Missed kick after the siren denies Waratahs victory

Waratahs are genuine competitors … but can’t let another win slip: In the hour after their agonising loss to the Highlanders, it was understandable the Waratahs were still buried far too deep in a black cloud to see its silver linings.

“Gutted. If we are going to challenge this year we have to win those games at home,” coach Darren Coleman said.

To have a win so close you can smell it, but then still lose, it’s a particularly torturous kind of pain. But as the days tick by, the Waratahs will begin to see the upsides and draw confidence from them. The Highlanders are a good footy team this year, and pushed the Blues close in round one.

NSW not only went punch for punch with the men from Dunedin, they were arguably the better side for vast chunks of the game (and self-sabotaged with poor ball control). If there is a knock on the Waratahs in Super Rugby, it’s that they’re a dangerous side but in short bursts. They can get up once, kind of thing. Many expected the inconsistent Tahs would fall away after beating the Crusaders but they not only came from behind to get back in front in the first half, they scored after falling behind in the second half, too.

And then, in the dying stages, defended their line and pushed downfield to cooly win a kickable penalty. It didn’t go over, but many Waratahs teams in the last decade may not have even been still swinging at that point. Competitiveness is one thing, though. Wins are so hard to come by in Super Rugby, you can’t afford to let many slip. Certainly at home. The pain of this loss may be a powerful tool.

Don’t worry about Tane Edmed’s confidence: The red-headed no.10 not only wears his heart on his sleeve, he wears it all over his face as well. If he plays a blinder and wins - as he has done against the Crusaders a couple of times - Edmed is not afraid to shed a tear. And when the no.10 missed a 40-metre penalty to win the game at Allianz Stadium, Edmed was an open book of emotions. He was distraught. But a moment like that won’t affect his confidence, says skipper Jake Gordon.

“We will just leave him (be), he is a guy who does all the extras and trains bloody hard. He is a confident guy,” Gordon said. “He took the first shot at penalty and may have missed it, and I looked at the next one, and he goes “I have got it, give it to me”. He is a pretty confident kid, he will disappointed in that but I am sure he’ll be fine.”

Bench impact is the new black: The Waratahs got plenty from their starters in Sydney, particularly in the outside backs. Izzy Perese was outstanding, Max Jorgensen looked ever-dangerous and Triston Reilly was rock-solid in his run-on debut. But strong cameos from the bench again proved valuable, keeping NSW in the fight.

The bench depth is only going to improve, too, with Lachie Swinton, Dave Porecki and Will Harrison all due back from injury in the next fortnight. One conundrum Coleman is going to have to reckon with is having a player as talented as Teddy Wilson on his bench. Gordon is an inspirational skipper and it’s tempting to keep him out there, but Wilson is too good for zero minutes and four minutes, as per the last two rounds. A role-sharing plan is needed.

Referees need to stop the poacher love: There have been many good initiatives to speed up the game in Super Rugby, and many are working. Any missing the TMO? Credit where credit is due to the refereeing bosses. But next step is the poacher getting so much reward at the breakdown. It is not only another stoppage, half the time the defender has barely released the attacker or is in no realistic position to steal.

And, generally speaking, the more poachers get the benefit of the doubt, the less coaches will allow their players to counter-attack. Cracking down on Dupont Laws and caterpillar clocks means nothing if you’re gonna immediately smash the fullback who has chosen to run it back.

Okay, in summary for the newcomers.

The Waratahs just missed the first back-to-back victories over Kiwi rivals in nine years after a kick to win the game sailed agonisingly wide after the siren.

The Tahs went down 10-0 early but clawed their way back into the game, and after a super Izzy Perese try, the hosts led 16-13 at halftime.

The Highlanders pulled away late with a try to Tanielu Telea but a try to Max Jorgensen straight after set up a nail-biting finish.

The Tahs did well to push down into the Highlanders’ half late, and duly won a penalty about 40 metres out.

But Tane Edmed pushed it to the right, and the Highlanders squeaked home 23-21.

We’ll press pause on the live updates now and head down to the dressing rooms and press conferences to catch up with the news. Stay tuned.

Let’s hear from the skippers.

Jake Gordon bemoaned a lack of ball control.

“We started like we did last week and were powerful early, got clean ball. But second half we just couldn’t seem to, apart from the try, build any phases and were pretty scrappy at times too,” Gordon said.

“Both teams put a heap of pressure on the ball but it was more our ball control in that second half. Every time we got ourselves in a ghood position we seemed to turn it over way too easy.

“At points in the game we looked sharp but we weren’t sharp enough.

“There were points in that second half where we were under the pump, but we played at the right ends of the field and had an opportunity there to win it. it’s always tough on Tane those ones, but we were definitely a chance to win that game.”

Highlanders captain Ethan de Groot was a relieved man.

“She was a bit of a nail biter and we definietly didn’t make it easy for ourselves. But a win is a win and we are happy to put one over a quality side like the Waratahs,” he said.