Super 14

The Waratahs have been an ongoing enigma as regards Super 12 and Super 14 performance, inconsistent and unpredictable. With their quality of personnel and depth of talent they should offer greater consistency, but a good year has too often been followed by a disappointing slump in performance.

In 1998 they just missed the play-offs, but then hovered in the lower half of the log (eighth, ninth and eighth positions respectively) for the next three years.

Continued inconsistency was to follow. In 2002 they finished third on the log but in the next two years fifth and eighth. In 2005 (second) and 2006 (third) they again reached the play-offs, but in 2007 slumped to a hugely disappointing 13th.

In 2008 they were runners-up again but last year ended fifth, securing 41 logs points along with the Crusaders but missing out on the play-offs on four points difference between them and the Crusaders in for-and-against tallies.

Can 2010 be their big season?

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Skipper Phil Waugh compliments management for assembling one of strongest squads the Waratahs have ever been able to put together.

The troubled Lote Tuqiri has left, along with Matt Dunning and Brett Sheehan, but there is top-class cover for each of those, and in Berrick Barnes, Drew Mitchell, Sosene Anesi, Hendrik Roodt and Cam Jowitt the Waratahs have acquisitions who could add substantial quality to the campaign.

Add that to the likes of Al Baxter, Benn Robinson, Dean Mumm and Adam Freier at tight-forward, Phil Waugh and Wycliff Palu at loose forward, and Luke Burgess, Lachlan Turner and Kurtley Beale behind them, and it would take a campaign gone badly off track for them not to be one of the leading lights of the 2010 tournament.

Strengths: They have a well-balanced squad with forwards who should be able to win more than sufficient possession for their exciting backs to cause havoc with opposition defences.

Weaknesses: Their inconsistency is a real problem, and the relative inexperience at this level of the game - compared with many of his opposing coaches - of head coach Chris Hickey, could be a factor. They have a tough start to the tournament, playing the rejuvenated Reds (now under former Waratahs coach Ewen McKenzie) in Brisbane and then playing the defending champion Bulls at altitude in Pretoria and the Stormers in Cape Town. Winning on the road would give them great momentum, but a losing start would mean playing catch-up from week four, which is never easy.

Noteworthy signings: The transfer of Berrick Barnes from the Reds was one of the big signings ahead of the Super 14. Drew Mitchell (from the Western Force) is also a big acquisition for the Waratahs. Sosene Anesi, a fullback or wing who played one test for the All Blacks - he prefers playing full back - transfers from the Chiefs. To bolster the second row, the Waratahs have contracted Cam Jowitt (lock or flank), a New Zealander with Australian ancestry which makes him eligible to play for the Wallabies, after four seasons at Leinster (Ireland), along with Emerging Springbok lock Hendrik Roodt. Scrumhalf Josh Holmes (from the Brumbies) and centre (inside or outside) Rory Sidey (Newport Gwent Dragons) may also be useful signings.

Noteworthy losses: Wing Lote Tuqiri is now with Leicester Tigers. A back injury has forced flank/ No.8 Scott Fava to retire after 98 provincial games, 87 Super games and five Test caps. Brett Sheehan (scrumhalf) and Matt Dunning (prop) move to the Force, the latter after 99 games for the Waratahs. Matt Carraro (centre or wing) has moved to Bath and Sam Norton-Knight to Cardiff Blues. Centre / wing Timani Tahu has returned to rugby league. (Beau Robinson moves to Benevento Gladiators in Italy but does not fall into the "noteworthy loss" category as he was available but not contracted).

Coach: Chris Hickey enters his second season as Waratahs coach after a distinguished club coaching career and will be desperately keen to improve on last year's fifth position on the log. Can he crack it at Super 14 level? In Michael Foley (with 50 Test caps as a hooker and valuable experience as a highly regarded Bath and Wallabies forwards coach) and Scott Wisemantel (former Wallaby assistant coach) he has considerable expertise at his disposal.

Captain: Phil Waugh is the most-capped Waratahs player in their Super Rugby history. With 114 games since his 1999 debut, he is a mere four games short of Chris Whitaker's record for the most New South Wales caps, and five matches behind Whitaker's 40 caps as Waratahs captain. With a Test debut in 2000, he now has 79 Test caps, but will want a big season after missing the Wallaby November tour because of a quadriceps injury. He will be engaged in a tough contest with George Smith and David Pocock for a Wallaby Test spot. His leadership, by exceptional example as well as his astute reading of the game, is immensely important to the Waratahs. One thing certain about the Waratahs campaign will be the contribution of Waugh as flank and captain.

Potential bolter: Rob Horne played 20 Super 14 games before his 20th birthday. An Australian Schools' player in 2007, he represented Australia in Sevens and made his Super 14 debut at age 19. Selected for Australia's UK tour in November, he was regarded as a Test candidate, but his perennial hamstring problem caused an early return home. If he can remain free of injury, he could be a marquee player for Australia for many years to come.

2009 Position: 5th
Best finish: 2nd on the standings - losing finalists in 2005, 2008
Worst finish: 13th in 2007
Home Venue: Aussie Stadium (previously Sydney Football Stadium - capacity 42,000) and ANZ Stadium (capacity 83,500) - by agreement, for at least one game per season plus a home final if the Waratahs should get that far.

2010 Prospects: After losing semi-finals in 2002 and 2006, and finals in 2005 and 2008, this may conceivably be the year the Waratahs make their biggest impact. They must surely have a good shot at the play-offs. They have genuine talent and more depth than previously. If the Waratahs are not one of the front-runners come mid-May, they will have under-performed.

Waratahs squad: Chris Alcock, Sosene Anesi, Berrick Barnes, Alastair Baxter, Kurtley Beale, Luke Burgess, Will Caldwell, Tom Carter, Ben Coridas, Dave Dennis, Damien Fitzpatrick, Adam Freier, Daniel Halangahu, Josh Holmes, Rob Horne, Cam Jowitt, Sekope Kepu, Drew Mitchell, Ben Mowen, Dean Mumm, Nemani Nadolo, Dan Palmer, Wycliff Palu, Tatafu Polota-Nau, Benn Robinson,  Hendrik Roodt,  Rory Sidey, Chris Thomson,  Jeremy Tilse, Lachie Turner,  Phil Waugh

Schedule:
Saturday, February 13: v Reds, away
Saturday, February 20: v Stormers, home
Saturday, February 27: v Bulls, away
Saturday, March 6: v Sharks, home
Friday, March 12: v Lions, home
Saturday, March 20: v Western Force, away
Saturday, March 27: v Blues, home
Saturday, April 3: v Cheetahs, home
Saturday, April 10: v Crusaders, away
Saturday, April 24: v Brumbies, home (ANZ)
Friday, April 30: v Highlanders, away
Saturday, May 8: v Chiefs, away
Friday, May 14: v Hurricanes, home

By Len Kaplan