A year after failing to win a game, the Waratahs have pulled off one of the bigget upsets of Super Rugby Pacific.
After all, nobody wants to play the Crusaders in Christchurch in the playoffs. Like elite athletes at their peak, our sports journalists are highly trained in the art of news. So we're asking you to support us with more than your attention. As was the case then, the Crusaders stumbled out of the blocks on Saturday and played as if they’d only met in the sheds prior to kickoff. The Waratahs pulled off one of the upsets of the season at Leichhardt Oval, handing the shoddy red and blacks a shock 24-21 loss to nab their first win against a Kiwi opponent since 2019 (also Crusaders). Any chance of the Crusaders chasing down the Blues and qualifying for the playoffs as the top-seed likely went up in smoke in Sydney on Saturday night.
Last year the Crusaders cruised to a 54-28 victory as the Waratahs finished bottom of Super Rugby Transtasman, and last week the Chiefs also put up 50 points on ...
And when Matera saw yellow for collapsing a maul to cede a penalty try, the Crusaders' chances appeared over. Giving away a couple of penalties to put themselves under pressure, they watched as the Waratahs kicked for the corner and found immediate reward, with Mark Nawaqanitawase applying another simple finish. And they were porous in defence, starting in the second minute when Dylan Pietsch scythed through a huge hole.
The Waratahs have become the second Australian Super Rugby team to beat a Kiwi side this season after shocking the Crusaders in Sydney.
Down to 13 men and by 10 points on the scoreboard, the champion Crusaders rallied with a late try to Fletcher Newell but the Waratahs couldn’t be denied a memorable win. The Waratahs took full advantage of their one-man advantage with a rolling maul penalty try that also led to Crusaders flanker Pablo Matera being yellow-carded. But the Crusaders were always bound to test the Tahs’ mettle in the second half.
The bookies installed the Waratahs as $15 outsiders but NSW didn't care, defying the odds to record their first win over a Kiwi team since 2019.
There were standouts everywhere as the Waratahs knuckled down and missed just four of their first-half tackles. Despite a chaotic final few minutes, NSW got the job done in emphatic fashion. Those in the stands gave a standing ovation at half-time to a team bereft of confidence and cohesion this time last year. In the back of fans’ minds was the night in 2018 when NSW led the Crusaders 29-0 before falling by two points at the death. It was the Waratahs’ first victory over a Kiwi team since their 20-12 win over the Crusaders in 2019. At the next lineout the Waratahs executed a rolling maul that resulted in a penalty try, making it 24-14 and putting the Crusaders down to 13 men when Pablo Matera was shown a yellow card.
The Sydneysiders repelled a late comeback from the 13-man Crusaders to claim a huge upset at Leichhardt Oval.
Playing with “house money”, the Waratahs have pulled off the upset of the Super Rugby season - and one of Australian rugby's biggest wins on the field in ...
But a red card to Hamish Dalzell, who collected Michael Hooper in the head to force the Wallabies captain off the field in the 67th minute, turned the match. We’re pretty excited to get to Leichhardt.” So excited that the Waratahs raced out of the blocks, as former Australian Sevens star scored from a slick set-piece move in the second minute. “We’re pretty cool-headed. But the 26-year-old cult hero got on the ball to win the Waratahs a crucial penalty with two minutes remaining. Considered $15 outsiders by the bookies, the Waratahs took an astonishing 17-0 lead into the half-time sheds and managed to hold on to record a remarkable 24-21 victory in front of 10,293 fans.
The NSW Waratahs will be keen to impress when they face the Crusaders at Leichhardt Oval.
Even down a man, the Waratahs repelled attack after attack and kept themselves in the game before Sione Havili Talitui dived over with 20 minutes to go. The Waratahs came out with a point to prove in the first half, with Pietsch instantly breaking the line to race away and score under the post inside three minutes. However, the Waratahs found a way to close it out and secure the victory, causing the biggest upset of the season.
The NSW Waratahs have stunned the competition with a 24-21 win over the Crusaders in front of a raucous crowd at Leichhardt Oval.
“It’s all a bit of a blur ... we were hanging on a bit there at the end. We may not be perfect but we’ll keep fighting until the end.” To knock off the top Kiwi team is awesome. “I was fighting [tears] back,” Coleman said. Rahboni Warren-Vosayaco was ruled to have illegally stopped a rolling maul from the side and was yellow carded and a penalty try was awarded to the Crusaders before Sione Havili Talitui hit and spun his way over for the Crusaders’ second try of the night. Shortly after the Waratahs turned down a certain three points from a penalty in the Crusaders’ half, instead kicking for the corner and going for a try.