As far as goals go, Tom Staniforth has kicked his first one for 2018.
Fresh out of the Brumbies’ set up, the young lock had his mind set on getting his first Vodafone Super Rugby cap for the NSW Waratahs under his belt.
“I moved up (from Canberra) looking for an opportunity and I was lucky enough to have been given one here,” Staniforth said.
“Every player in the squad wants to start and that was definitely a goal of mine. It’s just about putting points on the board now.”
“I was just really excited for a change. I was pretty lucky that the NSW Waratahs had a place for me and I’m just really excited to hopefully repay that faith over the next few years,” the 23-year-old said.
Now in Durban ahead of Saturday’s clash against the Sharks at Kings Park Stadium, Staniforth says preparations are in full swing after adjusting to the new time zone.
“We touched down on Sunday evening South Africa time, we had dinner and went straight to bed. We woke up on Monday and just tried to have a normal day, try and stay awake all day and then try and go to sleep normal time. You get pretty tired but you’ve just got to push through it,” he said.
With second row partner Rob Simmons ruled out of the tour through injury, Staniforth says he is relishing the challenge against the Sharks.
“We have put in a lot of practice into our lineouts with varying combinations, having different people in different roles. It’s a squad mentality that everyone has to understand their roles in the lineouts,” he said.
“We don’t mind who’s in what position as long as we execute our responsibilities.”
The NSW Waratahs will take on the Sharks at Kings Park this Sunday at midnight (AEDT; Saturday afternoon 1500 South Africa time). Catch all the action live on Fox Sports, or follow the game through our match centre.
The NSW Waratahs return to Allianz Stadium on Sunday 18 March for an afternoon clash against interstate rivals, the Melbourne Rebels.
