Tahs know they must confront reality

JOHANNESBURG: Amongthe many challenges that the Waratahs will be faced with in their Super Rugby semi-final clash against the Lions, dominating the war of attrition will go a long way in handing the Australians an unlikely victory.

As much as the Lions are better known for the running rugby they have employed to maul teams entering their territory, Waratahs assistant coach Chris Malone believes that nullifying their forward pack and winning the physical battle will give them any upper hand in the Saturday’s game at Ellis Park.

“As you’ve seen all year, historically the Lions, particularly at home, they are a big pack that like to get on a roll and they are going to come no doubt through their forwards.

“We know that’s been a great strength of theirs and they have scored a lot of tries from that lineout so it is an area of the game that we got to minimize for them,” Malone said.

“If you look at our game from the weekend there was probably a half of football where we were confrontational and a half where we weren’t.

“That is the nature of the game particularly here playing a South African side, it’s always going to be physical.”

And the Waratahs will know all too well how dangerous and fatal it is allowing the Lions pack to run riot having been on the end of a 29-0 beating in Sydney earlier in the season.

Malone says they have taken heed of the lessons of their previous encounter and they will look to starve the Lions of possession and gain control of the game.

Ultimately, though, the Waratahs will have to focus on what it is that they will put on the table to see them pull off an improbable win and despite the energy-sapping difficulties of playing at altitude, Malone says they have no option but to back the running game that has got them to the semi-finals.

“I think the reason to these two sides are in the semi-final is because they play the way they play the game.

“It would be crazy for us to try alter the way we play the game.

“The game that we play has got us to where we are now and we have to be true to ourselves and true to how we want to play the game.”