What was meant to be a dream farewell for Michael Hooper turned into a nightmare at Allianz Stadium as the NSW Waratahs go down to Moana Pasifika
The 33-24 scoreline flatters the Waratahs in a clumsy, wasteful performance a week out from a trip to Auckland to face the Blues in the quarter-finals.
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Meanwhile, the visitors ensure they don't finish the year winless, which they didn't deserve after a series of impressive performances but close losses.
So what did we learn?
1 FRUSTRATING
The Waratahs produced one of their worst performances of the year in a frustrating way to finish the regular season
In terms of problem areas, where do you start? They conceded the first seven penalties, missed touch with kicks, made really simple mistakes and lost four lineouts in the first half.
It looked like a team who already had one eye on Auckland with sixth place locked up and Moana Pasifika were only happy to oblige to take their first win of the year.
Sure their position was locked in but if you can’t get up for Michael Hooper’s final game in Sydney, what will you?
There was nothing in that game that suggests they can become the first Australian team to win a playoff game in NZ
2. MICHAEL HOOPER
Michael Hooper deserved so much better.
From the first minute, he tried his heart out with a great turnover. He was the first to the ball when Moana Pasifika went for the kick in between.
At least it ended with a five-pointer, barging over at the back of the rolling maul to the delight of the crowd.
Unfortunately, his home stand ends with a nightmare and one to forget. Despite the loss, he will go down as one of the greatest to ever pull on the sky blue jersey.
3. BEWARE THE WINLESS SIDE
For the second year in a row, Moana Pasifika has upset an Australian team locked into finals contention in the final round of the season. In 2022 it was the Brumbies in Auckland but this game outshines that night.
The win ensures they won’t finish the year with the dreaded zero in the win column, ironically against the last team to do so.
Aaron Mauger’s stint with the club ends on a high, however, questions remain about the competitiveness of the squad heading forward.
Levi Aumua’s departure to the Crusaders is a major loss and they need to do some serious recruiting to be competitive next year.
Fijian Drua have shown it’s possible, booking their spot in the finals in their second year.
4. BACKLINE TROUBLES
Darren Coleman has some headaches surrounding his backline.
He needs Lalakai Foketi back on deck ASAP. The Waratahs look at their most dangerous with him at 12 and Izaia Perese at 13. Perese didn’t have the size to match Moana Pasifika and limped off the field in the second half. Meanwhile, Joey Walton and Mosese Tuipulotu were largely kept at bay outside of a early grubber from Walton to set up Mark Nawaqanitawase, another to struggle in his new position.
There’s further concerns at ten. Ben Donaldson started the year as the Wallaby incumbent but his struggles with form continued. They look clunky and the attack never really flowed.
On top of that, Jake Gordon went off almost instantly with a head knock. It puts him in major doubt for the quarter-final against the Blues.
5. HARD WORKING HANIGAN
Ned Hanigan is quietly emerging as a real Wallabies bolter as a rare shining light from the night.
He gets through some serious work for the Waratahs, topping the carry and tackle count with 13 and 17 respectively. He also scored a strong try just before the break.
A lot of chatter around Eddie’s podcast appearance was his slip of the tongue/analogy gone wrong regarding his intended length of stay at the Wallabies. What’s flown under his radar is his comments about the World Cup squad, admitting he’ll value ‘positive characters’ for the final selections of his 33-man squad.
No one typifies this more than Hanigan, the ultimate team man and bundle of energy. His ability to also cover several positions is a real positive for the 28-year-old
