Mat Rogers scored a stepping, weaving try which Peter Hewat converted, before crossing for a try himself from the restart as the New South Wales Waratahs thrashed the Cats 50-3 on Friday in a Super 14 match.
Rogers opened the scoring in the 6th minute when he stepped inside two defenders in an individual run to the try line.
Hewat touched down a minute later after Lote Tuqiri made a strong break out wide following the restart, and unloaded to his unmarked winger on the right side.
Earl Rose landed a long-range penalty to reduce the buffer to 11 points for the South African franchise’s only points of the match.
Waratahs flanker Wycliff Palu barged over from 8m out in the 27th minute after sustained pressure inside the Cats’ quarter and Hewat made it three from three for a 21-3 lead.
Adam Freier burrowed across from the back of a rolling maul in the 33rd minute to ensure the Waratahs picked up a bonus point, scoring four of their seven tries before the half-time interval.
The victory margin was the Waratahs’ biggest in the southern hemisphere’s major provincial competition, beating the 53-7 win over the Bulls in 2001.
Hooker Freier, who scored two tries, was voted man of the match, although Rogers, playing at flyhalf, was a challenger with a strong individual performance.
Hewat kicked five conversions before half-time, when the Waratahs led 35-3, and finished the match with 20 points to increase his career haul to 319 points for the Sydney-based franchise.
He is third on the Waratahs’ list of all-time scorers, behind former Wallabies fullbacks Matt Burke (1 172 points) and Marty Roebuck (337). — Sapa-AP
Scorers:
Waratahs 50 (Tries: Adam Freier 2, Mat Rogers, Peter Hewat, Wycliff Palu, Ben Robinson, Daniel Halangahu; Hewat 6 conversions, penalty)
Cats 3 (Earl Rose penalty)