Ben Donaldson is embracing the opportunity to start for the Waratahs as they look to break their winless drought.
Donaldson was thrust into the starting side at the back-end of Super Rugby AU, replacing best mate Will Harrison (hamstring).
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The decision came with significant backlash as he leapfrogged former Randwick team-mate and fellow half Tane Edmed, who had been used off the bench whilst Donaldson was rehabbing from a quad injury.
Whilst Donaldson admitted his selection was controversial, he believes that his performance on the field has more than justified the call.
“It was a bit controversial as you saw when I came in but I had the full backing of all the coaches and players,” he told reporters.
“Obviously, I was here last year and got a couple of games off the bench and I’ve trained my arse off when I was injured. I did all the hard yards and worked on my skills so I knew I was ready when the time came.
“I just took my opportunity and I’ve felt like I’ve done that.”
With Harrison back from injury, Donaldson retained the starting position last week against the Hurricanes.
He insists that there is no bad blood between the pair, hinting that he would like to see Waratahs coaches find a spot for Harrison in the backline.
“I’m extremely pleased that I got to start the week when Harro (Will Harrison) came back. We’re best mates and we work really hard together. When one of us gets picked, the other is just as stoked to be in that starting position,” he said.
“There’s no bad blood between us. We just keep working hard with Tane (Edmed) also. It’s been pretty harsh on him not making the 23.
“We both know each others game so well…wherever we may slot into those roles, I’d love for that to happen and I think that combination would be quite good for the team.”
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In the midst of a winless season, the Waratahs are coming off a high-scoring, giving up a season-high 64 points.
Donaldson believes the shift in focus away from the glamorous and free-flowing aspects of the game can help rectify the defensive issues.
“No one intentionally means to let the other bloke down but we did let in 64 points which was not good enough, it’s embarrassing when you hear it like that” he added.
“We came on Monday and had a pretty harsh review. People put their hands up, coaches gave it to us as they should and then back out to the training park to readjust and work on those fixes.
“Whits (Chris Whittaker) said it in the post-game press conference, when you score 48 points against any side you should be winning a game.
“The main thing in the review was all preparation, not enough boys doing their extras. There’s a lot of boys doing their kicking and passing but not enough boys doing their tackling and breakdown stuff.”
