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Waratahs overcome injuries to record 16-year first in victory over Force
By AAP
The NSW Waratahs have hung tough to achieve a 16-year first with a spirited 34-10 Super Rugby Pacific victory over the Western Force.
Overcoming the first-half loss of skipper Jake Gordon and in-form No.8 Langi Gleeson, the Waratahs ran in six tries to one to open the season with three straight wins for the first time since 2009.
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Wooden spooners last season, the Waratahs are now flying high in second on the ladder under first-year coach Dan McKellar and his star-studded line-up featuring a dozen Wallabies.
Even without prized signing Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii the Tahs had too much firepower for the Force, who had also won their first two games in their best start to a Super season.
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McKellar won’t be getting carried away, though, knowing full well his charges have been presented with – and capitalised on – a dream draw to start their 2025 campaign.
The Waratahs’ scalps thus far have been the Highlanders, Fijian Drua and now the Force, three teams not expected to make the finals, with all the wins coming on home turf.
Sterner tests are still to come, starting with a blockbuster derby next Saturday in Brisbane against the Queensland Reds before four more clashes with New Zealand heavyweights the Hurricanes, the ladder-leading Chiefs, Crusaders and defending champion Blues.
McKellar will be sweating on Gordon and Gleeson not joining Suaalii (foot) in missing the Reds showdown.
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Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt also watched anxiously at Allianz Stadium as Gordon iced a knee before Gleeson limped off soon afterwards with a leg injury of his own.
Force and Wallabies winger Dylan Pietsch also failed to see out the game, replaced midway through the second half with an apparent knee problem in another potential concern for Schmidt.
A try-scoring double from electric winger Max Jorgensen, including a thief-in-the-night intercept to put the Tahs up 15-5 at the break, punctuated an otherwise dour forward battle in the opening 40 minutes.
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Blindside flanker Rob Leota crashed over for the Waratahs’ other first-half try, with powerhouse openside Carlo Tizzano further enhancing his Wallaby claims with his sixth try of the season for the Force.
Tizzano remains the competition’s leading try-scorer after crossing for a fifth straight match stretching back to last season.
But there wasn’t much else for Force fans to cheer about.
Their only other five-pointer came after the fulltime siren had sounded – and after the home team had racked up three more tries in the second half through Darby Lancaster, Andrew Kellaway and Felix Kalapu.
Flyhalf Lawson Creighton enjoyed a mixed debut for the Waratahs, setting up Jorgensen’s first try with a beautiful double cut-out pass, but landing only two conversions from six shots at goal.
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