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'It's just not acceptable': Waratahs boss calls for cultural overhaul following record loss to Hurricanes

(Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

Interim co-coach Chris Whitaker says the NSW Waratahs need a cultural overhaul after their season from hell plumbed new depths on Friday night.

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Winless in eight Super Rugby AU games, the Waratahs opened their Trans-Tasman campaign with a 64-48 loss to the Hurricanes in Sydney.

Whitaker was dismayed the Tahs could put almost 50 points on the Hurricanes yet still finish empty-handed.

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“There were just too many soft tries. It’s just not acceptable. There were three or four tries where individuals need to put their hand up and say that’s not good enough.”

The cricket-score defeat at the SCG featured 17 tries in total, one less than the most in any Super Rugby game in history when the Chiefs edged the Lions 72-65 in a staggering contest in Johannesburg 11 years ago.

“The sad thing is there was some good footy out there. Both sides played some good footy and unfortunately the fact that they scored 60-odd points is going to overshadow that we scored 48,” said Whitaker, who was especially gutted for his halfback and captain Jake Gordon.

“When Jake had the ball, he was putting guys through half holes all day.

“There were some really good performances on attack but unfortunately we need to play on both sides of the ball.”

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Whitaker believes the Waratahs’ traditional attacking style has finally caught up with them.

“Because we’re an attacking team, defence has been on the back burner for so long,” said the 1999 Rugby World Cup winner.

“In the Sydney market, everyone wants to see attacking rugby but I think the mindset needs to change.

“If you look at teams around the world who win competitions, it’s on the back of their defence.”

Ominously, the Hurricanes finished last in the Super Rugby Aotearoa.

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With games against New Zealand’s top four sides to come, including two across the ditch, the Waratahs are staring down the barrel of their first-ever winless season.

“We’ve been written off all year, so what’s new?” Gordon said.

“But we’re trying to improve. We’re desperate to improve.

“But, to be honest, I don’t care what (people) write, it’s more important what we do.

“We do such great work in attack and we look good for long patches in the game – and defence we did too – and then we’ll miss a one-on-one.

“Defence is a real issue at the moment. Players have got to take ownership of that.”

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Hellhound 50 minutes ago
South Africa player ratings | 2024 Autumn Nations Series

There is this thing going around against Siya Kolisi where they don't want him to be known as the best national captain ever, so they strike him down in ratings permanently whenever they can. They want McCaw and reckons he is the best captain ever. I disagree.


Just like they refuse to see SA as the best team and some have even said that should the Boks win a third WC in a row, they will still not be the best team ever. Even if they win every game between now and the WC. That is some serious hate coming SA's way.


Everyone forget how the McCaw AB's intimidated refs, was always on the wrong side, played on the ground etc. Things they would never have gotten away with today. They may have a better win ratio, but SA build depth, not caring about rank inbetween WC's until this year.


They weren't as bad inbetween as people claim, because non e of their losses was big ones and they almost never faced the strongest Bok team outside of the WC, allowing countries like France and Ireland to rise to the top unopposed.


Rassie is still at it, building more depth, getting more young stars into the fold. By the time he leaves (I hope never) he will leave a very strong Bok side for the next 15- 20 years. Not everyone will play for 20 years, but each year Rassie acknowledge the young stars and get them involved and ready for international rugby.


Not everyone will make it to the WC, but those 51/52 players will compete for those spots for the WC. They will deliver their best. The future of the Boks is in very safe hands. The only thing that bothers me is Rassie's health. If he can overcome it, rugby looks dark for the rest of the rugby world. He is already the greatest coach in WR history. By the time he retires, he will be the biggest legend any sport has ever seen

4 Go to comments
J
JW 1 hour ago
'They smelt it': Scott Robertson says Italy sensed All Blacks' vulnerability

No where to be seen OB!


The crosses for me for the year where (from memory);


This was a really hard one to nail down as the first sign of a problem, now that I've asked myself to think about it. I'd say it all started with his decision to not back form and fit players after all the injuries, and/or him picking players for the future, rather ones that could play right now.


First he doesn't replace Perofeta straight away (goes on for months in the team) after injury against England, second he falls back to Beauden Barrett to cover at fullback against Fiji, then he drops Narawa the obvious choice to have started, then he brings in Jordan too soon. That Barret selection (and to a lesser extent Bell's) set the tone for the year.


Then he didn't get the side up for Argentina. They were blown away and didn't look like they expected a fight and were well beaten despite the scoreline in my opinion. Worst performance of the year in the forth game and..


Basically the same problems were persistent, or even exaggerated, after that with the players he did select not given much of an opportunity, with this year having the most number of unused subs I can remember since the amateur days.


What I think I started to realise early on was that he didn't back himself and his team. I think he prepared the players well, don't get me wrong, but I'll credit him with making a conscious choice in tempering his ambition and instead choosing cohesion and to respect (the idea of it being important in himself and his players) experience first and foremost (after two tight games and that 4th game loss). I think he chose wrong in deciding not to be, and back, himself. Hard criticism.


And it played out by preferring Beauden to Dmac on the EOYT (though that may have been a planned move).


I hope I'm right, because going through all the little things of the season and coming up with these bullets, I've got to wonder when I say his last fault is one we have seen at the Crusaders, playing his best players into the ground. What I'm really scared of now is that not wanting a bit of freshness in this last game could be linked with all these other crosses that I want to put down to simple confidence issues. But are they really a sign that he just lacks vision?


Now, that's not to say I haven't seen a lot of positives as well, I just think that for the ABs to go where they want to go he has to fix these crosses. Just have difficult that will be is the question.

27 Go to comments
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