Waratahs Super Rugby finals hopes fade
03/05/2024 11:38
FRIDAY WRAP: The Waratahs' finals hopes remain in tatters following yet another Super Rugby Pacific flop.
If it wasn't evident already, the table-topping Hurricanes exposed the Waratahs as 2024 title pretenders with a 41-12 thrashing in Wellington on Friday night.
The Tahs' latest crushing bonus-point defeat left them with a galling two-from-10 record, and the coaching staff at the one-time Australian benchmark outfit didn't pull their punches in assessing the performance.
"We're coming second, by a long way," Waratahs assistant coach Chris Whitaker said of the Waratahs' meek first-half effort at Sky Stadium.
"The contact area was pretty poor, both sides of the ball.
"We're not tackling hard enough, not carrying hard enough. Speed around the field is probably not up to it either."
Stinging from a first loss of the season last week to the Brumbies, the Hurricanes came out firing.
First-half tries to wing Billy Proctor, Brett Cameron, wing Joshua Moorby and No.8 Brayden Iose earned the hosts a virtually unbeatable 26-0 lead at the break.
A try-scoring double from electric replacement Salesi Rayasi put the issue beyond doubt, despite late second-half crosses for Waratahs duo Hugh Sinclair and Vuate Karawalevu.
An eighth loss of the season leaves the Waratahs languishing in the second-last spot on the ladder and needing to string a succession of wins together in the closing rounds to scrape into the top eight.
Hurricanes 41-12 Waratahs
Scorers:
For Hurricanes:
Tries: Proctor, Cameron, Moorby, Iose, Rayasi 2, Perenara
Cons: Cameron 3
For Waratahs:
Tries: Karawalevu, Sinclair
Cons: Edmed
Teams:
Hurricanes: 15 Ruben Love, 14 Josh Moorby, 13 Billy Proctor (captain), 12 Riley Higgins, 11 Bailyn Sullivan, 10 Brett Cameron, 9 Richard Judd, 8 Brayden Iose, 7 Peter Lakai, 6 Devan Flanders, 5 Isaia Walker-Leawere, 4 Caleb Delany, 3 Tyrel Lomax, 2 Kianu Kereru-Symes, 1 Pouri Rakete-Stones.
Replacements: 16 Raymond Tuputupu, 17 Xavier Numia, 18 Pasilio Tosi, 19 Justin Sangster, 20 Du'Plessis Kirifi, 21 TJ Perenara, 22 Jordie Barrett, 23 Salesi Rayasi
Waratahs: 15 Mark Nawaqanitawase, 14 Triston Reilly, 13 Joey Walton, 12 Lalakai Foketi, 11 Dylan Pietsch, 10 Will Harrison, 9 Jake Gordon(captain), 8 Langi Gleeson, 7 Hunter Ward, 6 Lachie Swinton, 5 Fergus Lee-Warner, 4 Hugh Sinclair, 3 Harry Johnson-Holmes, 2 Julian Heaven, 1 Hayden Thompson-Stringer.
Replacements: 16 Jay Fonokalafi, 17 Lewis Ponini, 18 Brad Amituanai, 19 Miles Amatosero, 20 Charlie Gamble, 21 Jack Grant, 22 Tane Edmed, 23 Vuate Karawalevu
Referee: Dan Waenga
Assistant referees: Paul Williams & Mike Winter
TMO: Richard Kelly
