Waratahs need to beat Highlanders after Force loss
If the Super Round in Christchurch was a three-day, sold-out rugby festival that will live long in the memory, the Force’s 20-17 win over the Waratahs was the disappointing after-party in Sydney.
The quality of rugby on display may be poor, but the Power won’t care; Finals hopes remain alive, with the Waratahs needing to win against the Highlanders in Dunedin to have any chance of finishing in the top six.
A tough showdown between two former NSW Origin teammates Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii and Zac Lomax had been promised. Ferrari was ready and stepping up against the Australian muscle car and 10,096 fans had come to see it. Ultimately, both men were underutilized. Suaalii in particular only managed three moves in the entire game, while Lomax managed 10 moves.
If right winger Lomax took the majority of the headlines for the Force, it was Dylan Pietsch who provided the story of this game, scoring two tries in an outstanding performance. The Waratahs almost stole the game with a 74th-minute try from hooker Folau Faingaa, but the ensuing Teddy Wilson strike ended that brief little hope.
Only three points were scored in the first 30 minutes of the match, thanks to Ben Donaldson’s penalty. The Waratahs have admirably allowed young players to attend their home games for free this season, but even they may feel a little changed by the action on the pitch. Both teams were unable to take possession of the ball and take advantage of offensive opportunities.
Before the game the Waratahs held the undesirable record of just 27% of their try-scoring attempts from 22 tries, making them the most offensively inefficient team in Super Rugby. After 12 minutes, the Waratahs had an early opportunity to take a penalty but turned it down. The ball was eventually turned over by Force hooker Brandon Paenga-Amosa.
The Waratahs were eventually rewarded for a long spell near the Force try line with a five-eighth Lawson Creighton try. After 33 long and error-filled minutes, the point guard turned and thwarted Power’s tackle attempts to finally put his team on the scoreboard. Sid Harvey added a penalty to his earlier conversion to extend his lead.
Force winger Dylan Pietsch scored his third try in three games just before half-time, slotting past the Waratahs defense to level the game at 10 after 21 phases of patient play from the visitors.
Pietsch spent three seasons with the Waratahs, but established himself as an elite winger in his final two years in Perth. Ten minutes into the second half Pietsch scored his second try after a superb offload from full-back Mac Grealy.
The Waratahs were forced to absorb wave after wave of Power pressure throughout the second half. Donaldson’s penalty increased the Force’s lead to 10 points with 12 minutes left.
With five minutes left in the game on their first visit past the Force 22 meter line, the Waratahs scored a converted try through hooker Folau Fainga’a to give them an improbable chance of victory.
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