culum Retallick, 19 Fritz Lee, 20 Tawera Kerr-Barlow, 21 Tana Umaga, 22 Save Tokula.

Referee: Jaco Peyper (South Africa)
Assistant referee: James Leckie (Australia), Lourens van der Merwe (South Africa)
TMO: George Ayoub (Australia)

Source: rugby365.com

Pic: abc.net.au