NSW’s exciting comeback season has come to an end after being overtaken by the Chiefs in the quarter-finals of the Super Rugby Pacific in Hamilton on Saturday.
As they have done all year with new coach Darren Coleman, the Waratahs competed with great spirit and scored some tries.
But despite all their attacking effort, they never seemed to cause any discomfort and the Chiefs finally got a 39-15 victory at FMG Stadium.
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The Waratahs didn’t win a game last year, but they did get eight wins in 2022 to regain pride with the sky blue jersey.
“Credit to the Chiefs, they’re an elegant outfit and they’ve had the wood with us all year,” said NSW captain Jake Gordon.
“They are very hard to contain when they get a forward ball and out of the loss attack they are exceptional. They really punish you for your mistakes. We had chances in their 22 and we weren’t good enough.”
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Gordon was relatively optimistic despite the loss as he reflected on considerable progress.
“Last year was a tough year for the franchise and the team,” Gordon said.
“To recover as we did, we have a lot of growth left. We have to keep growing and next year we will be a better team. Very exciting, the boys will be one more year, more. Experienced and we are excited about that.”
Chiefs captain Brad Weber was electric as a midfielder, scoring two tries with his brilliant backing play.
Luke Jacobson, Alex Nankivell and Pita Gus Sowakula were the other top scorers for the Chiefs, while All Blacks coach Ian Foster, looking in the stands, would have been delighted with the departure of veteran Brodie Retallick.
Emerging stars Dylan Pietsch and Will Harris were NSW’s test scorers.
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Winger Pietsch threw a well-weighted shot from Ben Donaldson, while No. 8 Harris showed off his attractive athletic qualities by scoring a coast-to-coast try that ignited Michael Hooper.
The defeat leaves Australia with only one title hope in the competition with the Brumbies hosting the Hurricanes on Saturday night.
The Reds were knocked out by the Crusaders in Christchurch on Friday.
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