Sunday afternoon Super Rugby returns to Allianz Stadium to conclude round 14. The Waratahs should be fresh after getting a weekend off for the bye and will be looking to launch their charge towards the end of the season with victory over the Lions. Whilst I’m sure the Tahs enjoyed the break, they would have also watched all their rivals win last weekend, pushing them from fourth to eighth on the table. It was a stark reminder of how tight the competition is and there being no room for mistakes.
The Teams
With Will Skelton starting ahead of Jacques Potgieter who was nursing an injury through the week, the Waratahs have made only one change to the starting team that beat the Hurricanes a fortnight ago. On the bench however sees the arrival of Taqele Naiyaravoro who, after joining the club only a few weeks ago is poised to make his Super Rugby debut. Despite Naiyaravoro’s inexperience only playing one Shute Shield game for Parramatta (which netted him two tries), Michael Cheika will be hoping for an opportunity to unleash his new 120kg wrecking ball on the wing. Cheika stated during the week that it was more about getting him some exposure to the Super Rugby matchday so he is ready for the future, but you can be certain that if the Tahs have a strong lead, he’ll get a crack.
The Lions have a new look back three with speedster Courtnall Skosan moving to fullback and JW Jonker and Deon van Rensburg getting a chance on the wings.
The Matchups
The Lions strength all season has been their scrum and they’ll be hoping for ascendency over the Waratahs and the opportunity to exert early scoreboard pressure if the Tahs can’t get their set piece working effectively. With the Wallaby squad announced next Thursday, this is the final chance for a number of players to show their worth and the Waratahs front row are no exceptions. Benn Robinson, Sekope Kepu and Paddy Ryan will be well aware of the improvement in many of their Aussie rivals and know that none of them are guaranteed a spot. Over in the west, Nathan Charles has been a big part of the Force’s huge season and is applying plenty of pressure on Tatafu Polota-Nau to retain the job as Stephen Moore’s backup. This is certainly the week for the Tahs front row to show their best form and provide the rest of the team a strong platform to work from.
The Lions boast an effective backrow led by captain Warren Whitely. Whitely has tackled his heart out this season and together with Jaco Kriel and Derrick Minnie, this is a trio that will make sure the Waratahs are committed and effective at the breakdown. Wycliff Palu will be looking for plenty of opportunity to get his forward pack on the front foot and if he can get his short offloading game working, will put support players into space behind the Lions defence. After playing arguably his best game of the season against the Hurricanes, Dave Dennis will be looking to get the Waratahs lineout working and give his backline good set piece ball. Dennis is one of several Waratah forwards who will have to lift in physicality to make up for Potgieter being on the bench.
Fearless Prediction
It looks like Sydney’s warm and sunny May weather is set to continue on Sunday and the Tahs will be hoping to make the most of brilliant conditions for running rugby. Cheika will have the team fired up and raring to have a crack and if the Waratahs can hold onto the ball, expect plenty of try scoring opportunities to be created. With so much to play for this season, I expect the Waratahs to get their execution right and put plenty of points on a Lions team that is finding it hard to win after a great start to the season. Waratahs by 20+.
