Waratahs smash shocking Lions
Fri, 12 Mar 2010 12:40
Passing game: Waratahs scrumhalf Luke Burgess
The Waratahs put their season firmly back on track with an emphatic 73-12 demolition of an outclassed Lions team in their Super 14 Round Five match in Sydney on Friday.
The Waratahs will celebrate a fine win and applaud a great performance by their team - a performance that saw Drew Mitchell become the first Waratah to score four tries in a Super Rugby match. It is also the most points scored by a Waratahs team and the most tries in a game.
Captain Phil Waugh, who made his 119th appearance for New South Wales, passing the previous record of 118 matches set by Chris Whitaker, was able to haul out all the classic clichés as to why his team won so easily.
"We started well, which was important, and then we converted pressure into points," said Waugh, who also passed Whitaker for the most appearances as NSW captain with his 41st appearance.
However, what Waugh was sufficiently gracious not to say was that his team were up against a shockingly poor Lions outfit - a side that for all their enthusiasm and effort, does not look as if it belongs in Super Rugby.
This team appears to play with little structure and their loose brand of rugby is patently unsuited to Super 14. Their basics are poor, their decison-making too often wayward and their skills inadequate for this level.
Their defence is woefully weak.
They have now conceded 29 tries in five games, nearly six tries per game. Even worse, they have conceded more than 70 points in two of their games - 72 against the Chiefs in Week Two and 73 on Friday. That's 228 points in five games.
Opposition franchises love playing them because, sadly, the way they are playing, they are a guaranteed bonus point.
The Waratahs were wonderful. They did the basics competently, their skills were for the most part excellent, their options most often spot-on, and their handling and support play excellent.
Their own Sydney supporters have been critical about their style of play, but after their attacking finesse in this game, the Waratahs deserve to have their spectators return to the Sydney Football Stadium in droves.
A try-saving tackle in the fourth minute by Lions right wing Tonderai Chavhanga on Waratahs outside centre Tom Carter five metres from the Lions tryline gave the visitors only brief respite before left wing Drew Mitchell scored from his own quick penalty tap-kick five metres out. Barnes converted and the Waratahs led 7-0 after seven minutes.
A minute later Lions fullback Earl Rose kicked a long grubber, Mitchell failed to ground the rolling ball in his in-goal and Chavhanga pounced on the ball for a gift try. Rose's conversion attempt was wide but the Lions had reduced the lead to 7-5.
The third try of the game came inside 10 minutes of the kick-off as Carlos Spencer tried a chip-kick which went straight into Dean Mumm's hands and with no defender near, the Waratahs lock ran in a try from 38 metres out. Barnes converted to stretch the lead to 14-5.
The fourth try came in the 17th minute when Mumm, Tatafu Polota-Nau and Benn Robinson carried the ball strongly into the Lions 22 and Barnes timed his pass to Carter perfectly for the centre to beat the defence for a try a few metres in from touch. Barnes made no mistake with the conversion and the home team led 21-5.
The Lions defence was shown up badly as Mitchell ran from inside his 22 and beat one defender after another courtesy of one-on-one missed tackles before feeding Lachlan Turner. Fortunately for the visitors Turner lost the ball forward when eventually one of them actually made a tackle.
From a penalty against the Lions for off-side Wycliff Palu made good ground, handing off Rose before being stopped by Derick Minnie, and then from a kick ahead by Daniel Halangahu, Lions left wing Wandile Mjekevu couldn't gather the rolling ball and Turner scooped up the ball for a try close to touch. Barnes missed his first goal-kick of the game after goaling three, but the Waratahs led 26-5 after 30 minutes.
From a penalty which gave them a good attacking position deep inside the Waratahs 22, the Lions bashed repeatedly at the Waratahs line, but were not able to score and a steal on his goal-line by Phil Waugh relieved the pressure as Barnes kicked upfield.
In the last minute of the half, from a line-out on the Lions 22 Waugh fed Mitchell, racing in from the left wing to burst through midfield, and Mitchell again beat a host of defenders who were in position to tackle him but failed to do so. He scored under the posts and Barnes converted to take the halftime lead to 33-5.
It was a dismal first 40 minutes for the visitors. One's impression was that if they cold not stage a second half rally and score tries while not conceding any, their Australasian tour - and their Super 14 season - would be derailed beyond recovery.
There would be few Lions players, if any, other than loose forwards Todd Clever, Derick Minnie and Cobus Grobbelaar - Trojans all - who would be satisfied with their first half performances.
The Lions brought Jano Vermaak on at scrumhalf and Burton Francis at flyhalf at the start of the second half and the tempo of the Lions game improved immediately but for all their territory and possession early in the half, they could not overcome bad hands and wrong options - and tight Waratahs defence - and they were unable to turn attacking pressure into points.
In the 51st minute No.8 Wycliff Palu, standing waiting on the left touchline while the Waratahs were attacking on the far right, gathered a neatly judged diagonal kick from Barnes to score the first try of the second half. Barnes' conversion from close to the touchline flew wide but the hosts led 38-5.
The Lions attacked but gifted the home team a turnover inside the Waratahs 22 and Mumm was pivotal in another attack as he burst upfield and offloaded in the tackle to Mitchell, the left wing popping up on the right touchline. Mitchell ran the try in from inside his half, Barnes goaled and the Waratahs led 45-5 with 22 minutes still to play.
Two minutes later, the Waratahs attacked from just outside their 22, flank Dave Dennis carried the ball a long way and Mitchell rounded off to score his fourth try of the game. Barnes goaled to increase the lead to 52-5.
Phil Waugh took a well-deserved rest and was treated to loud applause from the 16,000 spectators. The Waratahs cleared their bench to give their replacements a run, and in the 68th minute substitute tighthead prop JC Janse van Rensburg crashed over for the Lions. Francis converted and the lead had been reduced to 52-12.
But five minutes later the Waratahs hit back and took their points' tally to their highest score in Super Rugby when Kutley Beale beat weak tackles, Turner and Barnes supported and carried well and substitute scrumhalf Josh Holmes rounded off with a well-constructed try under the posts. Barnes converted (59-12).
Holmes scored his second try in three minutes as Francis conceded a turnover and again the Waratahs support play was excellent as they sent their new number nine in for a try under the posts. Barnes goaled again. (66-12).
After the hooter, the Lions had a five metre attacking scrum but Francis tried a chip-kick, Turner gathered and ran 90 metres to score the 11th Waratahs try. Barnes goaled and home team had won 73-12.
So ended a happy game for the Waratahs and another miserable match for the Lions.
It was a day of records for the Waratahs, with their 73 points their most ever in a Super Rugby match and the 61 points difference their biggest margin of victory ever.
The 11-try haul is the most they've ever scored in a game, Mitchell broke the NSW individual try-scoring record with his four tries, and Barnes set a new record
with his nine conversions.
Mitchell's first try took him to 100 Super Rugby points, Turners second try took him to 100 points and Palu's try took him to 50 points.
Though it is difficult to assess the Waratahs against opposition like this, they would certainly appear to be on track for a strong campaign.
For the Lions there would seem to be no more drawing boards to which they can return and too few players clearly of Super 14 standard. On the evidence of this performance, it looks set to be a very long, exceptionally tough season for Dick Muir, Cobus Grobbelaar and their team.
Man of the Match: Berrick Barnes was superb at inside centre and his goal-kicking was accurate too. Drew Mitchell gave away a try but scored four himself, causing havoc with the Lions defence as time and again he popped up all over the field and beat one defender after another. Tatafu Polota-Nau was his usual potent self in the tight and as
ball-carrier. Phil Waugh's workrate and leadership were exemplary. But the Man of the Match must be Dean Mumm, who was a force in the tight and quite outstanding around the field. It was a magnificent performance by the 20-Test cap Wallaby lock-cum-flank.
The scorers:
For the Waratahs:
Tries: Mitchell 4, Holmes 2, Turner 2, Mumm, Carter, Palu
Cons: Barnes 9
For the Lions:
Tries: Chavhanga, Van Rensburg
Con: Francis
Teams:
Waratahs: 15 Sosene Anesi, 14 Lachie Turner, 13 Tom Carter, 12 Berrick Barnes, 11 Drew Mitchell, 10 Daniel Halangahu, 9 Luke Burgess, 8 Wycliff Palu, 7 Phil Waugh (captain), 6 Dave Dennis, 5 Kane Douglas, 4 Dean Mumm, 3 Al Baxter, 2 Tatafu Polota-Nau, 1 Benn Robinson.
Replacements: 16 Damien Fitzpatrick, 17 Sekope Kepu, 18 Will Caldwell,
19 Ben Mowen, 20 Josh Holmes, 21 Kurtley Beale, 22 Rob Horne.
Lions: 15 Earl Rose, 14 Tonderai Chavhanga, 13 Walter Venter, 12 Doppies la Grange, 11 Wandile Mjekevu, 10 Carlos Spencer, 9 JP Joubert, 8 Todd Clever, 7 Derick Minnie, 6 Cobus Grobbelaar (captain), 5 Willem Stoltz, 4 Franco van der Merwe, 3 Kevin Buys, 2 Hannes Franklin, 1 Heinke van der Merwe.
Replacements: 16 Charles Emslie, 17 JC Janse van Rensburg, 18 Jacques Lombaard, 19 Robert Kruger, 20 Jano Vermaak, 21 Burton Francis, 22 Wigan Pekeur.
Referee: Vinny Munro (New Zealand)
Assistant referees: Ian Smith (Australia), James Leckie (Australia)
TMO: George Ayoub (Australia)
By Len Kaplan
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