SYDNEY, Australia – The Waratahs carved out a grinding 19-13 win over the Western Force in an all-Australian Super Rugby derby in Sydney on Saturday.
In a match of few thrills, the Waratahs fought back from 13-9 down at half-time to take control of the second half through a try from Wallaby lock Will Skelton just after the interval.
Skelton, trimmed down after an off-season stint with Saracens in England, barged over following a break from fullback Andrew Kellaway.
Winger Reece Robinson kicked the Waratahs to victory with five out of six attempts as a stand-in for concussed, sidelined Wallaby fly-half Bernard Foley.
The Force, whose place in next season's competition is under speculation in a possible reduction in the number of teams, fought hard in the wet conditions but made too many mistakes.
Fly-half Jonno Lance scored all of the Force's points from a converted try and three penalty goals.
Scrum-half Ryan Louwrens set up the try with an offload for Lance to break the defensive line to score.
It was a dour spectacle with a total of 24 penalties disrupting the momentum of the game. Waratahs key attacker Israel Folau barely touched the ball.
Force hooker Tatafu Polota-Nau, who amassed more than 140 caps for NSW before switching to the Perth-based club this season, came off the bench in the 50th minute.
Force number eight Richard Hardwick was sin-binned with a minute left for a dangerous tackle on Folau.
The Waratahs leave on Sunday for a two-match tour to South Africa where they will play the Lions in Johannesburg next week followed by the Sharks in Durban the following weekend.
The Western Force have a short turnaround and face the Queensland Reds in Perth on Thursday.