Waratahs thrash Cats
The New South Wales Waratahs hammered South Africa's Cats with seven tries in a record 50-3 Super 14 rugby romp at the Sydney Football Stadium on Friday night.
The well-drilled Waratahs were on a different level to the bereft Cats, clinching a scoring bonus point with their fourth try seven minutes before half-time.
Sparked by inventive Wallaby Mat Rogers at fly half, two-try hooker Adam Freier and winger Peter Hewat's 20 points, the Waratahs outpointed the Johannesburg-based Cats in the backs and forwards in an all-round performance.
The big win eclipsed the Waratahs' previous best effort, a 53-7 defeat of the Bulls in Sydney in 2001.
Waratahs coach Ewen McKenzie said he was thrilled with his side's defensive effort.
"I think it will give us a bit of confidence," he told Fox Sports.
"Our focus in the second half was keeping them on three and we did that so I'm pleased."
Best form
The Waratahs produced their best form of the season in the first half as Rogers ran the show at number 10 and centre Lote Tuqiri punctured the line.
Rogers' opening try in the fourth minute was a match highlight as he stepped through two tacklers and then swerved around the last line of defence for a classy try near the uprights.
The Waratahs led 14-0 after seven minutes against the Cats, whose only points of the night came off a penalty kick from fly half Earl Rose in the 17th minute.
Tuqiri swept on to an inside ball and drew the cover to send Hewat over for his try in the seventh minute.
Powerful flanker Wycliffe Palu carried two defenders with him from 10 metres out to score New South Wales's third try in the 27th minute and hooker Freier scored two tries in five minutes both off well-worked forward plays.
Freier carried the ball over the tryline from a rolling maul in the 33rd minute and outwitted the defence when he darted up the sideline off a line-out win in the 38th minute for a 35-3 half-time advantage.
The Waratahs lost some intensity in the second half amid a flurry of replacements, with New South Wales coach Ewen McKenzie putting key men Rogers, Dan Vickerman, Morgan Turinui and Al Baxter in cotton-wool ahead of next week's away match against the Western Force in Perth.
Cats coach Frans Ludeke lost patience with his shoddy team and made four substitutions at once 10 minutes after half-time to stem the flow of points.
The Waratahs finished off with two more tries to impressive youngsters, open-side prop Benn Robinson and utility back Daniel Halangahu.
Hewat finished with 20 points from a try, six conversions and a penalty goal from eight shots.
It does not get any easier for the beleaguered Cats as they cross the Tasman for a match with titleholders Canterbury Crusaders in Christchurch next Friday.
