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A hat-trick to Desiree Miller and a double to her wing partner Maya Stewart has seen the Waratahs deny the Fijiana Drua a three-peat, as NSW claimed their first title since 2022 by winning 50-14 at Ballymore on Sunday afternoon.
But the afternoon of celebration was somewhat marred by an ugly stomping incident in the 78th minute, which saw Drua playmaker Jeniffer Ravutia shown a second yellow card. The No.10 put her foot on replacement back Jade Sheridan’s chest after being cleared away from a ruck.
The title was the Waratahs’ fifth, but first since the Drua upset NSW in 2022 to deny the women in sky blue five straight titles.
But after going through the regular season undefeated, the Waratahs went to another level in the final as their backline ran rings around the Drua.
Playing behind a well-structured pack and player of the match Atasi Lafai, Test halves Layne Morgan and Bella McKenzie controlled the match, pulling the strings and opening up space for their fleet-footed backs, including Wallaroos star George Friedrichs.
The outside centre was the star of the afternoon, straightening the line and often throwing the final pass to her wingers who made the most of fine work on the fringes. The 28-year-old capped off her fine display by scoring in the 69th minute.
Desiree Miller runs in to score her third try against Fijian Drua during their Super Rugby Women’s final win at Ballymore Stadium. (Photo by Mackenzie Sweetnam/Getty Images)
In total, the Waratahs scored eight tries during the win in what was head coach Michael Ruthven’s first season in charge.
After a nervy start, the Waratahs were the quickest to find their groove as Miller scored out wide in the 12th minute.
Stewart scored a few minutes later to give the Waratahs a 10-0 lead.
Some quick thinking from Morgan, who played on quickly from a penalty at the back of the scrum, then saw the Waratahs open up a 17-0 lead as she ran 40 metres before unleashing Miller to score her second.
The Drua got on the scoreboard when Miller was shown a yellow card for a deliberate knock-on.
The Waratahs celebrate with the trophy following their Super Rugby Women’s final win over the Fijian Drua at Ballymore Stadium on April 28, 2024. (Photo by Mackenzie Sweetnam/Getty Images)
Another couple of errors early in the second half allowed the Drua to cut the margin as skipper Karalaini Naisewa scored off the back of a lineout in the 43rd minute.
But it was one-way traffic for the rest of the match as poor discipline hurt the Drua hard, with Stewart and Miller scoring in quick succession to open up the match.
Friedrichs ensured the Waratahs would be able to enjoy the final 10 minutes, before Lafai scored and McKenzie added the conversion to see NSW hit a half-century.
“I feel amazing,” McKenzie said at full time.
“To come up here to Ballymore with all our friends and family, these girls, I love this club and I love playing in the sky blue jersey and I know we’ll celebrate this one tonight.”
New Wallaroos coach Jo Yapp will name her Test squad on Tuesday, with the Waratahs’ squad expected to dominate selection.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.