The NSW Waratahs are under instructions to get more pill to X-factor Mark Nawaqanitawase and snap out of their second-half slumber in pursuit of a vital Super Rugby Pacific win over the Blues.
The Waratahs blew a golden opportunity to post back-to-back victories over New Zealand opposition for the first time since the glory days when they held the title in 2015 with a last-start 23-21 loss to the Highlanders.
The defeat leaves the Tahs with a precarious 1-2 win-loss early-season record in a 15-round competition regarded as more a sprint than a marathon.
Compounding the disappointment of failing to back up their stirring win over the defending champion Crusaders was losing classy teenager Max Jorgensen with a hip injury.
Skipper Jake Gordon says the Tahs must use Nawaqanitawase’s switch from winger to fullback to cover Jorgensen’s absence as a positive.
“But, look, I think the exciting thing for Mark at 15 is he can get his hands on the ball whenever he wants.
“He’s a great aerial threat, good under the ball. He can beat defenders one on one.
“So the more we give him the ball, it will be important for us tomorrow night.”
Early doors in the competition the Waratahs have the best strike-rate in the 20 minutes before halftime.
But Darren Coleman’s side are conversely proving sleepy in the same period after the interval.
The lapse ultimately cost them against the Highlanders and Gordon says the problem has been recognised.
“It’s probably a little bit more of a mindset thing,” he said.
“We’ve put a lot of emphasis in the first 40 minutes and done a pretty good job there.
“But, yeah, we’ve addressed our halftimes, possibly a few things we could tweak, what we’re doing in the sheds.
“I think when you raise awareness about that sort of stuff, you’ll get a fix pretty quickly too.”
While NSW will be without Jorgensen, the Waratahs are thrilled to be handing reserve hooker Jay Fonokalafi a debut off the bench after the 27-year-old concreter received an SOS call from Coleman while on a building site this week.
“It’s super exciting for Jay,” Gordon said of the Kiwi-born rookie who grew up idolising the Blues.
“He’s only been in for the week. I think we met him Tuesday night.
“He’s spent some time in Shute Shield with the Parramatta Two Blues, had a really good year last year.
“He’s left his family over in Auckland, which is a big move for him and shows his dedication towards the team.
“Those feel-good stories are great for rugby.”
