Waratahs lock Tom Staniforth has returned serve in the battle of the barbs leading into Sunday’s Australian derby against the Brumbies.
Two of Staniforth’s former teammates, Connal McInerney and Tom Cusack, had a cheeky dig at the second rower earlier this week, describing him as a “tall prop”.
Asked about the banter on Friday, Staniforth was quick to retort.
“I think I'd rather be tall and fat than short and fat,” he said.
“With Cusey (Cusack), Ive been watching a bit of the Brums footage over the week, doing a bit of review and I've found he's spends more of his time out on the wing.
“I don't know if he's playing Sevens or XVs, so I might have to go out there and try and find him and even the score, some would say.”
Staniforth is one of the more niggly forwards in the waratahs pack and he said he would be looking out for the pair on Sunday.
“Of course, now that they've thrown that sort of chat at me, I'll be trying to look for Connal especially in the middle,” he said.
“I will have to wait and see if Cusack ventures in.”
On a more serious note, Staniforth said the derby match was one the Waratahs see as one that could potentially kick start their season, despite the differing fortunes of the teams this year.
The Brumbies have won five of the past six matches between the two teams and sit on top of the Australian conference with just one loss this year
New South Wales has just one win to its name this year but Staniforth said form wouldn’t mean much on Sunday.
“I think through history both sides have been in and out of form and his game is always close and always tough,” he said.
“Brumbies-Tahs match, it doesn't matter what the stakes are and where we are on the ladder or what's going on, it's a Brumbies-Tahs match and it's always close and it's always tough.
“I wouldn’t be reading too much into that.”
While the Brumbies have shown some attacking flair in recent weeks, it’s their lineout and scrum that have paved the way for them and Staniforth said he expected that to be the same on Sunday.
“That's been the Brumbies for the last 10 years right. They’ve got a really good set piece foundation, the maul and scrum and lineout,” he said.
“That's awesome for us because we get that challenge to try and knock them down and try and stamp our authority on the game.
“We're looking forward to it, it'll be a good battle and I can't wait to get down to Canberra Stadium and go for it.”
The Waratahs take on the Brumbies on Sunday March 16 at GIO Stadium, kicking off at 4:05pm AEDT, LIVE on Foxtel, Kayo Sports and via RUGBY.com.au RADIO. Buy tickets here.
