Waratahs hold off circling Sharks

May 16 • General News, Super Rugby • 1409 Views • Comments Off on Waratahs hold off circling Sharks

NSW Waratahs 33 – Durban Sharks 18
Asteron Life Super Rugby round 14 – Allianz Stadium, Sydney

The NSW Waratahs have overcome the Sharks 33-18 in a gripping arm wrestle at Allianz Stadium. Both sides traded blows in a see-sawing second half but it was Bernard Foley’s perfect night with the boot that sealed the game for the defending champions; his personal haul of 23 points equalling Mat Rogers’ record against the Sharks from 2004.

THE MATCH
It took 52 seconds to erase any memories of last weekend’s disappointing loss, when Adam Ashley-Cooper dived in under the posts courtesy of a well-worked set move between Foley and Man of the Match Michael Hooper.

But the home side failed to capitalise on their early momentum, as a high error rate and a retreating scrum stifled their attack for the rest of a half punctuated by two penalty goals to each side.

The Tahs looked to finally have their second five-pointer just before halftime, when Kurtley Beale swung the ball inside to a charging Israel Folau, but a desperate lunge by fullback Lwazi Mvovo denied the Wallaby fullback. Tempers flared when referee Rohan Hoffmann awarded the Sharks a contentious penalty in the ensuing ruck, and the resulting push and shove earned a passionate Tolu Latu a stern reproach.

Head Coach Michael Cheika demanded his players up the tempo after the break, but it was the Sharks who heeded his advice early in the second half. Mvovo broke away up the left and, if not for a desperate cover tackle from Folau, winger Sibusiso Sithole would’ve had the visitors’ opening try in the 42nd minute.

The men from Durban didn’t have to wait long to make amends. The wily Lionel Cronje caught the Tahs napping from a penalty 60 metres out, nudging a cross-field kick into the arms of winger Odwa Ndungane, who strolled into the right corner unmarked. Steyn missed the sideline conversion and the chance to level the scores on the 50th minute.

But the Tahs countered with a try of their own two minutes later. Some slick hands through the backs created a one-on-one opportunity for Taqele Naiyaravoro, and the giant winger carried the helpless Mvovo over the line for the Tahs’ second try of the night. Foley nailed a sideline conversion and gave the home side some breathing room with a 9-point buffer.

That margin was short-lived, as momentum again shifted back to the Sharks. Some slick offloading from the South Africans saw the ball go through five sets of hands to find an unmarked Steyn, who ran around under the posts to make his own conversion a formality. And suddenly, with 20 minutes to go, the Sharks found themselves only two points adrift of a jittery home team.

It was Foley’s dependable right foot that settled fraying nerves, slotting successive penalty kicks to take the margin beyond a converted try with only ten minutes to play.

But the Sharks weren’t going down without a fight, as Cronje regathered his own chip kick to send Sithole into space down the left-hand channel minutes later. The winger’s dive into the corner was sent to the TMO, who judged Hooper and Beale had done just enough to deny the Sharks a much-needed score.

It was Foley who sealed the match on full time, pouncing on a Cronje knock-on 40 metres out to run over for his side’s third try and a 33-18 final score line.

Next week – the long-awaited rematch of the 2014 Super Rugby Final, as the NSW Waratahs head to ANZ Stadium to take on the Canterbury Crusaders on Saturday, May 23rd at 7:40pm.

NSW Waratahs 33 (tries: Ashley-Cooper, Naiyaravoro, Foley; cons: Foley 3; pens: Foley 4) def Durban Sharks 18 (tries: Steyn; cons: Steyn; pens: Steyn 2)

NSW Waratahs: 1. Benn Robinson (Eastwood), 2. Tolu Latu (Sydney University), 3. Sekope Kepu (Randwick), 4. Will Skelton (Sydney University), 5. David Dennis (Sydney University, captain), 6. Stephen Hoiles (Randwick), 7. Michael Hooper (Manly, vice-captain), 8. Wycliff Palu (Manly), 9. Nick Phipps (Sydney University), 10. Bernard Foley (Sydney University), 11. Rob Horne (Southern Districts), 12. Kurtley Beale (Randwick), 13. Adam Ashley-Cooper (Northern Suburbs, vice-captain), 14. Taqele Naiyaravoro (Parramatta), 15. Israel Folau (Sydney University, vice-captain).

Replacements: 16. Hugh Roach (Eastwood), 17. Jeremy Tilse (Sydney University), 18. Paddy Ryan (Sydney University), 19. Mitchell Chapman (Eastern Suburbs), 20. Jack Dempsey (Gordon), 21. Pat McCutcheon (Sydney University), 22. Brendan McKibbin (Eastern Suburbs), 23. Matt Carraro (Randwick).

Durban Sharks: 1. Dale Chadwick, 2. Bismarck du Plessis, 3. Jannie du Plessis, 4. Stephan Lewies, 5. Marco Wentzel (captain), 6. Marcell Coetzee, 7. Willem Alberts, 8. Renaldo Bothma, 9. Stefan Ungerer, 10. Lionel Cronje, 11. Sibusiso Sithole, 12. Francois Steyn, 13. JP Pietersen, 14. Odwa Ndungane, 15. Lwazi Mvovo.

Replacements: 16. Franco Marais, 17. Matt Stevens, 18. Lourens Adriaanse, 19. Lubabalo Mtyanda, 20. Etienne Oosthuizen, 21. Conrad Hoffmann, 22. Fred Zeilinga, 23. Andre Esterhuizen.

Referee: Rohan Hoffmann (AUS)

Half-time: NSW Waratahs 13 – Durban Sharks 6

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