Hooper deserved better.
To make matters worse,the Waratahs only have a six-day break before their must-win clash with the Blues at Eden Park and will be without skipper Jake Gordon who suffered a concussion.
Prop Harry Johnson-Holmes (syndesmosis),Izaia Perese (hip pointer) and Langi Gleeson (back) are all in doubt after picking up fresh injuries.
Losing so many games early in the season – five defeats in their first six games – meant it was likely the Waratahs would have to travel for a knockout match.
Having wrapped up sixth place,the Waratahs will face the third-placed Blues on Friday night (5.30pm AEST). No NSW side have beaten the Auckland-based team away from home since 2009.
On the evidence of Saturday night,the Waratahs will struggle to get close.
The Blues defeated the Highlanders 16-9 on Friday night and now have the added advantage of not only remaining in New Zealand but having a seven-day break to freshen up.
Moana Pasifika players celebrate a try in their first win of the season.Credit:Getty
Coleman’s Waratahs will certainly need to forget about their last encounter against the Blues,a 55-21 thumping earlier in the season at Eden Park.
“My job is to lick my wounds tonight and then figure out how I’m going to get us out of it. We’re probably in a similar position to where I was when I took on the job. No one gave us too much of a chance.”
The Blues have a formidable record at home against the Waratahs,winning 13 of their past 14 matches since Super Rugby began in 1996.
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Pre-1996,the last time NSW won at Eden Park was 1928. The Wallabies haven’t tasted victory there since 1986.
The Waratahs will need to take confidence from what the Brumbies did last year when they fell just short to the Blues (20-19) in a semi-final at Eden Park.
Meanwhile,the Fijian Drua qualified for a maiden Super Rugby quarter-final following a superb 41-17 bonus-point win over the Queensland Reds on Saturday.
With a finals place up for grabs,Fijian Drua were level 17-17 with the Reds at half-time in Suva. But it was the home side that scored 24 unanswered points to leapfrog the Reds and Highlanders,and secure a maiden finals appearance. Locals at the ground were reduced to tears after witnessing an historic moment for the Fijians.
However,the Reds managed to hold on to eighth place after the Chiefs defeated the Western Force 43-19.
The Force needed to beat the Chiefs to feature in a quarter-final but fell well short.
Queensland will face the Chiefs next week,while the Crusaders will host the Drua in Christchurch.