Armed with a shiny new training facility, an even shinier stadium and a stacked roster that will enable them to field a team with internationals sitting on the bench, Waratahs coach Darren Coleman doesn’t beat around the bush when it comes to goals for next year’s Super Rugby Pacific.
“I am probably making a rod for my own back, but we want to have a genuine crack at this now,” Coleman said.
“We are pretty fixed on wanting to finish the regular season in the top four and we think it is achievable. That’s what we are shooting for.”
It’s not quite Michael Cheika targeting a top-two finish in 2014 – and then going on to win it – but as far as confidence goes, the pre-season mood at the Waratahs haven’t been as positive since those halcyon days.
In 2014, Cheika bolstered his squad by strategically recruiting experienced players, and Coleman has done likewise with Kurtley Beale, Nemani Nadolo and Tolu Latu returning to join a team that defied expectations last season by finishing sixth and making the finals. In Coleman’s first season, it was some achievement given the Waratahs had hit rock bottom and gone winless in 2021.
But the main source of confidence for the Waratahs ahead of 2023 is the continued growth of the many in the NSW squad, mostly after the Super Rugby season ended.
Waratahs coach Darren Coleman with his coaching team Jason Gilmore (left), Pauli Taumoepeau (second from left) and Chris Whitaker (right) at the new NSW Rugby high-performance facility at the David Philips Sports Complex in Daceyville.Credit:Kate Geraghty
NSW’s silver lining to the Wallabies’ tough season was that the Waratahs had numerous players called up for international duties, with rookie trio Langi Gleeson, Ben Donaldson and Mark Nawaqanitawase all making their debuts. And though both were expected, so too did senior players Jed Holloway and Dave Porecki in July.
Others like Hugh Sinclair, Archer Holz and Dylan Pietsch gained experience playing for Australia A in Fiji and Japan, giving a many players almost two seasons of development in one.
“It’s been a bit inconsistent as a Wallabies fan but as a Waratahs fan and a Waratah coach, post-Super has been a good time for us,” Coleman said.
“We have not only had a number of players involved but push through and improve their ranking in Australian rugby, and off the back of that got used to playing high-pressure environments. I know chatting to them … they’re all jumping out of their skin. Guys like Marky and Langi and Donno, they’re now going, ‘I have had a taste of it, I think I can do this, let me at it again’.”
In a potential best matchday 23, the Waratahs can now field 16 capped Wallabies, a Fijian Test player and several Australia A reps. And that’s not including Charlie Gamble, who will become eligible for Australia in April.
Coleman stifles a laugh when told his roster now looks stacked.
“Things can change so fast in footy. It wasn’t that long ago when I took this job people were telling me I had the worst roster in Super Rugby. It’s just over 12 months later and now people are telling me we have too many good players,” Coleman said.
“No look, whether it is rest and rotation or with minor injuries, I am pretty comfortable we have the depth there to ride out the highs and lows.”
Mark Nawaqanitawase takes a run against Wales.Credit:Getty
If facilities count for anything, there will be no excuses for the Waratahs not making their goal of securing a home final next year. After travelling the state since the old Allianz Stadium came down in 2019, and being based in cramped demountables at Daceyville, the team will be playing again at the new Allianz Stadium next season.
And on Wednesday, the team will officially move into NSW Rugby’s $20 million centre of excellence at Daceyville, which features a large gym, change rooms, medical and rehabilitation facilities, theatrette, an analysis room and administration spaces.
“There are just a lot of positives at the moment. We have the new training facility, we are in the new stadium, we have got a bit of self-belief as a team, and we have now got individuals within that team who have got self-belief because of what they did post-season with Wallabies and Australia A,” Coleman said.
“I feel like there is a good strong wave of momentum and positivity.”
Nadolo is on board to “score tries” and will be a huge asset, and the experience of Kurtley Beale will complement an already strong leadership group.
The exceptional form of Nawaqanitawase on the Wallabies’ Spring Tour has the coach excited.
“For me, it is just another re-affirmation as a coach of how big a tool confidence is,” Coleman said.
“I am stealing Dave Rennie’s quote but I think in the last three weeks he was actually playing better than he was in Super Rugby, even though it was a step up in class. The amount of impact he had on the game was even bigger, even though it was on a higher level.”
News, results and expert analysis from the weekend of sport sent every Monday. Sign up for our Sport newsletter.
