Waratahs reveal tough Super Rugby warm ups

Former Super Rugby champions the Waratahs have booked a tough line up of pre-season warm up matches in which they will face two former champions and the current champion,

2014 Suoper Rugby champions the Waratahs will face the e Brumbies, Chiefs and Highlanders in three away trial games ahead of the 2016 Super Rugby season this year.

Following the first trial game, hosted by the Brumbies in Wagga Wagga on Saturday 6 February, the Waratahs will travel to New Zealand to take on two Super Rugby heavyweights, the Chiefs and the Highlanders.

The match against the Chiefs will take place on Friday 12 February in Rotorua, New Zealand.

The team will then head to Queenstown for a 2015 semi-final re-match against the Highlanders on the following Friday 19 February.

The Waratahs are returning the favour after hosting home trials against the Chiefs in 2015 and the Highlanders in 2014.

Last year’s trial at Campbelltown Sports Stadium in Sydney’s West was the last time the Waratahs faced the Chiefs. In what was a thrilling encounter, the Tahs sealed a 38-36 victory thanks to five tries scored in the first half, including a hat trick to Rob Horne.

In 2014 they recorded a 19-16 victory against 2015 Super Rugby champions, the Highlanders, with tries to Michael Hooper and Bernard Foley at Hunter Stadium in Newcastle.

This year’s trial matches will be the first for Daryl Gibson as the NSW Waratahs Head Coach, and he is looking forward to seeing how the team perform against some of Super Rugby’s toughest opponents.

“Going up against three of the top six 2015 Super Rugby sides, it will be a good chance for us to test ourselves as a team with some competitive matches ahead of the 2016 season,” Gibson said.

“The players have already forged some strong bonds across pre-season so it will be good to see how they come together in a game situation.

“It’ll be great for some of the new guys too. There’s a few new faces who I know will be vying for a spot in the team this year so I’m be keen to see who steps up.

“Most of the squad has come through the NSW pathways, which is a testament to guys like (NSW Under 20s Head Coach and Elite Pathways Coordinator) Tim Rapp who work with the Waratahs coaching team to ensure an ongoing feed into the elite levels of NSW rugby.”

The three trial matches will take place in the lead up to the NSW Waratahs’ Round One clash against the Queensland Reds on Saturday 27th February at Allianz Stadium.

Waratahs 2016 trial matches:

Trial Match One v Brumbies
Date: Saturday 6 February
Location: McDonalds Park, Wagga Wagga
Kick-off: 7:00pm AEDT

Trial Match Two v Chiefs
Date: Friday 12 February
Location: Rotorua International Stadium, New Zealand
Kick-off: 2:00pm AEDT

Trial Match Three v Highlanders
Date: Friday 19th February
Location: Queenstown Recreation Ground, Queenstown New Zealand
Kick-off: 4:00pm AEDT