VIDEO: Travelling Tahs ready for Lions' tricks
WATCH as Waratahs assistant coach Simon Cron explains how they will defy the odds when they meet the Lions in a Super Rugby semifinal encounter at Ellis Park on Saturday.
They left Sydney on Monday, heading to Johannesburg – on an 11,000 kilometre, 14-hour – where they hope to record their first win since 2009.
History will be against the Waratahs, with just 10 travelling teams taking a win in 39 Super Rugby play-off matches on SA soil.
The Tahs have not beaten the Lions since 2014 – the year the Johannesburg-based franchise returned to Super Rugby.
The Waratahs’ last three visits to South Africa have also not produced a win – with a 24-all draw against the Sharks in April and two defeats, against the Lions (36-55) and Sharks (14-37) last year.
However, Cron has taken a ‘no excuses’ approach to this week’s semifinal.
“It is the same for everybody around travel,” he said, adding: “We did it earlier in the season, to head over [to South Africa] to play the Sharks and then we had to go to Argentina and play again [ a 28-38 loss to the Jaguares].
“The boys are pretty used to it.
“I think from my point of view, there are no excuses around travel.
“Everyone’s got to do it, if it was the other way around, if they were coming here, we wouldn’t be giving them any excuse around travel.
“Business class isn’t too hard. [We will] get on it [the plane], sleep, go play rugby,” he said.
Cron admitted that the Lions at Ellis Park is always a “big challenge”, but added that the Tahs are up for it.
The Lions’ forwards are probably their biggest challenge.
“They are big and strong and they will keep it tight, [to] try and punch holes through us around the ruck – [with] pick-and-goes and one-out runners.
“They always have a good maul D [defence].
“The Lions, last time [a 0-29 loss for the Tahs in Sydney in April], were good with their little trick plays around the maul.
“We have to make sure we D-up and hit the maul, but also cover the front and back [of the line-outs].”
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