HSBC Waratahs grind out another home victory
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Friday, 28 March 2008
NSWRU Media Unit
The HSBC Waratahs have overcome a spirited second half performance from the Cheetahs to score a 23-19 victory in a nail-biting Super 14 clash at the Sydney Football Stadium.
Man of the Match, Rocky Elsom
HSBC Waratahs grind out another home victory
High Five!
High Five! ... Kurtley Beal congratulates Lachie Turner
Cheetah on 'The Cat'
Cheetah on 'The Cat' ... Benn Robinson carries more than the ball
Despite scoring two tries to the Cheetahs' three, the Waratahs maintained their perfect 2008 home record in front of 20,179 fans, with Rocky Elsom a standout man of the match.
The Waratahs were well-poised going into half time with a 20-7 advantage, however some bad luck to the Waratahs and opportunistic play from the Cheetahs saw the two sides separated by just one point with four minutes to play.
The Waratahs relished the dry conditions in the opening quarter of the match, however a 16th minute penalty to Kurtley Beale was little reward for their early dominance.
Despite their great play with the ball, it was from a defensive play the Waratahs gained the first try of the match.
After the Cheetahs went blind from a scrum near halfway, captain Phil Waugh circled behind the scrum and behind flyhalf Jacques-Louis Potgeiter who never saw him. When the Cheetahs No.10 delivered the pass, Waugh swooped, drawing the intended recipient before setting Lachie Turner on a saloon passage to the line where he touched down under the posts in the 22nd minute.
The Cheetahs were denied what looked to be a try by the Television Match Official soon after, however when David de Villiers crossed in the corner two blindside phases after a scrum, the TMO delivered the result for the Cheetahs.
Meyer Bosman's sideline conversion reduced the margin to 10-7, which was not really a true reflection of the match and that point.
Straight from the kick-off the Waratahs went on the attack, winning the ball back and repeatedly breaking the advantage line. When Rocky Elsom found himself stumbling through the first line of defence 15m out, the Cheetahs line was at sixes and sevens and by the time he regained his feet he was left with an untouched run to the stripe.
Beale again converted from in front, and a further penalty in the 37th minute saw the Waratahs go to the break with a 20-7 lead.
The Waratahs started the second half much like they did in the first, and a penalty to Beale in the 45th minute would have given the home side a buffer of more than two converted tries, however the difficult long range attempt went wide.
Eight minutes later an opportunistic play from the Cheetahs brought the contest alive once more.
With the Waratahs again on the attack, a dropped ball saw speedster Jongi Nokwe toe through with Elsom in pursuit. The ball tracked towards, then away from the sideline, with Nokwe toeing ahead again and outpacing Elsom to score 10m in from touch.
Bosman's missed conversion left the Waratahs with a handy eight-point buffer, however the Cheetahs had a sniff and were not going away.
Over the next 15 minutes neither side could gain the ascendency, however both teams were willing to try things, too often pushing the extra pass.
It was the Cheetahs who maintained field position for long enough to score points, with replacement lock Flip van der Merwe crossing next to the posts in the 71st minute.
Bosman's conversion reduced the margin to one and the SFS crowd was in for a grandstand finish.
The Waratahs never went into their shell, staying on the attack and the Cheetahs were repeatedly called by referee Kelvin Deaker for infringements in their red zone. Eventually one infraction saw the Waratahs earn a penalty, which Beale converted to take the score to 23-19 in the 76th minute.
As the clock wound down the Waratahs maintained field position and most of the ball.
While the Cheetahs had the opportunity to run the ball from their own half in the last minute, the play finished over the sideline as the siren sounded, with the Waratahs earning their fourth win from six matches, and the Cheetahs collected their sixth bonus point in their fifth loss by seven points or less.
The Cheetahs now head home to Bloemfontein where they play the Queensland Reds next week, while the HSBC Waratahs again play at home in round eight when they take on the Blues.
The Waratahs two first half tries tonight raised another $1000 for HSBCkids, the tutoring and mentoring program run by HSBC and children's charity Barnardos, bringing the season total to $7000.
HSBC Waratahs 23
Tries: Lachie Turner, Rocky Elsom
Conversions: Kurtley Beale 2/2
Penalties: Kurtley Beale 3/4
Drop Goals: Lachie Turner 0/1
Cheetahs 19
Try: David de Villiers, Jongi Nokwe, Flip van der Merwe
Conversions: Meyer Bosman 2/3
By the clock
15th - Lachie Turner missed drop goal
16th - Kurtley Beale penalty. HSBC Waratahs 3 Cheetahs 0
22nd - Lachie Turner try; Kurtley Beale conversion. HSBC Waratahs 10 Cheetahs 0
29th - David de Villiers try; Meyer Bosman conversion. HSBC Waratahs 10 Cheetahs 7
32nd - Rocky Elsom try; Kurtley Beale conversion. HSBC Waratahs 17 Cheetahs 7
37th - Kurtley Beale penalty. HSBC Waratahs 20 Cheetahs 7
Half Time - HSBC Waratahs 20 Cheetahs 7
45th - Kurtley Beale missed penalty.
53rd - Jongi Nokwe try; Meyer Bosman missed conversion. HSBC Waratahs 20 Cheetahs 12
71st - Flip van der Merwe try; Meyer Bosman conversion. HSBC Waratahs 20 Cheetahs 19
76th - Kurtley Beale penalty. HSBC Waratahs 23 Cheetahs 19
Full Time - HSBC Waratahs 23 Cheetahs 19
HSBC Score for Charity Tally: 14 tries, $7000
HSBC is donating $500 for every try scored, and $1000 for every fourth try scored by the Waratahs, to the Score for Charity program, which raises money for HSBCkids, the tutoring and mentoring program run by HSBC and children's charity Barnardos.