Haplesswaratahs’ horror season hits new low
The unthinkable has happened; the NSW Waratahs have finished Super Rugby AU without a win.
NSW are yet to wake up from their nightmare, with Saturday night’s 36-25 loss to the Melbourne Rebels putting the final nail in the coffin of a 10-week block Waratahs fans won’t ever want to revisit.
From eight matches, NSW finished with just three competition points – all bonus points.
Their effort cannot be questioned – even as they chased late tries and had favourable field position – yet they lack execution and haven’t got their basic skills up to the same standard of other
Australian teams.
The Rebels, also out of finals contention, dug deep following a first half red card to Isi Naisarani and played well, with back-rower Richard Hardwick a standout.
Rebels prop Pone Fa’amausili was also red-carded, for a high shot, with the result all but wrapped up.
NSW are now one loss away from equalling the franchise’s worst run of nine defeats on the trot.
Every team in Super Rugby AU – the Brumbies, Reds, Force and Rebels – managed to knock off NSW twice. Who would have thought?
If the Waratahs come up short in every Super Rugby transTasman fixture, they will take the record for the longest losing streak of any Australian side in history.
The NSW board pulled the trigger last month by sacking coach Rob Penney but despite a couple of better showings, the Waratahs are in one of the all-time ruts.
Now would be the perfect time to start again but there isn’t a minute to waste with matches against Kiwi sides three weeks away.
Penney was a scapegoat and others in important positions need to take greater accountability for a disastrous campaign.
Confidence is low and fans’ patience is wearing thin for a team whose players are equally as frustrated by loss after loss after loss.
It is probably more demoralising that NSW have been well in the contest in their past threematches.
Rebels coach David Wessels, labelled a ‘‘dead man walking’’ last week by Tim Horan, would have been shattered by Friday’s result, which saw the Western Force sneak into a qualifying final courtesy of their 30-27 win over the Queensland Reds.
While this was a dead rubber, a big win could have gone a long way towards giving the Rebels board no choice but to put a contract extension on the table for Wessels, whose win rate across four seasons is 44 per cent.
– Sydney Morning Herald