Waratahs to play three Super Rugby games at Brookvale Oval next year, and five at the SCG

THE success of the Waratahs’ game at Brookvale Oval last weekend has convinced NSW Rugby to play as many as three Super Rugby games on the northern beaches in 2019.

Israel Folau leaps high at Brookvale.

THE success of the Waratahs’ game at Brookvale Oval last weekend has convinced NSW Rugby to play as many as three Super Rugby games on the northern beaches in 2019.

But there’ll still be joy for the Duck Pancake enthusiasts, with the Waratahs set to play five home games at the more modern SCG during the rebuild of Allianz Stadium next year.

Despite fears about how fans and members would react to moving the Blues’ game to Brookvale Oval, Waratahs officials were stoked with a bumper attendance. A crowd of around 15,000 packed in — many on the hill — and the gates closed.

Israel Folau leaps high at Brookvale.

The Tahs not winning was the only negative for the night, even after the crowd had broken out the rarely-heard “NSW, NSW” chant.

“The boys were all pretty happy with it. I think we will go back there,” NSWRU chairman Roger Davis told us.

“Next year with the stadium down we’ll have five or six games at the SCG, which is not perfect but it does hold the crowd. That still leaves us with two or three games to take elsewhere.

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“The problem is where do you take them? At ANZ Stadium, you rattle around there like marbles in a tin being an 80,000-seat stadium. The new Parramatta Stadium won’t be ready, North Sydney doesn’t have the lights or the capacity or parking, so Brookie is the go.”

Paddy Ryan recently called for the Waratahs to take all games back to the community, even if basic facilities might upset members keen on “Duck Pancakes”. May we suggest the Tahs meet Paddy halfway and take at least one of those games to the bush?

THOR MEETS THOR

IT was a case of Thor meets Thor. Australian rugby prop Taniela Tupou, nicknamed “Tongan Thor”, got an early birthday this week when he ran into Hollywood’s Thor Chris Hemsworth at Brisbane airport en route to Tokyo.

Tupou snapped a photo and wrote on Instagram: “Meeting up with Thor, talking about how I’m going to replace him in the next Avengers”.

Tupou, who celebrated his 22nd birthday on Thursday and will start for Queensland against the Sunwolves on Saturday, earned the “Tongan Thor” nickname from classmates at his former school in Auckland after dominating rivals on the field.

JT MAKES SPLASH AT RUGBY HQ

The Aussie women’s sevens squad were also starstruck during the week when the North Queensland Cowboys used the gym and indoor field facilities at Rugby Australia.

We’re told legendary halfback Johnathan Thurston posed up for dozens of pictures with the Aussie players, and even recorded a video for the players who weren’t at training that day.

Johnathan Thurston doing JT things at Moore Park this week. Picture: Brett Costello

How did an NRL team come to be using the RA facilities?

The building’s No.1 league fan Michael Cheika knows Cowboys coach Paul Green, and when the Queenslanders needed a place for a recovery session, the Wallabies coach offered up their digs. Well played.

JUNIOR WALLABIES LITTERED WITH LEAGUIES

Speaking of league links, there are some interesting family connections in the Australian under 20s squad set to play in the world champs in France next month.

Tyrel Lomax playing against the Kiwis. Picture: Richard Gosling

Tight-head prop Tom Ross’ mum is the twin sister of former Kangaroos and Canberra legend Bradley Clyde, and given those genes, it’s probably a concern that Ross is also Kiwi eligible like the son of Clyde’s old teammate John Lomax, Tyrel.

Meanwhile, flanker Josh Kemeny is the nephew of FoxSports league presenter Lara Pitt. We hear Lara is a closet rugby fan now — along with a super proud aunty.

CRON LEADS THE PACK

If the Waratahs forwards needed any inspiration about how to tough out a hard week, they need only look to their forwards coach Simon Cron.

Cron was hospitalised twice last week with pneumonia but didn’t miss a minute of training. He had to be signed out of hospital on Saturday by the Waratahs team doctor so he could make the game at Brookvale Oval.

THORN’S IRON RULE

Brad Thorn was the kind of player who trained twice as hard in a bye week, so it’s probably no shock that he won’t rate anyone trying to train half-as-much.

Thorn stood down the in-form Smith brothers — JP and Ruan — from the Reds squad to play against the Sunwolves after the prop pair missed training and club rugby commitments during Queensland’s bye week.

Given the Smiths had been in excellent form, it was a big call from Thorn. But it says everything about the new Reds culture.

PRIDE OVER SLICE OF PIE

It’s not often you hear about Aussie players turning down big money in Europe to come home, let alone come home and play sevens.

But that’s exactly what Nick Malouf has done. The 2016 Olympian went to Leicester Tigers after Rio and had done very well, starting often on the wing for the powerhouse English club, outside Matt Toomua.

But even with the Tigers offering what we hear was a decent whack of cash to stay, Malouf has chosen to come back to sevens to play for Australia under new coach Tim Walsh.

FROCKS AND MAULS

“FROCKS and mauls” is set to become an annual event after Randwick Magic raised more than $2000 for Beyondblue by wearing dresses during a rugby game last weekend.

The Magic players donned dresses for the second half of their sevens match against Gordon and put on an attacking masterclass to prevail 31-7.

More importantly, their campaign to raise awareness for women’s mental health was warmly received at Coogee Oval during Randwick’s Ladies Day.

The team was encouraged to do a similar initiative next year and the players and management have embraced the chance to make this an annual fundraiser.

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Originally published as Waratahs to play three Super Rugby games at Brookvale Oval next year, and five at the SCG