Sleepy Waratahs wake up in time to save win against Pasifika
SUPER RUGBY THE NSW Waratahs have avoided the ultimate fall from grace, coming from behind to beat Moana Pasifka at Auckland’s Mt Smart Stadium to overtake Queensland on the ladder.
After a sleepy start, Darren Coleman’s side overturned a 0-17 deficit to pull off a dramatic 26-20 victory.
It wasn’t without some late drama either, with the Waratahs forced to defend their line in the dying minutes.
“It was really tough,” a relieved
Waratahs captain Jake Gordon said, with the halfback stunned by the fact it was their first win across the ditch since 2015.
“Moana came out of the blocks really well, which we expected, we know it’s their first game in front of a good crowd at Mt Smart, but I was happy with the way we fought back there.”
The win saw the Waratahs incredibly leapfrog the Queensland Red into fifth place, after Brad Thorn’s side lost their third straight match to New Zealand opposition on Friday night.
It’s a remarkable feat given the Waratahs went winless last year and, with a relatively favourable final three rounds, they can sniff a top four position and a home quarter-final should they win at least two of those matches. Should that occur, it would be one of the competition’s greatest turnarounds.
Twenty minutes in alarm bells were being heard across the Tasman after Moana Pasifika raced out of the blocks and scored two tries and a penalty inside 21 minutes.
But in another sign of the growing maturity of the Waratahs, they kept their heads and made the most of a dominant scrum to see off a determined effort from first year club Paskifika.