Captain’s plea to fans after ‘desperate’ Tahs lose

The Chiefs have gone clear at the top of the Super Rugby Pacific standings, continuing their unbeaten run with victory over the Waratahs in Sydney.

It was a blockbuster contest between the two teams that ended with the visitors prevailing 24-14 at Allianz Stadium.

The sides were locked at seven points apiece at halftime before the Chiefs edged away to take their first win of the season.

It marked the fourth loss for the Waratahs, who looked likely to threaten for victory late in the piece only for the Chiefs to nab another try.

Emoni Narawa was the star of the show for the Chiefs, taking two tries.

The Waratahs were resilient and offered up some of the toughest defence to date, but made too many mistakes and were caught napping when it mattered most.

“There were a lot of positives in that game for the Waratahs, they probably don’t think about them at the moment,” said former Wallabies play Stephen Hoiles and Stan Sport commentator.

“Their defence was another level up. It was desperate defence. It was a desperate game. You could see one side was desperate to win, that was the Waratahs, they just weren’t clinical enough.

“Things certainly aren’t clicking for them, in particular the change of play between the forwards. There’s a lot of unforced errors and unforced errors that would be really frustrating for the Waratahs coaches.

“There were some really good moments in the second half; a good line break from Nawaqanitawase, but they’ve just hardly capitalised on those big moments.”

That sentiment was echoed by Waratahs captain Jake Gordon, who scored the opening for his side.

“It’s a real tough match,” Gordon told Stan Sport’s Morgan Turinui.

“Defensively, both teams put in a really good shift, especially that first half I think we had about 30 percent possession.

“It was disappointing we couldn’t transfer that into attack. Once again, opportunities, breakdown was a bit of a mess, but I was really proud with our effort in defence.”

Gordon said he thought his side had the edge at halftime but ultimately let it slip in the second stanza.

He then addressed the home crowd, thanking them for their support and pledging to be better.

“Once again guys, we really appreciate the support,” he said.

“We’re trying hard to fix this, but we hope to see you again very soon.” 

The Chiefs will face the Blues in round six while the Waratahs will go head-to-head with the Brumbies.