Injury-hit Waratahs trip to Auckland just got a whole lot harder

The injury-hit NSW Waratahs have suffered another body blow even before crossing the Tasman for their daunting Super Rugby Pacific quarter-final with the Blues.

As if trying to win at Eden Park for the first time since 2009 and only the second time in Super Rugby history wasn’t a steep enough challenge, now the Waratahs must upset the Blues with their attacking trump Beauden Barrett back on deck.

Barrett missed the Blues’ last-round 16-9 victory over the Highlanders on Friday after needing several stitches in a foot cut sustained against the Queensland Reds three weeks ago.

The two-time world player of the year was racing the clock to be fit for the finals opener before proving his fitness on Monday.

“Beauden’s got through training today. He looked sharp actually, he looked really good. So that’s obviously exciting,” said Blues coach Leon McDonald.

The elusive playmaker has terrorised Australian teams at New Zealand rugby’s notorious burial ground for the past decade, while playing for the Blues and as the All Blacks‘ five-eighth.

“They’ve got strike weapons over the field and Beauden adds another dimension there,” said Waratahs coach Darren Coleman.

“A big running 10 that’s got a short kicking game and he pulls the strings quite well.

“We’re under no illusions how difficult the challenge it is. We’ve just got to get our part right and obviously limit their chances.

“We took a few lessons out of how the Highlanders contained them at times on Friday night and we’ll be doing our best to do the same.”

Riding an eight-match winning streak over the Waratahs, the Blues scored a record-breaking 55-21 win in the sides’ last outing in April in Auckland.

Coleman, though, said after sulking on Saturday night after watching the Waratahs fall to the previously winless Moana Pasifika in Michael Hooper’s Allianz Stadium farewell, he was feeling more upbeat.

“We know the odds will be against us. We like the challenge of being underdogs and we’ve probably run best when it’s been like that since I’ve been here,” he said.

“But we don’t have to beat Auckland 10 times out of 10. We’ve only got to beat them on Friday night.

“So if you go over there with the right attitude to stay in the fight and compete and scrap, we’ve got points in us.

“We’ve got enough talent there to score points. We’ve just got to limit how many they do and we make the game uncomfortable for them.”

While the Waratahs will be without several key players, including concussed halfback and captain Jake Gordon, the Blues have some injury concerns of their own.

Lock and captain Patrick Tuipulotu suffered a season-ending broken arm against the Highlanders, without telling the coach until after the game, while McDonald said a couple of other players remained under a fitness cloud.