The NSW Waratahs have rebounded from a week of drama and mayhem to notch a spirited 37-16 Super 14 victory over the Blues at the Sydney Football Stadium.

In easily their most polished and satisfying performance of the season, the Waratahs outscored the highly-rated Blues five tries to two to seriously enhance their finals prospects.

The Waratahs' first bonus-point triumph of their 2008 campaign lifted them to sixth place on the ladder and within a point of the top four.

And the win was all the more impressive given the much-maligned Tahs achieved it in the absence of influential flanker Rocky Elsom, who was a late scratching from the match with a torn left quad.

There had been fears, even among the disgruntled and disillusioned players, that the NSW board's contentious announcement on Tuesday not to renew the coaching contract of Ewen McKenzie would destabilise the team.

Instead it galvanised them.

Their determination to answer the critics - who have nagged all season about their supposed lack of attacking enterprise - was evident from the outset.

The Blues drew first blood through a third-minute penalty goal to five-eighth Nick Evans, but the Waratahs patiently worked their way into the contest with some strong, no-frills forward play.

Prop Benn Robinson eventually drove his way over for the first try of the game in the 16th minute to give NSW a 5-3 lead.

The Blues responded four minutes later with a five-pointer to lock and captain Troy Flavell after Waratahs fullback Lachie Turner was unable to clean up a probing kick from Evans, who missed with the conversion attempt to leave the Blues up 8-5.

Kurtley Beale restored NSW's lead with penalty goals in the 27th minute and 34th minutes - the second when Blues hooker Kevin Mealamu was in the sin bin for repeated ruck infringements - before powerhouse hooker Tatafu Polota-Nau capitalised on a moment of inspiration from skipper Phil Waugh to post NSW's second try just before the interval.

Man-of-the-match Waugh's jolting tackle on his counterpart Flavell jolted possession loose and Polota-Nau collected the ball 40-odd metres out and showed great pace to score.

Beale nailed the conversion from out wide to give the Waratahs an 18-8 halftime lead.

Evans narrowed the deficit to seven points with a penalty in the 52nd but barnstorming No.8 Wycliff Palu eased the tension with a converted try seven minutes later.

A five-pointer to Blues centre Benson Stanley gave the visitors a sniff at 25-16 down with quarter of an hour remaining.

But superstar winger Lote Tuqiri had the 29,986 most pro-NSW fans in raptures when he clinched the match and secured a bonus point with the home team's fourth try 12 minutes from time.

It was Tuqiri's 25th Super rugby try, eclipsing the Waratahs record of legendary fullback Matt Burke.

Flanker Dean Mumm, who had a fine game covering for Elsom, put the icing on the cake with NSW's fifth try in the final minute.

While losing coach David Nucifora dubbed his team's effort their worst of the season, McKenzie said it was the kind of polished performance the Waratahs had been promising for the past two months.

"We've talked about how a performance would come along," McKenzie said.

"We all felt that in the group. I know we've been preaching it but we had to deliver it, so I was pretty happy with the effort.

"The reality was we probably could have scored a couple more tries ... it was very good in attack and defence and everyone played a part."

Tempering celebrations, though, was a suspected season-ending knee injury to Jacobs, along with concerns for Palu (shoulder) and Polota-Nau (knee).

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