Bernard Foley and Jodie Kenny have nerves of steel. Foley landed a 45-metre penalty inside the last minute for the Waratahs to win their first Super Rugby title 33-32 over the Crusaders, ending a 19-year drought.
Kenny cut it finer, landing the equalising goal from a corner against England 1-1 with just 12 seconds left on the clock. The Hockeyroos won Commonwealth Games gold 3-1 in the penalty shootout.
Neither decider was a place for the faint-hearted.
Foley’s penalty was right at the limit of his range as the ball crept over the junction of the crossbar and right-hand upright to raise the flags. But it justified the end result when all appeared lost in front of a record 61,823 crowd at ANZ.
They had watched the Waratahs race to a 14-nil lead after just 15 minutes, only to take their foot off the pedal to lead 20-13 at the break. They then witnessed a seesawing second half which ended in the nail-biting finish.
Man-of-the-match and Waratahs outside centre Adam Ashley-Cooper played his 126th Super Rugby game, but it was his first final to celebrate with a two-try performance of high quality.
But I wouldn’t have been surprised if Nick Phipps, with a handful of try-saving tackles, skipper Michael Hooper, with yet another barnstorming 80 minutes of non-stop rugby in attack and defence, or the ever-reliable Foley had been the awarded the man-of-the-match honour
Strangely, the Waratahs’ two most attacking units Kurtley Beale and Israel Folau were kept in check by the Crusaders defence, even though their quality was ever present.
In the end it was the Waratahs belief in themselves under extreme pressure that delighted their fans, and the believers in attacking rugby. That’s why the ultimate accolade goes to head coach Michael Cheika. In just two seasons he has turned an embarrassment side into a super side.
And two of his offsiders, defence coach Nathan Grey and attack coach Daryl Gibson are well to the fore in the accolade stakes.
This was a squad victory of great resolve, and with Wallabies coach Ewen McKenzie in the same mould Australian rugby has taken a giant step forward, making the All Blacks Bledisloe Cup clash on August 16 at the same venue something special.
The Wallabies haven’t won the Bledisloe since 2002, but we are used to the Hockeyroos winning gold. It was their fourth from five attempts. But none if them have been harder than this one.
Aptly nicknamed the “Roovolution” these Games, they had scored 32 goals to just one into the final, but were down 1-nil to England into the second half at the 48th minute.
That they escaped with gold was an even bigger comeback than Lazarus.
Sharing the last-ditch honours with Kenny goes to Hockeyroo goalkeeper Rachael Lynch, who saved three England goals in the shootout. Simply sensational.
It doesn’t get any better than the way the Waratahs and Hockeyroos won. It’s the Australian way.
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