A dismal year for the Waratahs somehow took on a new dimension of despair in the last game, with a season-ending Achilles tendon injury to Wallabies captain Jake Gordon adding to the pain of yet another defeat for the Force in Perth.
The Waratahs led 20-7 after dominating the opening 30 minutes but thrived in a very normal environment, with the Force’s forwards overwhelming their NSW opponents and pushing forward to record a 31-25 win.
To add insult to injury, Gordon was carried off the field late in the first half after tearing his right Achilles tendon while attempting a rush. It will mean the retired Wallabies no.9 will miss all Test matches this year.
Although neither side made it to the finals, the win was still crucial for Simon Cron’s Force, who hit their stride in the second half of the year to finish with seven wins; the most since 2014. Dylan Pietsch, Carlo Tizzano and Jeremy Williams were all in excellent form.
For the Waratahs, it was another humiliating defeat – their ninth of the year – and the end of a poor season that will leave coach Dan McKellar under huge pressure to make changes in the early stages of next year.
McKellar is entering the final year of his three-year contract. Despite saying recently he believes the team has made strides, looking back over the entire season tells a different story.
The Tahs’ confidence has been in check for weeks, and their inability to execute key aspects of the game, particularly in the line-out, ensured that although they led early – and were even in the process of grabbing victory late on – there was an inevitability of the Force overpowering them in the second half.
After going from 20-7 to 24-20 down, NSW managed to grab a try to take the lead with a point inside the final ten minutes. But a lost lineout soon after – which was one of seven NSW lost lines on the night – saw the Force establish the ball on the ground and begin trying to close the match soon after.
Not for the first time this season, the Waratahs line-up was completely humiliated by the Power, being reduced to just 53 per cent efficiency. Five of the seven players lost by NSW were in the Force’s 22.
The only positive for NSW on the saddest night at the office was the outstanding performance of Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, who was in fine form on his return from a hamstring injury.
Playing with a beehive in his bonnet after a troubled season of injury and limited participation, Suaalii was a threat in both attack and defense and NSW’s tries often came after his tackle runs.
But his strength wasn’t enough to overcome the damage from many areas of the game for the Tahs, who were physically beaten up front by the brutal Squad forwards.
The Waratahs led 20-12 at half-time after an opening 40 minutes that saw them dominate possession, but failed to capitalize.
NSW camped in the half of the squad in the first quarter but it took time to get the points, with their attack looking very unreliable and the attack playing very low.
It was after Suaalii’s sharp clearance that the Tahs finally got the Power back, and goalkeeper Ioane Moananu scored the opening try when he lifted the ball off the ruck and found no defenders in front of him.
The loss of Pete Samu and Miles Amatosero further weakened the Tahs’ lineup, and more red zone losses piled up.
Although it was a dead ball, the Tahs showed their need for victory by picking up two Jack Bowen penalty goals in the 20th and 23rd minutes.
But repeated sloppiness from skipper Matt Philip at second ultimately made the Tahs pay the price, as the ball bounced back towards the line. Harry Potter failed to equalise, and the chasing Pietsch appeared to be the one who dropped the ball.
The Waratahs went back to Suaalii and Max Jorgensen for a breakthrough, and they delivered, and Potter scored another try for NSW soon after Moananu when Moananu made a smart move on a loose ruck, running fast before lobbing a basketball pass to his winger for the try.
The Force got lucky when Joey Walton was booked for short contact, and they quickly capitalized. Zac Lomax came out and made a number and fed the ball to Piestch, who showed incredible finishing ability to beat four backs who were chasing NSW to score.
The lineout continued to be a problem in the second half, and the Waratahs lost more before the Force set up camp in NSW territory.
The great player Musinale Epenisa dug in in the 47th minute and the Force started to turn the screw more difficult through the attackers. The NSW scrum also began to falter, and a series of scrums on the Waratahs’ lineout in the 60th minute inevitably led to NSW conceding another try, this time to Carlo Tizzano with a powerful run at close range.
Again, it was Suaalii who brought the Tahs back into the contest with a power from the line-out, which saw him break three racks and prop Apolosi Ranawai dig in from the next ruck.
That saw NSW take a points lead, but it didn’t last.
Yet another lost line in the attack in the Force 22 saw the hosts collect the ball and hit down the pitch, and they used the area to test their strength by trying to break out of formations. Tizzano was man again, which saw him equal Cameron Shepherd’s record of 32 tries for the Force.
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Iain Payten is a senior sports reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect through X or email address.
