The NSW Waratahs produced a ruthless performance to comfortable defeat the Fijian Drua 38-14 on the Gold Coast.
The Drua struggled with discipline as they went down to 13 men. Darren Coleman will be pleased with how his side reacted, closing out the game well into the second half to secure an all-important bonus point.
So what did we learn from the dominant victory?
1.Crackdown continues
The key turning point from the first half came when Nemani Nagusa was red carded for a high tackle on Tane Edmed.
Whilst discussions surrounding this issue have dominated the past week, there will be little debate around this tackle, clear as it comes on a player who didn’t have the ball.
The incident was the second clear red card for the round after Crusaders hooker Shilo Klein collected Ethan de Groot directly in the head with his shoulder in the earlier game.
It gave the Waratahs the chance to instantly build a lead and control proceedings, twice touching down off the back of a rolling maul.
With Frank Lomani following him for ten after the start of the second half, the visitors were able to cruise to the bonus point victory
2. Leading the way
Angus Bell is starting to have that Taniela Tupou level of effect on the Waratahs.
After missing last week with back issues, the young loosehead was on a mission to make up for it, proving lethal with every touch as he continual took the ball over the advantage line.
He also provided such a solid platform at scrum time, allowing the visitors to get on the front foot from the start.
To think he’s only 21…
3.Welcome back
Michael Hooper picked up where he left off for the Waratahs in the second half, showing his class.
Coming off the bench, the elite-level motor was on full display when he chopped down the dangerous Kalaveti Ravouvou with a nice one-on-one tackle.
Ten minutes later, he backed up a Tane Edmed break to cap his return with a try. Whilst he was limping towards the end, this can (hopefully) be put down to the intense second half and fast pace of the game.
His return gave us a glimpse into the best make-up for their pack heading forward, with the impressive Charlie Gamble slotting into blindside and Hugh Sinclair moving to lock.
How they fit in the returning Rahboni Warren Vosayaco, who set up Nawaqanitawase's try, and Lachie Swinton when he comes back from injury? That’s the tough job for Darren Coleman.
4. Shut down
The Drua just couldn’t mount any consistent offence throughout the night, often their worse enemy at times.
Any breakout effort was often stifled by either strong Waratahs defence or handling errors.
This was compounded by 28 missed tackles and 16 penalties conceded, leading to them being down to 13 men at one stage of the game.
It made for a tough watch for Mick Byrne at home, who will demand a more clinical performance against the Brumbies next week
5. Playmaker problems
No team will welcome the bye more than the Waratahs, finding themselves short on playmakers.
With Will Harrison (quad) joining Ben Donaldson on the sidelines early in the week, this allowed Tane Edmed to take control of the offence.
However, a HIA as a result of the Nagusa tackle forced him off in the 30th minute, forcing Alex Newsome into first receiver. Newsome did as well as you’d expect a fullback to do in the position - producing some nice touches mixed in with some sloppy play before Edmed returned after the break.
However, the more concerning injury is Lalakai Foketi, limping off the field as the physio seemed to test the strength in his knee.
Foketi has become an integral part of this backline, having just recommitted for another two years, and would be a major loss if out long-term.
Darren Coleman will be hoping the week off can allow his key players to rest up and return in time for the Force.
