Happy Monday, G&GRs. “Guess who’s back, back again? Bris is back, tell a friend!” Apologies to all of the GAGR crowd, unfortuntaely work got in the way of my reporting. I hate it when that happens. But alas, that is life. This week we will look at the Super W Grand Final. Then dive into the peace and serenity of having adult coaches. Then finally look at the up-and-coming test schedule. So pour a cup of liquid gold☕ and get that into you while we wander into the mad world of Brisney.
NSW Waratahs Women’s Team 34 defeated Fijiana Drua 17
The Waratahs Ladies (definitely not the blokes, they suck) have done it again. Seven titles. Three on the trot. And if anyone still thought this side was on the decline after dropping a couple of games during the regular season, they’d be choking on a slice of humble pie after this performance.
In the heart of Fiji, in front of more than 4,000 vocal Drua supporters who created one of the best atmospheres you’ll see in women’s rugby, the NSW Waratahs produced the sort of clinical, finals football that wins championships. The scoreboard read 34-17 at full-time, but the game was effectively wrapped up long before the Drua mounted their late fightback.
The home crowd was magnificent, the setting spectacular and the occasion worthy of a grand final. Unfortunately for the locals, the Waratahs arrived with one thing on their minds: taking the trophy back across the Pacific. The opening exchanges had all the intensity you’d expect. The Drua threw plenty at the visitors but couldn’t quite land the knockout blow, with handling errors and malfunctioning lineouts repeatedly halting promising attacks.
The Tahs, meanwhile, simply waited for their moments. When the opportunity came, Maya Stewart crossed for the opening try to settle any early nerves before powerhouse Desiree Miller barged over late in the first half after another sustained period of pressure. The Drua desperately searched for points before halftime, but some desperate scramble defence — highlighted by Caitlyn Halse’s superb cover work — ensured the visitors headed to the sheds with a commanding 12-0 lead.
If there was any thought of a Fijian comeback after the break, it disappeared within the opening ten minutes. A costly knock-on over the Drua line gifted the Waratahs field position and player-of-the-match Faliki Pohiva made them pay immediately. The back-rower had been smashing everything that moved all afternoon, so it seemed only fitting she got herself on the scoresheet as well.
Five minutes later Rosie Ferguson sliced through a tiring defence, and suddenly it was 24-0. Finals don’t get much more ruthless than that. To their credit, the Drua never stopped swinging. Nunia Daunimoala finally crashed over midway through the second half to give the home supporters something to celebrate, but every time the hosts hinted at building momentum the Waratahs found another answer.
That answer came in the form of replacement Amelia Whittaker, who produced one of the great impact cameos. Two tries in five minutes blew the margin out to 34-5 and ended any lingering doubt about where the title was heading. Daunimoala grabbed a second late try and Sulita Waisega crossed after the siren to give the passionate Ba crowd one final celebration, but the champagne had already been put on ice in the Waratahs’ sheds.
The victory delivers the NSW Waratahs a remarkable seventh Super Rugby Women’s title and their third consecutive championship, cementing their position as the benchmark of the competition. Next stop is the Super Rugby Champions final against the winners of the Super Rugby Aupiki decider. One of the classiest moments came after the final whistle.
An emotional Drua captain Bitila Tawake fought back tears while thanking the home supporters and promising they’d be back. “It took us five years to get the home grand final, and I’m sorry we didn’t get the win today,” she said. “The Waratahs, the best of the best. We gave our one hundred, you gave your one hundred, but at the end of the day, rugby wins.”
Waratahs captain Piper was equally gracious, praising the Fijian crowd while firing back at those who doubted her side during the season. “Rugby in Australia wrote us off,” she said. “We lose two games, and that’s it for us. This is that response, and I’m so proud of this team.” Safe to say the response was heard loud and clear.
Three Things We Learned
Never write off the Waratahs (Ladies) – Every season someone declares the dynasty is over. Every season the Waratahs seem to respond by collecting another trophy. Three straight titles and seven overall tells you everything you need to know about the standards this program has built.
Finals are won through discipline – The Drua had plenty of opportunities, and enough attacking flair to trouble anyone, but their handling errors and lineout struggles continually handed momentum back to the visitors. The Waratahs were clinical, patient and ruthlessly efficient whenever chances appeared.
Women’s rugby in the Pacific has an enormous future – Forget the result for a moment. A packed, passionate crowd in Ba created an atmosphere that rivalled many professional men’s fixtures. The Drua continue to inspire a nation, and with the Waratahs setting the standard across the Tasman, the future of women’s rugby in the Pacific looks incredibly bright.
The Era of Calm Continues
There was a time when being Wallabies coach looked less like leading a national rugby team and more like fronting a dysfunctional rock band. Eddie Jones prowled the coaching box like he’d had six coffees before breakfast, happily picking fights with journalists, selectors, opposition coaches and, occasionally, reality itself. Michael Cheika wasn’t much quieter, treating every referee’s whistle as a personal affront and every press conference as an opportunity to launch another campaign. Love them or loathe them, subtlety and sanity weren’t in the job description.
Then came Dave Rennie. While the wins didn’t always follow, Rennie brought something Australian rugby desperately needed: professionalism. There were no emotional outbursts, no headline-chasing, just a coach who got on with the job, backed his players and refused to turn every setback into public theatre. In hindsight, Rennie was probably judged more harshly than he deserved, especially by the idiots in charge of RA. He quietly laid foundations that others have since been able to build upon, even if he never received much credit while he was sitting in the hot seat. Firing him was certainly one of the most stupid moves RA has committed in the last decade or so. Then came the Eddie era; I won’t bother writing anything about this, other than, ‘what the actual fark were they thinking!’
Then came Sir Joe. Schmidt took the Rennie professionalism and added his trademark precision. Every selection had a reason, every game plan had a purpose, and every media appearance felt like a masterclass in saying exactly enough and not a word more. Schmidt never looked interested in winning the press conference. He was too busy trying to win the Test match. The noise around the Wallabies didn’t disappear, but for the first time in years, it wasn’t being generated by the idiot wearing the headset.
Now the baton passes to Les Kiss, and if Schmidt was rugby’s quiet professor, Kiss might be the zen master. Watching him coach is like watching someone calmly sip a flat white while everyone else is debating whether the building is on fire. Nothing appears to rattle him. Referee decisions, media speculation, injuries—it’s all met with the same measured composure. He projects confidence without arrogance and authority without theatrics, making him feel like the natural continuation of the culture Schmidt helped establish.
Perhaps that’s the biggest lesson Australian rugby has finally learned. Leadership isn’t measured in decibels. Rennie brought dignity and professionalism, Schmidt restored calm and structure, and Kiss appears ready to continue that evolution. Compare that to the perpetual motion machines that were Eddie Jones and Michael Cheika, and it’s hard not to think the Wallabies have finally traded chaos for composure. After years of coaching by megaphone, Australian rugby has discovered that sometimes the quietest voice in the room is the one everyone listens to.
The Upcoming Test Schedule
Well GAGRs! After the rugby fest that has been the first tranche of the Nations Championship, things on the rugby front have gone a little quiet. No six-game-in-a-row marathons for poor Bris to write the Monday news. But, alas, I am missing test rugby.
So above is the schedule for the rest of the calendar year for Wallabies tests. To get everyone excited whilst we count down to just under three weeks away. When Les Kiss takes on Dr Evil! The Wallabies take on Japan. Can’t wait.
Anyway, enough of this old man gibbering crap. Over to you GAGRs! Have at it!
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