Drew Mitchell headlines big Waratahs night

Wolter Peeters/SMH

RUNAWAY: Waratahs back reserve Josh Holmes celebrates a try, one of the team's 11 scored in the 73-12 win over the Lions at the Sydney Football Stadium.

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A newly shorn Drew Mitchell spearheaded a record-breaking NSW effort as the Waratahs answered their critics with a 73-12 thrashing of the Lions in the Super 14 rugby clash at Sydney Football Stadium on Friday.

Mitchell became the first Waratah to score four tries in a Super game and NSW also logged their best tally of 11 tries and eight conversions, all kicked by inside centre Berrick Barnes.

The team tally exceeded the Waratahs' previous Super best of 53 points and eclipsed their former competition-best winning margin of 47.

Widely lambasted for a dour display in their season home opener against the Sharks, the Waratahs took just half an hour to earn a bonus point and scored five first-half tries to canter to a 33-5 halftime lead.

They scored six more in the second half against a Lions team that showed little appetite for defence, with winger Lachie Turner and replacement halfback Josh Holmes both finishing with two tries.

NSW showed a willingness to attack from deep and take quick taps and kick for touch and didn't take a single penalty shot for goal.

Mitchell, who was boasting a shiny pate after a visit to the barber earlier in the day, did some cutting of his own, frequently slicing through the Lions defence.

He terrorised the Lions, though he did gift them a first half try to opposing winger Tonderai Chavhanga after he failed to ground a kick in his in goal area.

The Waratahs' rampage was set up by strong forward work by skipper Phil Waugh, making a NSW record 119th appearance, and fellow flanker Dave Dennis along with locks Dean Mumm and Kane Douglas.

Mitchell crashed over from a tap penalty in the sixth minute before gifting Chavhanga hs five-pointer.

The Waratahs responded in the 10th minute with flanker Dean Mumm intercepting a chip kick from Lions five-eighth Carlos Spencer and running almost 40 metres for his team's second try.

Mumm, hooker Tatafu Polota-Nau and prop Benn Robinson all featured in the build up to the third try scored by centre Tom Carter.

The try-scoring bonus point was chalked up on the half hour mark when winger Lachie Turner crossed following a break by No.8 Wycliff Palu and a kick from five-eighth Daniel Halangahu.

Mitchell, who beat three defenders in another sensational run and also pulled off some strong tackles, added the fifth try following a lineout from a penalty kick to touch.

The second half followed a similar pattern, with Palu opening proceedings after he took a cross field kick from Barnes on the bounce.

Mitchell scored the next two five-pointers, one from a 60-metre run before replacement prop JP Janse van Rensburg crossed for the Lions.

NSW piled on three tries in the last 10 minutes, two to replacement halfback Josh Holmes and one to Turner.

NSW Waratahs 73 (Drew Mitchell 4, Josh Holmes 2, Lachlan Turner 2, Tom Carter, Dean Mumm, Wycliff Palu tries Berrick Barnes 9 cons) Lions 12 (Tonderai Chavhanga, Janse van Rensburg tries Burton Kenvin Francis con)

- AAP