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Another sudden death Super Rugby quarter-final. Another “brave” but ultimately outclassed Aussie team losing to a Kiwi. And another game in which the score probably did not represent the competitiveness of the competition.
Like the Reds against the Crusaders, the Waratahs lost no fans with their effort against the Chiefs in Hamilton. Yet ultimately handling errors (15) and missed goals (3) saw the Tahs struggle to an unflattering 39-15.
The Waratahs made critical errors at critical times – including running the ball sideways when they were in their 22s and numerically shorthanded – while the Chiefs were patient and cool, and made them pay with a typically clinical counterattack.
Tahs captain Jake Gordon said Stan Sports the Chiefs were “exceptional” at the counter.
“Thanks to the Chiefs, it’s a classy outfit and they’ve had the wood on us all year,” Gordon said.
“They are really hard to contain with the ball off the front foot and they really punish you for your mistakes.
“I’m proud of our guys though. It’s been a great year for the club and the franchise and we have a lot of growth left. Next year should be quite exciting with our yearlings older and more experienced.
Chiefs captain Brad Weber, who scored two tries, said the win was “incredibly satisfying”.
“I’ve been here for nine years and this is the first home final we’ve played. It was pretty cool to see all the fans here and we’re so glad we got to put on a show,” Weber said.
It was quite a strange sight, sometimes quite entertaining, sometimes very boring.
A fine play in the seventh minute was an example of the first – a long throw from Samisoni Taukei’aho went straight to five-eighth, Bryan Gatland, who turned and returned a tasty ball to Weber on the loop. The halfback mowed through a hole and burned them all to get under the posts.
The Tahs fought back. Angus Ball and Ned Hanigan charged heavy before a quality grubber from Lalakai Foketi bounced for Dylan Pietsch, who leaped into the corner.
Tane Edmed cowered in the paint conversion.
And the visitors kept coming, with Mark Nawaqanitawase tearing down the left. The penalties came – and their period of dominance was rewarded when Edmed scored a goal and squared it up to 10 after 20 minutes.
But the leaders were quick to react. Luke Jacobson, replacing injured All Blacks third row Sam Cane, spat at a rolling maul.
Ben Donaldson was hammered by Brodie Retallick, back from Japan. The pressure again spawned a penalty for the Tahs – but Edmed hooked the shot in front.
Turning? It was written in these e-pages.
Pietsch won a ruck turnover – a winger was never a thing.
So: disaster. The Waratahs got their arm well inside their 22, Donaldson went to Edmed, who ran a 45-degree angle and fired a misfiring pass. The bouncing ball was crossed and dipped by Alex Nankivell.
Fair enough to have a crack – but make sure you have an overlap, not the other way around.
The conversion went 24-10. Nek minnit, as they say, the Chiefs took the points instead of going for it with a five-yard scrum.
At half time it was 27-15 when it could have, should have, would have been closer… if Edmed had scored the goal, and a few other things happened. As it was, Darren Coleman had some motivation to do.
Still, it’s clear the 49-year-old Shute Shield prodigy has a special sauce. Foketi fired Will Harris down the right. Soon Harris was out again when a ball was knocked down and Michael Hooper fed the long-walking No.8, who ran 50 yards to score.
Then, for the next 15 minutes, the game turned to mush, before the Chiefs killed it once and for all. Weber scored after a forward pass than Fonzie in a nightclub before Pita Gus Sowakula dived a yard.
And that, as they say, was that.
One wonders when Australian rugby players will get tired of being ‘brave’ and figure out what to do to beat the clinical and counter-attacking cousins on the other side of the divide.
