Crunch time for Waratahs as playoff race heats up
Crunch time for Waratahs as playoff race heats up
8th May 2008, 12:15 WST
The NSW Waratahs could lock in a money-spinning home semi-final - or drop out of the top four altogether - as rugby’s Super 14 playoff race intensifies in the penultimate round this weekend.
So cut-throat is the fight for the four finals berths that the second-placed ‘Tahs will take on the fourth-placed Stormers in Cape Town early Sunday morning AEST realising anything less victory would place their entire 2008 campaign in jeopardy.
A loss to the Stormers could relegate Australia’s only realistic championship contenders to as low as sixth position entering the desperate final round.
Such a dire scenario would leave the Waratahs under immense pressure to record only their second Super rugby win over Queensland in Brisbane in 13 years on Saturday week - and also hope other results go their way.
As it stands, though, the Waratahs remain in control of their own destiny and success at the intimidating Newlands Stadium - as difficult a task as that facing any of the nine finals hopefuls - would drastically ease the growing tension at NSW Rugby headquarters.
The best-case scenario for the Waratahs this weekend would be:
- a bonus-point victory over the Stormers;
- a Western Force triumph over the third-placed Hurricanes in Wellington on Friday night, and ideally no bonus points for the New Zealand outfit;
- a Lions win over the fifth-placed Chiefs in Johannesburg on Sunday morning;
- and a fourth straight defeat for the sixth-placed Sharks, against the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein on Saturday night.
Such a run of dream results for the Waratahs would guarantee them a top-two finish and, with it, a prized home semi-final in a fortnight’s time.
But while it is unlikely everything will fall into place for Ewen McKenzie’s men this weekend, the Waratahs have at least positioned themselves to have complete control over where they finish on the ladder at the end of the regular season.
A bonus-point victory at Newlands would leave the Waratahs assured of hosting a semi-final, tipped to generate some $1 million in extra revenue, providing they then knocked over the Reds.
On the flip side, the outlook could be very bleak for the ‘Tahs should they slip up against the Stormers as they did against the Bulls in Pretoria last weekend.
The worst-case scenario for the Waratahs would be a loss to the Stormers without picking up any bonus points and wins for the Hurricanes, Chiefs, Sharks, Blues and Brumbies.
Such a nightmare weekend for NSW fans would leave the Waratahs requiring a bonus-point triumph over the Reds and sweating on favourable results in the other key final-round showdowns between the Sharks and Chiefs in Durban, Hurricanes and Blues in Auckland and Stormers and Lions in Johannesburg.
Of the other Australian teams, the Brumbies and Force remain mathematical chances of sneaking into the finals but must score big away wins this weekend over the Bulls and Hurricanes respectively and pray other results go their way.
The table-topping Crusaders, having lost just one game all season, have no such concerns and need only a bonus point from their last two matches - against the 11th-placed Reds in Brisbane on Friday night or the 12th-placed Highlanders in Christchurch - to clinch the minor premiership and inside running for a home grand final on May 31.
http://www.thewest.com.au/default.as...ontentID=71878
AAP
