If Australia's new director of rugby Scott Johnson was seeing things clearly at McDonald Jones Stadium on Friday night one of his first calls could be to have a long, hard look at Rugby Australia's rotation policy.
Disaster: Cam Clark's Waratahs slumped to a humiliating one-point loss to the Sunwolves in Newcastle.Credit:AAP
The Waratahs fell apart in Newcastle without their Wallabies five-eighth Bernard Foley, going down 31-29 to the Sunwolves for the first time in four seasons and raising major questions about their title claims.
Foley, Adam Ashley-Cooper and Jack Dempsey were all rested in line with the agreement brokered between all the Super Rugby clubs and head office. In their absence the Waratahs collapsed under the pressure of an intense Sunwolves attack.
Former Force winger Semisi Masirewa bagged a hat trick and five-eighth Hayden Parker used a favourable wind direction to maximum advantage, keeping the pressure on the Waratahs defence and stretching them thin from edge to edge.
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That is not to absolve the Waratahs of responsibility. Daryl Gibson did not have to rest his Test five-eighth – or his Test centre Adam Ashley-Cooper and back rower Jack Dempsey – in this match in particular.
The NSW coach also could have given Foley's "understudy" Mack Mason more football this season, instead of the two four-minute stints he has played across six games.
The former Churchie 1st XV captain and Storm academy player may not be destined for a Test career but nor was he given any meaningful preparation for a tough match. Mason's goal kicking was sound – three from four attempts – but his tactical kicking was poor and his handling spiraled as quickly as his confidence when the Sunwolves tails were up.
By the time Gibson hooked him in the 57th minute, along with Test halfback Nick Phipps, whose kick out before the half-time siren would have been hilarious had it not typified a shambolic first half from the 2014 champions, it was a relief.
Kurtley Beale was moved into first receiver at that point and managed to marshal the attack more assertively, scoring a try and converting it to restore some dignity to the home side, who only last week delivered a master class in pressure defence and direct attack – against the Crusaders, no less.
But a penny for Johnson's thoughts as he sat alongside RA chief executive Raelene Castle and Wallabies defence coach Nathan Grey. Did he ask for his paperwork back? If that was a Test audition, not many passed muster.
It started will with a try to Phipps in the second minute, which Mason converted. Parker put the Sunwovles on the board with a penalty goal in the 11th, but the Waratahs made it 12-3 with a try to winger Cam Clark.
For the rest of the half, though, it was one-way traffic, second row Grant Hattingh scoring in the 20th minute and Masirewa bagging his first try in the 30th. Parker's coversion made it 17-12 before Mason slotted a penalty goal from 40 metres out in front of the posts.
The half was closed out in a cRead More – Source
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