Coach content with Waratahs despite loss

Declaring himself "a half-glass full sort of guy", NSW Waratahs coach Darren Coleman insisted he'd still have a beer and wake up with a smile even after witnessing the most exasperating of defeats from his developing side.

Despite dominating possession and territory to the tune of five to one, the Waratahs somehow suffered a 20-16 Super Rugby Pacific loss to the gallant Queensland Reds on Friday night.

Waratahs fans must have walked away from Leichhardt Oval wondering how on earth their team could have lost, especially after Ben Donaldson's beautifully-executed drop goal had given the Tahs a three-point buffer with 14 minutes remaining.

But somehow, with no Taniela Tupou, no Tate McDermott for the entire second half and virtually no ball all game, the Reds escaped with the four competition points after the Waratahs threw the match away.

"I'm more philosophical now. I was gutted at first," Coleman said.

"But we knew this road we're trying to get to wasn't going to be easy, that we were going to have little hurdles and we'll get some really good lessons out of that.

"We just haven't figured out the winning part of it yet.

"But full credit to Queensland, they were potentially like us four or five years ago and they've got in a winning habit the past two years and they know how to win.

"So that's our goal over the next season - to learn that."

Winless wooden spooners last year, the Waratahs surely would have upset the 2021 Super Rugby AU champions if only they'd held their nerve in the final 15 minutes.

Alas, they couldn't.

Sublime with both his long and short passing, Donaldson also proved a coach killer.

The fly-half missed two critical penalty attempts, committed the cardinal sin of not finding touch late on from another