It’s rare for the Waratahs to come into a new Super Rugby season without significant pressure to perform immediately. The player base, perceived commercial might, favouritism.
You name it, there’s plenty of reasons the Waratahs should be the best Australian team each year but that has not been the case for a good while now.
Not even proper star power arriving in the form of Taniela Tupou and Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii has been enough to get Waratahs fans chirping, so I’d say there is probably less pressure than ever for the Waratahs to perform in 2025. A decade of disappointment culminating in the franchise’s first ever wooden spoon will do that to a fanbase.
You get the sense Tahs fans just want a team they can be proud of, that plays an attractive brand of footy and doesn’t ship points.
That is all very achievable with the new coaching staff and player influx. Mike Catt is a more important addition than Dan McKellar as after recently rewatching the Tahs-Reds fixture at the back end of the 2024 season, it became more apparent that it was a game the Tahs would’ve won if things were a bit sharper in attack.
The Tahs had plenty of opportunities in the Reds half but their second man/blocker plays were off in timing and spacing, meaning they weren’t commiting defenders at the right time or creating space that a receiver was in place to use. The Reds defence was able to slide too easily and this was compounded by the Tahs’ inability to secure fast, quick ruck ball so the Reds defenders were already set and square.
These are pretty simple fixes and something Catt will be all over given his background with Ireland and their reliance on players in motion and breakdown efficiency.
So with an improved coaching staff and a mostly improved starting XV, there is reason to believe the Tahs can turn a corner quickly. Depth in certain positions is still a problem but a rising tide of young talent is looking to address that and put a bit of heat on the players above them. So who are the players under pressure?
Tom Lambert
You wouldn’t blame Lambert for being a mite peeved that Rugby Australia shipped Isaac Kailea to Sydney but I’m hoping the competitive tension will bring out the best in him.
Tom Lambert (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)
Angus Bell has become one of the most important players for the Wallabies and our ability to contest the Lions series does somewhat hinge on him and a few other key plays having a clean bill of health. To that end, Bell will need to be managed properly but that can’t happen if the Tahs feel like they can’t win their feed or avoid giving away penalties at the back end of games when Lambert is on the park.
When he does get his opportunity in 2025, he needs to make it count.
Ben Grant
Grant’s rugby story so far is one of perseverance. He’s done time in plenty of programs, slowly improving, until the Hurricanes picked him up as a depth option for season 2024.
The Tahs have since come knocking and while there is pressure to show he deserves to be at this level, there is also opportunity given none of the lock options in NSW are established or proven outside the packhorse Hugh Sinclair.
Pressure also comes in the form of further recruitment, as I think the Tahs program will still be looking to secure an experienced, top shelf lock to lead their lineout and one of Grant, Fergus Lee Warner or the new Ale Aho might have to make way for them.
Joey Walton
Joe Schmidt slotting Suaalii straight into the 13 jersey against England has thrown the cat amongst the pigeons in the Waratahs centre contingent.
Lalakai Foketi is certainly a flight risk at the end of the year which would create space but the Tahs have two good up and coming centres in Henry O’Donnell and Jackson Ropata, with Archie Saunders also able to do a job at 13.
Walton saw off Harry Wilson and Mosese Tuipulotu but with this new rising tide of young players he will need to do it all over again with potentially limited minutes in 2025 if Suaalii plays in the centres and staff see Foketi as his preferred partner due to being more direct than Walton.
Joey Walton of the Waratahs runs the ball (Photo by Asanka Ratnayake/Getty Images)
Walton has a few more string to his bow though than some of the other centre options and could be preferred due to his better ball distribution if the Tahs look to play with width.
Tristan Reilly
It was great to see Reilly take his opportunities in 2024 after a brief sojourn to rugby league. He looked comfortable with the grade and is young enough to have a few more levels in him.
The northern migration of Darby Lancaster and Andrew Kellaway is a bit of a roadblock in his path to the same sort of minutes in 2025, with Lancaster being an obvious player of national interest despite his youth.
There’s no obvious difference in class between Reilly and the other wing options so making a statement during the upcoming trials could see him get his nose in front of the competition.
