Five in a row for Tahs
The Waratahs made it five wins in a row with a comprehensive 25-10 victory over the Sharks in Sydney.
Last Updated: 27/04/08 8:41am
New South Wales made it five wins in a row with a comprehensive 25-10 Super 14 victory over the Sharks in Sydney on Saturday.
The hosts remain unbeaten at the Sydney Football Stadium in 2008 with an impressive win and also managed to bag a full house of points before they embark on a two-match trip to South Africa.
The Super 14 table takes a different shape too as the Waratahs leapfrog the Sharks into second place with the latter dropping to third.
The Sharks, already without talisman Johann Muller, suffered a huge setback after just 10 minutes when French fly-half Frederick Michalak was forced from the field with a serious knee injury.
Michalak, whose contract runs out in June, is thought to have damaged ligaments and is unlikely to pull on a Sharks jersey again.
Waratahs' try-fest
A four-try spree in the second half saw the Sharks crumble to pieces and were only able to reply with a consolation score two minutes from full-time through winger Odwa Ndungane.
Full back Sam Norton-Knight was first to cross just after the interval after taking a long pass from Kurtley Beale, before Wycliff Palu scored the first of two tries seven minutes later, brushing off Sharks full back Stefan Terblanche to touch down next to the posts.
Tom Carter also crossed just before the hour mark, gathering Beale's probing kick, before Phil Waugh put number eight Palu in for his second on 65 minutes.
NSW winger Lote Tuqiri posted the only points of the first half with a long-range penalty from his first kick at goal in Super 14 rugby.
Centre Francois Steyn replied with a huge second half penalty from 55 metres but Ndungane's late score, converted by Steyn, was no more than a consolation for the Sharks.
