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Joe Marchant scores first Super try as Blues hammer Waratahs

(Photo by Ashley Feder/Getty Images)

The NSW Waratahs have set an unwanted piece of history by starting a Super Rugby season with successive losses for the first time, after crashing 32-12 to the Blues in Newcastle on Saturday.

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The Blues scored five tries to two in front of 7491 hardy spectators at a wet McDonald Jones Stadium, with winger Mark Telea notching a second-half hat-trick for the visitors, who notched a fifth straight win over the Waratahs.

The New Zealand side never trailed and were more clinical in the rainy conditions against a Waratahs side that made some critical errors, especially at the breakdown.

Compounding the Tahs misery exciting winger Mark Nawaqanitawase went off injured just after the hour, when he landed awkwardly after athletically diving over the line to score his second try in as many Super games.

The Blues were down to 14 men in the second half when influential No.8 Hoskins Sotutu was sin-binned for a high tackle on Waratahs centre Karmichael Hunt but had already banked enough points to win.

The Blues, who also first round losers, scored two tries in the first four minutes of the second half to take control after leading just 8-7 at the break.

A try to flanker Blake Gibson and a penalty to five-eighth Stephen Perofeta set up an 8-0 lead for the Blues but the Waratahs trimmed the deficit on the stroke of halftime when centre Lalakai Foketi smashed his way over.

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The Waratahs momentum disappeared almost immediately after the break, with the Blues bolting to a 20-7 lead.

Joe Marchant crossed after good work from centre partner TJ Faiane and two minutes later Telea was first to a well-judged stab kick from Sotutu.

The Waratahs woes increased in the 49th minute when captain Rob Simmons opted for a scrum close to the Blues line after the home team were awarded a penalty.

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The Blues pack then drove right through their opponents in a demoralising moment for the home team

Nawaqanita wase’s try offered the Tahs a sliver of hope, but they lacked the composure to threaten the Blues before Telea crossed twice in the last three minutes to earn his side a bonus point.

AAP

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Flankly 2 hours ago
'Absolute madness': Clive Woodward rips into Borthwick in wake of NZ loss

Borthwick is supposed to be the archetypical conservative coach, the guy that might not deliver a sparkling, high-risk attacking style, but whose teams execute the basics flawlessly. And that's OK, because it can be really hard to beat teams that are rock solid and consistent in the rugby equivalent of "blocking and tackling".


But this is why the performance against NZ is hard to defend. You can forgive a conservative, back-to-basics team for failing to score tons of tries, because teams like that make up for it with reliability in the simple things. They can defend well, apply territorial pressure, win the set piece battles, and take their scoring chances with metronomic goal kicking, maul tries and pick-and-go goal line attacks.


The reason why the English rugby administrators should be on high alert is not that the English team looked unable to score tries, but that they were repeatedly unable to close out a game by executing basic, coachable skills. Regardless of how they got to the point of being in control of their destiny, they did get to that point. All that was needed was to be world class at things that require more training than talent. But that training was apparently missing, and the finger has to point at the coach.


Borthwick has been in the job for nearly two years, a period that includes two 6N programs and an RWC campaign. So where are the solid foundations that he has been building?

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