Tahs must improve defence: Dennis

NSW Waratahs captain Dave Dennis says his side must tidy up their defence to be successful in Saturday night’s crucial Super Rugby final round clash with the Queensland Reds at Allianz Stadium.

The Waratahs scored nine tries in their win over the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein last week, but they are more concerned about the five they conceded against the hapless South African side.

“I think you saw what we can do with ball in hand, but we obviously talked about leaking tries,” said Dennis on Friday.

“We have to keep trying to improve our defence but keep playing with ball in hand.”

The coveted top spot in the Australian conference is up for grabs this weekend, with the Waratahs locked on 47 points with the Brumbies, who face the Crusaders on Saturday afternoon.

Michael Cheika’s Waratahs lead the conference by virtue of having more wins this season but can’t afford to slip up if they are to have a home advantage in the finals.

Dennis expects the Reds to play attacking rugby and not simply try to spoil the party for the Waratahs who could need a bonus-point win, depending on what happens in Canberra with the Brumbies.

“I can’t imagine they’ll play a dour game. It’s the last game of the season. They haven’t got much to lose, they can just go out there and play,” Dennis said.

The Waratahs skipper said it would be a mistake for his side to be consumed by what the Brumbies do.

“We’ve just to focus on our match. If we play as well as we can tomorrow night, and we do what we talked about, the rest will sort itself out,” Dennis said.

“If guys are worrying about what’s happening before kickoff, it’s probably not the right mindset.”

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