Waratahs unfazed by two Kiwi team losses after Crusaders scalp

The NSW Waratahs are headed to Fiji for business, not pleasure, as they look to get their Super Rugby Pacific campaign back on track after successive two-point home defeats to New Zealand opposition.

Saturday night’s 12-10 loss to the Blues, following a similarly rueful 23-21 defeat to the Highlanders, has left the Waratahs one from four and already behind the eight-ball.

Taking on the Fijian Drua in Lautoka will be hot and hostile, as the defending champion Crusaders discovered in a round-two upset loss.

But the Waratahs are excited about the opportunity to revive their finals hopes in a potentially season-defining two-game block away against the Drua and Australia’s benchmark Brumbies in Canberra.

The Tahs have won all four of their previous encounters with the Drua.

“It’s going to be a hostile crowd. The heat, but both teams are going to feel the heat,” Waratahs captain Jake Gordon said.

“We’ve done a really good job against Fiji every time we played them; nullified their threats.

“We went to set-piece quite a lot. We’ve had some really good results against them.

“The risk over there is when the ball gets a little bit wetter, we don’t get looser with it too.

“We go back to playing an aerial game. Go to set-piece. Trying not to play like the Drua in Fiji is really important for us next week.”

Having said pre-season he hoped a decision around his future could be determined by round four or five, coach Darren Coleman – off contract at the end of the competition – remains unfazed over the increasing uncertainty.

But he doesn’t want his players continually questioned, saying their focus needs to be solely on winning football games.

“The board have been really supportive and we’ve just got to get on with this season,” Coleman said.

“I don’t need players to talk about my future, or even be worried about it.

“We’re just so focused on turning those two-point losses into wins. What the decision is (about my future) will be the decision.

“I said it two weeks ago, after we won (against the Crusaders); it’s a point we don’t want to talk about anymore.

“I trust the people making the decisions and I’ve got full faith they’ll do what’s right for the organisation, and what they think is best.”

Gordon is confident this year’s Waratahs are superior to the 2023 version and can take the matter out of the board’s hands.

“We’ve got a group that’s really tight. We fight hard,” he said.

“If we focus on improving each week, we’re going to be a tough team to beat.

“We are such a different team to what we were last year. We were getting pumped at points, not even in games.

“We’re a different team at the moment. We just need to be a little bit sharper, especially against a good team.”