NSW Waratahs coach Daryl Gibson says his side can easily fix the issues that plagued them early in their remarkable Super Rugby quarter-final win.
The Tahs face South African conference winner the Lions in Johannesburg next Saturday evening (AEST), following a stunning 30-23 win over the Highlanders in Sydney on Saturday.
The other semi-final next Saturday afternoon will pit defending champions the Crusaders against New Zealand domestic rivals the Hurricanes in Christchurch.
Trailing 23-6 at halftime at Allianz Stadium, NSW scored 24 unanswered points, 21 of them while Highlanders winger Waisake Naholo was in the sin bin.
Tahs captain Bernard Foley recorded his best Super Rugby haul of 25 points, bagging two tries and making all six of his shots at goal.
Foley and his teammates had little time to savour the win, with the Lions 40-23 home victory over the Jaguares three hours later meaning NSW had to fly to South Africa a little over 12 hours after their game finished.
The Lions wiped the Waratahs 29-0 in Sydney back in May, when NSW was held scoreless for the first and only time in a Super Rugby game.
While backline stars Foley, Kurtley Beale and Israel Folau were prominent in the Tahs second half revival, Gibson was still left with plenty to ponder after what he admitted was a poor first-half performance.
He bemoaned the loss of four lineout throws and their inability to get possession and string phases together and giving away seven penalties.
“On balance we played very poorly and still won the game so it shows we’re a good side,’ Gibson said.
“We’ve got plenty of growth in us, we’ve got to fix those things up for next week but those are things that are easily fixable.”
Foley stressed the Tahs always had plenty of self belief even before their fightback on Saturday.
“We’ve just got to keep nailing the big moments,’ Foley said.
Forwards Rob Simmons and Michael Wells will have to undergo protocols for head knocks through the week after each copped one on Saturday.
Gibson said Waratahs and Wallabies captain, Michael Hooper, who has missed their last four games with a hamstring injury, might be a chance of returning for the final if NSW won next weekend.
One welcome spectator on Saturday was former Waratahs and Wallabies backline stalwart Rob Horne, who suffered a career-ending injury playing for English club Northampton back in April.
“He got back during the week and a lot of the guys went and caught up with him, it was pretty emotional,” Foley said
SUPER RUGBY SEMI-FINALS
Semi-final 1: Saturday 28 July – Crusaders [1] vs Hurricanes [4] @ AMI Stadium, Christchurch (17:35 AEST).
Semi-final 2: Saturday 28 July Lions [2] vs Waratahs [3] @ Emirates Airline Park, Johannesburg (23.05 AEST).
Highest ranked team to host the final.