Waratahs complete first step of Super Rugby ‘Mission: Improbable’
New South Wales Waratahs coach Michael Cheika has urged his players to remain firmly focused on their bid to become the first Australian team to win back-to-back Super Rugby titles over the two weeks until the semi-finals.
New South Wales Waratahs coach Michael Cheika has urged his players to remain firmly focused on their bid to become the first Australian team to win back-to-back Super Rugby titles over the two weeks until the semi-finals.
The Waratahs ensured they would skip next week's qualifying round of the play-offs with a 31-5 victory over the Queensland Reds on Saturday to earn second place in the final regular season standings behind the Wellington Hurricanes.
We know we’ve got to be prepared because it’s improbable – no Australian team has gone back-to-back
Their form has been less impressive this year than last, however, and they only retained the Australian conference title when the ACT Brumbies lost to the Canterbury Crusaders earlier on Saturday.
“It was always going to be more difficult for us this year, we knew that from the start, we probably had to earn it more,” Cheika said after the game at Sydney Football Stadium.
“That’s only the first step, though, and now we’ve got to take the opportunity we have and do our best.”
