Super Rugby
Izzy and co to step up in Beale's Tahs absence
Brittany Mitchell
June 26, 2015
Super Rugby Preview: Semi-finals

NSW Waratahs will share the playmaking role a little more than usual in the absence of Kurtley Beale for Saturday night's semi-final against the Highlanders.

Beale was ruled out of the Allianz Stadium clash after he failed a fitness test on Thursday, leaving Matt Carraro to reprise the role he filled against Queensland Reds a fortnight ago; both coach Michael Cheika and captain Dave Dennis believe the veteran is more than up to the task.

"Obviously Matt's not the same type of player as Kurtley, but Israel (Folau) has been picking up a bit of that slack as well around that second playmaker role," Cheika said Friday. "So we just share it around a bit more as opposed to it being two dedicated guys, so we go from there."

Dennis echoed Cheika's sentiments, saying Carraro would bring a hardened defensive edge to the midfield channel.

Israel Folau has hit form at the right time this season © Getty Images
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"Yeah it's disappointing; we obviously lose a little bit of his [Beale's] ability ball in hand," he said. "But Matt Carraro is a great defender as well, which we're going to need tomorrow night, so it balances it out a little bit. He is a very good footballer, not a big name in the team, but every time he's come in this year he's done his job. He filled in for Adam Ashley-Cooper for a number of games early on in the season. He did very well and I'm sure he'll do a great job."

The 30-year-old handled the powerful Samu Kerevi with aplomb a fortnight ago, and will need a similar performance if the Waratahs are to contain an in-form Highlanders backline - one that features the destructive Malakai Fekitoa at outside-centre.

"They're whole backline is going very well, obviously (Patrick) Osborne as well; Ben Smith out the back; Aaron Smith," Dennis said. "But in saying that, they probably rely a little bit on that go-forward from the forwards; so it's going to be a nice and physical contest. As much as they've got some big names in the backline, we need to front up in the forward pack and make sure we win the contest there first."

Cheika acknowledged the Highlanders' long list of attacking threats but said his side would be paying far more attention to their own game.

"There's been a lot of talk about their players, you know Aaron Smith is probably one of the best players going around the world at the moment, Ben Smith as well, Fekitoa," he said. "If you're going to start talking about them, you might put yourself in a corner a little bit and hide away. We'll be up to the challenge and I'm sure it's going to be an interesting match on Saturday night."

Michael Hooper an 'astonishing' captain
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Taking on a Highlanders pack that is often overshadowed by its backline, Dennis said his side had no illusions as to the challenges that await his eight on Saturday night.

"I think it's going to be a good contest there [up front]. I think they said at the start of the year they're an unknown forward pack, but I think everyone knows a bit about them now as a forward pack.

"I think their biggest strength is they're playing well as a team, there's no real one player that's probably setting the house on fire. It's just one guy working for the other guy, and they're really functioning well as an eight, around their scrum and general play. Obviously (Nasi) Manu at eight is a big player for them, but as a whole they've playing really well as a forward pack and have got a really good spirit. Not one of us guys is going to be able to counter; it's going to take the same sort of effort from us as a group."

Hosting their second consecutive semi-final, the Waratahs are taking on a side that hasn't been to the final four since 2002. Cheika wasn't doubted whether a lack of finals experience would hurt the Highlanders and said his side couldn't get caught up in their successful title run of 2014.

"I don't think it's in our favour per say, I think we'll have a few mental notes that we can take forward into the game," he said. "If we think about how we played in last year's finals we'll get beaten in this year's finals. This is a whole new dynamic; last year we played against a New Zealand team in the final. But it's a semi-final this time, it's a different type of team who's on a different dynamic themselves. They're probably on the dynamic that we were on at the end of last season, and I suppose they're pretty unstoppable really.

"So the mental toughness that we've acquired there, we've got to build onto that and improve everything by one or two per cent from the levels we were playing in the same games last year. If everyone does that, I think we'll have a chance."

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