Australia international Lote Tuqiri scored his first try in Super 14 rugby in 12 months to help the New South Wales Waratahs to a 38-14 win over the Wellington Hurricanes on Saturday.
Tuqiri’s try in the 46th minute was his first in a Super 14 match since May 4 last year and his first in any rugby since August, breaking an embarrassing drought for the Australian Rugby Union’s high-profile signing.
He saluted the crowd and was mobbed by his teammates when he touched down under the posts, emphasising the significance of the moment for a player whose poor form this season has coincided with a lean run for the Waratahs.
Saturday’s win was New South Wales’ third in 13 games but lifted them above the 13th place on the championship table they have occupied for most of the season.
Lock Dean Mumm and winger Lachlan Turner also scored tries for the Waratahs and fullback Peter Hewat marked his 50th Super 14 match with a haul of 18 points from four penalties and three conversions.
Former All Blacks skipper Tana Umaga’s 122-match Super rugby career ended in a loss. Umaga played in the first-ever Super 12 match, between the Hurricanes and Auckland Blues 12 years ago.
”I was there at the start. We started with a loss and I’m going out on a loss so I guess not much has changed,” Umaga said.
The Waratahs took advantage of the emotion surrounding Umaga’s retirement to out-think and outplay the Hurricanes.
”We knew it was a big emotional day and sometimes that can work against you,” Waratahs coach Ewen McKenzie said. ”We wanted to play a disciplined game. We thought they might want to play more of a festival sort of game and that’s what happened.”
McKenzie insisted the performance of the Waratahs, who were among the favourites to win this year’s Super 14, was not as bad as it appeared.
”There were six games we lost by less than seven points,” he said. ”Even though it looks bad from a wins and losses point of view there were some good things and I’m especially happy with the form of some of [the] young guys.”
Hewat put the Waratahs ahead with an 11th minute penalty for an alleged dangerous tackle by Umaga on Tuqiri.
Mumm scored a brilliant first try, taking a slick hand-off from his locking partner Will Caldwell at a disputed lineout and running 30m to the line, through the ineffective tackle of Shannon Paku.
Hewat converted and kicked a further penalty to give the Waratahs a 13-0 lead before the Hurricanes hit back with a 36th-minute try to flyhalf Jimmy Gopperth. Samoan international prop John Schwalger made a superb break from a kickoff, set up a ruck near the goalline and Gopperth darted through the rushing defence to score near the posts.
Weepu converted to leave the Hurricanes 13-7 down at halftime.
New South Wales sealed the match with tries to Turner and Tuqiri within six minutes of the break.
Jerry Collins scored a 51st-minute try for the Hurricanes at the centre of a concerted drive from a lineout, cutting the lead to 27-14, but two further penalties from Hewat, in the 63rd and 65th minutes, sealed the game.
Ben Jacobs scored a fourth, bonus point try for the Waratahs four minutes before fulltime, concluding their best performance of the season and lifting them to 11th place overall. – Sapa-AP