Naholo’s ruthless headshot costly for Highlanders
NSW Waratahs captain Bernard Foley spearheaded a remarkable comeback as his side overturned a 17-point halftime deficit and beat the Highlanders 30-23 in their Super Rugby quarter-final.
The Tahs, who finished Saturday night’s game at Allianz Stadium with 14 men, led 6-3 early on but conceded 20 unanswered points to trail 23-6 at the break.
But they piled on three tries and 21 points after Highlanders winger Waisake Naholo was sent to the bin and scored all 24 points after the break.
Their backline big guns fired, with fiveeighth Foley scoring two tries and fullback Israel Folau one, and centre Kurtley Beale setting up two and Folau the other.
A penalty to Foley, who scored a personalbest Super Rugby 25 points, expanded the home team’s lead to seven with 10 minutes to go.
The Tahs then had to play the last six minutes with 14 men after prop Paddy Ryan was sin-binned when he was caught offside after Highlanders forward Shannon Frizell grounded the ball just short of the line. They hung on with some desperate defence to clinch a semi-final against either the Lions or Jaguares.
For the second time in Sydney this season, the Waratahs ruthlessly exploited the Highlanders when the New Zealan.d team were down on numbers.
Naholo was binned after two high tackles in a few seconds on Tahs prop Sekope Kepu as he tried to stop a barnstorming run from the Wallabies front-rower.
It was a different story in the first half when everything seemed to be going wrong for the Tahs after a promising start.
Discipline was an issue in the first half as they gave away seven penalties, four more than the Highlanders and on three occasions were pinged for not releasing.
Poor defensive reads and line speed and the failure to sustain pressure when in possession hurt NSW.
Naholo went over for the first try after centre Curtis Rona rushed out of the line. Centre Rob Thompson sliced through a hole for the visitors second try.
Even when they had a lineout close to the Highlanders’ line late in the half, NSW butchered the chance with a crooked throw. But with Foley leading from the front and Beale at his brilliant best, setting up tried for his skipper and Folau, NSW made their numerical superiority count then held on when they were outnumbered. Waratahs No.8 Michael Wells was forced off the ground in the 32nd minute after he got his head in the wrong position while trying to execute a tackle.
The scorers:For Tries: Pens:
Waratahs: Foley 2, Folau,
Foley 3,
For Highlanders:
Tries: Naholo, Thompson
Cons: Sopoaga 2, Sopoaga 3 Yellow Card: Naholo.
-Planet Rugby
Christchurch:
Foley 3 Ryan
Scott Robertson knows Super Rugby is a ruthless business
Within minutes of his Crusaders downing the Sharks 40-10 in their Super Rugby quarterfinal in Christchurch on Saturday night, coach Robertson began fielding questions about the semi against the Hurricanes. While wing Seta Tamanivalu, who appeared to bang his head on the ground after Sharks wing Kobus van Wyk scored a try at AMI Stadium, will have to be cleared to play by the medics Robertson expects to have a full roster to choose from for the blockbuster against the Canes.
“Outside of a head knock to Seta we have a pretty good casualty ward and we got the result - we kicked home. Really pleasing,” Robertson said after the Crusaders ran in five tries.
Robertson knows what a tricky bunch those Hurricanes can be.
In the round-robin game played on March 10 in Wellington the Hurricanes beat the Crusaders, who were without a host of All Blacks including Kieran Read, Owen Franks and Joe Moody and lost Sam Whitelock and Ryan Crotty in the early minutes because of injury, 29-19.
Much has changed since then. In addition to having their internationals fully fit and hissing, the Crusaders have since won 13 straight and have not lost in Christchurch in over two years.
Robertson also has to try and send his old coaching buddy Chris Boyd, the latter invited Robertson to work as his assistant with the NZ under-20 team a few years back, packing with a defeat.
Boyd is set to move to England to coach premiership club team Northampton after Super Rugby. In this business there’s little room for sentiment and Robertson knows Boyd will be just as desperate to throw his Crusaders down the hatch.
“We know how dangerous they are, we have a great rivalry,” Robertson said. “It’s what Super Rugby needs, to have a big semifinal like this.”
While accepting his side were far from perfect against the Sharks, Robertson highlighted his side’s resolve in defence and said centre Jack Goodhue was on fire.
“I thought we defended our line at some critical moments. Up to 21 to 24 phases we defended for - we just didn’t quite get our discipline right and kept giving the ball back. “That is the part we have to get right going into this semifinal against the Hurricanes. “Jack Goodhue was phenomenal - 14 tackles. Just a genuine warrior, he is just so important to us.”