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Waratahs on a high as they hit the road

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 10:05

With excellent off-season recruitment of key new acquisitions and the experience of three away games in their pre-season matches, the Waratahs are bristling with confidence going into the Super 14.

The transfers of Wallabies Berrick Barnes from the Reds and Drew Mitchell from the Western Force are the New South Wales team's major signings, but in addition they have Soseni Anesi, a fullback or wing who played one test for the All Blacks (transferred from the Chiefs), Emerging Springbok lock Hendrik Roodt, scrumhalf Josh Holmes from the Brumbies, and Rory Sidey, a centre (inside or outside), from Newport Gwent Dragons.

Another interesting acquisition is Cam Jowitt, a lock or flank who has spent the last four seasons playing for Leinster in Ireland. He is a New Zealander with Australian ancestry, which makes him eligible to play for the Wallabies.

Speaking at the official launch of their 2010 Super 14 campaign at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Monday, NSW Rugby CEO Jim L'Estrange said fans can expect a big season from the Tahs both on and off the field.

"The coaching team has recruited extremely well in the off-season with a focus on attack, and the performances in the trials have everyone excited about the final year of Super 14," said L'Estrange.

"The team has been doing all the right things in preparation, and we've also been working hard off the field. All that's ahead of us now is to hit the field on Saturday and get the season underway."

Chris Hickey, who enters his second season as Waratahs head coach after a distinguished club coaching career, said the team was looking forward to putting the pre-season behind them and getting on with the Super 14 campaign.

"At the end of May you spend the next few months working hard to make sure you've got everything in place for the season ahead, and then you follow that up with three months of pre-season training and trials," said Hickey.

"That's all behind us now; we're at the start line and we've got almost the entire squad fit for selection later this week.

"We've really improved our depth this season which is always important in a competition like the Super 14 where injuries are inevitable."

Hickey said that three trials on the road had prepared the team for a tough start to 2010.

"We've spent the last few weeks playing matches in Lismore, Orange and Canberra and that's really helped everyone come together as a group, especially considering we have a number of new players in the squad," said Hickey.

"That will certainly help with our start to the season when we play the Reds in Brisbane, the Stormers in Cape Town and the Bulls in Pretoria."

The Waratahs lost 24-26 to the Reds in their first pre-season trial and then beat the Fiji Warriors 83-15 and the Brumbies 15-7.

After their three-week road trip to start the year, the Waratahs play their first home game in round four against the Sharks, and spend a period of five weeks on Australian soil with matches against the Lions, Force, Blues and Cheetahs.

They then play the Crusaders in Christchurch before enjoying a week off prior to what is already viewed as a massive clash against the Brumbies (their one game at ANZ Stadium) in round eleven.

The Waratahs then spend two weeks in New Zealand playing the Highlanders in Invercargill and Chiefs in Hamilton before returning to Sydney for the final match of the regular season against the Hurricanes.

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