Super Rugby W sisters Leilani and Nicole Nathan’s identical goal for Waratahs, Rd 1 team, debutants
They are sisters who share an identical goal with the Waratahs and will be the bane of referees across their sport as they live out a dream of playing Super Rugby W together.
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It’s not pre-planned but more often than not - in fact almost always - the Nathan sisters turn up for NSW Waratahs training with identical hairdos.
Right now it’s a messy bun and it only confuses teammates, coaching staff and referees even more when trying to differentiate the pair.
While playing different positions, Nicole and Leilani Nathan are identical in just about every other sense of the word.
And they also have that “twin thing’ happening.
“Yeah, there is a connection. We try to explain it to people that when we have each other on the field it just makes us go harder and motivates us to play harder for each other,’’ said Nicole, 24, who works in disability care and lives at Ermington.
“When she gets hit I want to hit that person like 10 times harder. We are quite protective of each other.
“And yeah, everyone gets confused on the field because we are pretty much the same size.
“Everyone is confused as to which is the forward and which is the back.’’
Back Nicole, who started playing rugby at age 16 with her sister at the Hamilton Hawks club in Newcastle, and forward Leilani have spent their life training together and sharing a love of rugby.
Strangely these twins have never taken the field together for the Waratahs.
This looks set to change on Friday when the Waratahs women hit the pitch at Allianz stadium as part of a double header with the Waratahs men in Super Rugby Pacific .
Nathan has been named to start with her sister in a side minus its injured captain Piper Duck but boasting five debutants - including speedy teenager Amelia Whitaker.
“It’s what we have always wanted to do,’’ said Nicole, who scored a try in one of the Waratahs trials matches ahead of their grand final rematch with Fijian Drua.
“It’s weird because always one of us has been injured each time we had the chance,’’
While Leilani has stuck with rugby and been rewarded with eight Wallaroos caps, Nicole joined the Newcastle Knights top 24 NRLW squad during a brief sojourn from the sport before returning to the Waratahs.
The sisters have taken the field together in club football for Eastern Suburbs and the Warringah Rats last year but Friday will be special.
“Hopefully things will work out for us,’’ Nicole said.
The debutants named for the opening round are hooker Millie Parker, scrumhalf Tiarne Cavanagh and winger Amelia Whitaker from the starting XV with lock Jajay Taylor and flanker Anahera Hamahona named on the bench.
“All thoroughly deserve their opportunity. I am looking forward to seeing their positive impact on the game,” said coach Mike Ruthven
Flanker Emily Chancellor is taking on the captains duties in place of Duk is out with an AC issue.
NSW WARATAHS V FIJIAN DRUA 1. Emily Robinson, 2. Millie Parker, 3. Bridie O’Gorman, 4. Kaitlan Leaney, 5. Annabelle Codey, 6. Ruby Anderson, 7. Emily Chancellor (c), 8. Leilani Nathan, 9. Tiarne Cavanagh, 10. Katrina Barker, 11. Amelia Whitaker, 12. Nicole Nathan, 13. Georgina Friedrichs (vc), 14. Maya Stewart. 15. Waiaria Ellis.
Reserves: 16. Adiana Talakai. 17. Siusiuosalafai Volkmna. 18. Faliki Pohiva, 19. Jayjay Taylor, 20. Anahera Hamahona, 21. Tatum Bird, 22. Jade Sheridan, 23. Jacinta Windsor
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