Another week, another clutch drop goal from the Blues who broke a club record with a gripping 20-17 win over the Waratahs at Leichhardt Oval.
Last week it was Beauden Barrett sinking the Brumbies in Canberra and this time it was Zarn Sullivan’s left boot from deep that broke the hearts of NSW fans on Saturday night.
The Blues had already locked up top spot on the ladder heading into the quarterfinals and coach Leon MacDonald made 14 changes to his starting lineup.
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“13 games in a row, a club record (for consecutive wins), and there’s your hero,” Sean Maloney said on Nine and Stan Sport.
“Extraordinary turnover of players and it was 14-3 (to the Waratahs) at one stage.”
The upset loss means the sixth-placed Waratahs will have to travel to Hamilton to play the third-placed Chiefs next Saturday.
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The fourth-placed Brumbies will be the only Australian team to host a quarterfinal, against the fifth-placed Hurricanes in Canberra next Saturday.
The Force must beat the Hurricanes in their final round-robin match to keep their quarterfinal hopes alive.
Regardless, the Blues are clearly the team to beat.
“We practice for these moments at training,” Sullivan said.
“It just comes down to repetition and being in the moment.”
Blues captain Luke Romano – who scored a crucial late try to set up the grandstand finish – said his young team had been motivated by external noise.
“There was a lot of talk about bringing a B team over but we didn’t look at it like that,” Romano said.
After a dour first half, the Waratahs roared the life in the second and were odds-on to claim victory after two slick tries to breakout winger Mark Nawaqanitawase.
But the baby Blues kept grinding away and eventually things swung in their favour.
“A disappointing finish for us,” Waratahs captain Jake Gordon said.
The Chiefs beat the Waratahs 51-27 in Hamilton in round 10 but NSW will take confidence from wins over the Crusaders and Highlanders this season.
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