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Down to the wire: Waratahs fall to Highlanders in heartbreaking defeat
By AAP
The NSW Waratahs have crashed back to earth with a crushing 23-21 Super Rugby Pacific loss to the Highlanders in Sydney.
Last-start hero Tane Edmed cursed himself after missing a 39-metre penalty-goal attempt, from just left of the posts, after the siren that would have won the game for the Waratahs at Allianz Stadium.
Edmed had slotted seven from seven in NSW's shock 37-24 round-two win over the defending champion Crusaders, before landing another four goals on Friday night.
But he couldn't deliver under pressure, leaving the Waratahs - in their own words - "back to square one" after failing to back up the huge win in Melbourne.
Manly NRL coach Anthony Seibold was a conspicuous presence in the NSW box witnessing the drama unfold.
Seibold would have been impressed by the Waratahs' courage to fight back from 10-0 down early, but disappointed with the side's execution in the heat of battle.
NSW found themselves somewhat unluckily trailing through an early opportunistic - and converted - try to Highlanders centre Rhys Patchell and two penalty goals from five-eighth Sam Gilbert.
But strike weapons Mark Nawaqanitawase and Izaia Perese and in-form playmaker Tane Edmed thrust the hosts back in to the contest in the crucial 10 minutes before halftime.
First, Perese and Nawaqanitawase combined brilliantly for the Tahs' opening try on the half hour.
Perese released Nawaqanitawase down his right wing with a clever flick pass, then he backed up to pounce on the Sydney Roosters-bound Wallabies utility's pinpoint in-field kick to score NSW"s only try of the first half.
Edmed slotted a penalty goal after the halftime siren to earn the Tahs their 16-13 lead at the break.
Alas, after Gilbert drew the home side level in the 57th minute, powerhouse winger Tanielu Tele'a bumped off Waratahs pair Triston Reilly and Joey Walton to put the Highlanders in front.
Reilly redeemed with the break and key pass for Max Jorgensen's 67th-minute try to put the Waratahs back in front.
Edmed's subsequent miss will likely haunt him - and no doubt send a message to new Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt, who is on the hunt for a cool playmaker capable of delivering when the heat is on in 2024.
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Dead time reductions are important as is ball in play time increases. Premiership leads the way in terms of ball in play and Northern refereeing standards around the breakdown has sped up the game significantly. Super Rugby is trying new things but its not leading the way in terms of making gains in reducing dead time and ball in play time. Northern administrators are also not against speeding up the game, on the contrary they want a faster game and have been trying things and are embracing increasing the speed of rugby. Super Rugby isnt providing a blueprint for anything, its just part the agreed upon blueprint that administrators across the world are moving to.
Go to commentsIt’s a good, timely wake up call for NZ Rugby (seem to be a few of them lately!) - sort out the bureaucratic nonsense at board level. We can’t expect to stay the number one option without keeping fans/players engaged. We’ve obviously been bleeding players to league for years but can’t let the floodgates open (although I think this headline is hyperbolic as it’s a result of a recent Warriors pathways system where they are tracking things more closely) Understand the need to focus boys on rugby if they’re at a proud rugby school too, don’t think it’s harsh at all re Barakat in Hamilton. Reward the committed players with squad positions. An elite 1st XV system in NZ has done more for league than they even realise, think it’s good to protect our game further.
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