Waratahs Cling To Finals Dream
Sun Herald
Sunday May 4, 2003
WARATAHS 27
HIGHLANDERS 23
A JUBILANT Duncan McRae described last night's dying-minutes triumph over the Highlanders as ``our grand final", and with justification, as the victory kept alive NSW's Super 12 semi-final aspirations.
With the clock ticking down it appeared that another Super 12 season finale would not involve NSW until an inspired run by No. 8 David Lyons, which was finished off by five-eighth McRae, who found the line to save the Waratahs by giving them a four-point win.
As importantly, McRae's try in the 77th minute gave NSW a crucial bonus point, which will be vital in the final round where the Waratahs must beat the Chiefs at home at Aussie Stadium on Saturday night.
To make the semi-finals for the second year running, NSW will have to rely on several results going their way, including that both the Brumbies and Highlanders are beaten conclusively in their final-round encounters. ACT are playing the defending titleholding Crusaders in Canberra, while the Highlanders play the Reds in Brisbane. Also in the running are the Bulls, with the result of their match against the Chiefs in Pretoria this morning also crucial.
The top three is settled the Blues, Hurricanes and Crusaders are guaranteed of semi-final spots. The elusive fourth position is still way open.
Although McRae had a fluctuating game, with justification he began shaking his fist to the crowd in jubilation before grounding the ball for the try which ensured the Waratahs continue to have some chance of a final-four spot.
``I was so excited that I was home, and I was so pumped up," McRae said last night. ``We've got the bonus point . . . so we're back in the hunt. The players are so happy because over the past few weeks we have done a lot of soul searching about where we have fallen down.
``In the end tonight was a real quality performance. To be honest we play better away from home because we are away from the big media circus in Sydney." Nonetheless, the Waratahs defeated the Highlanders the hard way, making numerous handling errors, especially in the opposition quarter, and wasted several important attacking opportunities.
Yet the Highlanders were also victims of their own ineptitude, enabling NSW to get back into the game in the final quarter, even though South African referee Tappe Henning did all he could to help the home team with a constant stream of penalties.
Some Waratahs fumbled about for most of the game, but several shone, in particular the NSW midfield including wingers Lote Tuqiri and Milton Thaiday , and centres Morgan Turinui and Nathan Grey , who in the end were the instigators of NSW's courageous victory at the House of Pain.
Tuqiri and Thaiday were always dangerous, while Turinui repeatedly made important ground in midfield. Grey tried to straighten play at important moments, and as usual was fearless in all parts of defence.
NSW coach Bob Dwyer singled out the impact of the midfield attack, especially after it had been off colour in recent games.
``It was a very incisive display by our backs, in particular Nathan Grey," Dwyer said.
The Highlanders were the more assured team in the first half, but somehow NSW took advantage of their limited advantages to take an unexpected 17-14 lead at the break.
For at least 10 minutes, the Waratahs were their usual muddled self, making endless mistakes near their own tryline, but they somehow got away with being childish by scoring three tries two against the run of play.
The first opportunistic moment came after less than two minutes when Grey pounced on a long pass from Highlanders five-eighth Tony Brown , just before it was about to land in the hands of his captain Taine Randell .
As Brown and Randell looked on in dismay, Grey ran 35m to finish off the intercept try. The next 20 minutes were all the Highlanders, as they controlled possession and territory, making enormous ground on several occasions through well-drilled mauls that the Waratahs struggled to contain.
Considering the amount of ball the Highlanders enjoyed, they should have finished with far more than one try during that period, when in the 19th minute a succession of decoys and cut-outs saw winger Brad Fleming score wide out. Several other times the Highlanders came close, but somehow NSW, through sheer desperation rather than precise defensive planning, kept them out.
Then the 10 minutes before the break were all NSW when they scored two highly creative, and well-constructed tries.
The first came in the 31st minute when Thaiday, easily one of NSW's most courageous players early, finished off a good move that relied on the ingenuity of Tuqiri. He broke the line, cutting in between several forwards in midfield, before flinging the ball with one hand to Thaiday, who was in the clear.
Then just before the break, outside centre Turinui produced an excellent one-handed pass that put Mat Burke away to put the Waratahs ahead again, 17-14.
NSW 27 (N Grey, M Burke, M Thaiday, D McRae tries; Burke 2 goals, pen goal) bt THE HIGHLANDERS 23 (B Fleming try; T Brown 6 pen goals). Crowd: About 15,000
© 2003 Sun Herald
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