OWN CORRESPONDENT, Sydney | Saturday 1.00pm.
THE New South Wales Waratahs recorded their biggest win in four years on Saturday, thrashing the Cats 51-16 in a one-sided Super 12 clash at the Sydney Football Stadium.
The Waratahs ran in six tries, including five in the second half, to register their biggest winning margin since the southern hemisphere’s provincial rugby union tournament began four years ago.
Winger Scott Staniforth scored twice to press his claims for a spot in this season’s Australian test team while Stu Pinkerton, Matt Dowling, Nathan Grey and Marc Stcherbina also touched down.
Australian World Cup hero Matthew Burke booted six conversions and three penalties for a personal haul of 21 points as the Waratahs scored their second straight win in the tournament and collected a bonus point for scoring at least four tries.
The Cats scored a late consolation try through hooker Delarey Du Preez which Loius Koen converted to add to his three first-half penalties.
”We couldn’t have played worse,” Cats coach Laurie Mains said. ”Our silly mistakes handed it to them on a plate.”
NSW led 16-9 at the interval after Pinkerton scored the only try of the first half, before running away with the match in the second term despite squandering several good scoring opportunities.
”It was good that we played for 80 minutes and kept scoring right at the end,” NSW coach Ian Kennedy said.
”That showed we had a bit of resolve but the execution was pretty poor. If you play poorly and win and get a bonus point, that’s good, but we really need to improve.”
NSW host the Sharks in Sydney next Saturday while the Cats face tournament favourites Otago in Dunedin on Friday. — Reuters