Second half lapse costs Tahs
Waratahs captain Dave Dennis bemoaned the fact that another second half lapse saw his team leave Wellington empty handed on Saturday.
It was a scintillating seven-try match, but the Waratahs will return to Sydney bitterly disappointed after a 29-41 loss.
It was a sensational second-half home side performance, led by Hurricanes wing Julian Savea, which put the game out of reach and prevented NSW from picking up two well-deserved bonus points.
In their best performance of the season so far, the Waratahs proved themselves equal to their opponents in the first period – before conceding a costly 19 points in just 15 minutes in another second half lapse.
Although Dennis's men fought back strongly, crossing twice through Ashley-Cooper and Israel Folau, in the end they had left themselves just too much to do against a dangerous New Zealand outfit.
"Any team in this competition, if you give them that much ball from turnovers is going to hurt you," Dennis said after the match.
"It's something we've got to keep working on because it's creeping up each game and it's hurting us.
"We'll need to fix that in two weeks' time," he said of their April 19 date with the Chiefs in Sydney – which follows a bye next week.
Had the tryline come just a split second earlier, Michael Hooper's desperate drive for the vital fourth try right on the siren would have earned his side a well-deserved two bonus points.
Instead, Dennis's men were left to rue a lack of accuracy at the breakdown that saw them concede a number of costly turnovers.
