Waratahs’ Hail Mary pays off as Moana Pasifika pip the Reds
Six times, the Waratahs fell behind the Crusaders but on each occasion they clawed their way back in a famous win in Sydney. Meanwhile, Moana Pasifika broke Queensland hearts with last-minute try.
Waratahs’ fans have always been a faithful and patient lot, able to cling to the slimmest glimmer of hope when everything else seems lost.
Friday’s heartstopping 43-40 win over the Crusaders - which ended a sequence of five losses in a row this season - was the ultimate reward for their most loyal supporters because this was a game they never looked like winning.
Six times, the Waratahs fell behind the Crusaders but on each occasion they clawed their way back.
The decisive moment came right at the death. Will Harrison, who has endured two years of horror injuries, landed a penalty after the siren to send the contest into golden point.
Then the replacement five-eighth kept his cool one more time to land the winning field goal.
“It’s what dreams are made of to be honest,” Harrison said in a sideline interview with Stan.
“I spent so much time down at my local park kicking field goals, penalty goals, match-winners and dreaming of playing for the Waratahs.
“To be on the big stage tonight and come up trumps, I can’t believe it. It’s crazy.”
The amazing win came on the same night that NSW Rugby was honouring the 2014 Waratahs team that also beat the Crusaders to win their only Super Rugby title a decade ago.
Not only did the latest success give the NSW flock something to celebrate but also renewed hope they can still make the playoffs if they can get on a roll.
“You can’t be in that many close games and not win one eventually,” said the Waratahs coach Darren Coleman.
“I’m so happy for the boys. The last few weeks have been so hard and emotionally draining.”
Four of their five successive losses were by six points or less and Friday’s wild white-knuckle ride looked like it was heading the same way as each time the Waratahs fought back, they surrendered the lead straight back to the Kiwis, making more slip ups than Sonny Bill Williams trying to string a coherent sentence together.
“It’s a great feeling,” Waratahs captain Jake Gordon said.
“I’m especially just happy with the group and the coaching staff, they’ve all been working extra hard over this last little period.
“We’ve been close in a lot of the games so to be lucky at the end of that feels extra special to close it out.”
Things started badly when they gave away possession in the first tackle of the match and conceded a try with the first minute to Sevu Reece.
But for all their blunders, the Waratahs have never lacked courage. It’s their execution that lets them down, not their commitment.
They got over the line four times in total - with Lachie Swinton, Ned Hanigan, Dylan Pietsch and Julian Heaven all scoring tries - but also gave up four tries so it ultimately came down to a test of nerves they won.
“That one feels pretty good,” Hanigan said.
“We’ve had a few really close games and geez, that went the distance again but we’d spoken about really finishing those moments right and staying patient and we nailed it.”
HAVILI HEARTBREAKER AS REDS FALL
Moana Pasifika flyhalf William Havili scored the match-winning try in the 79th minute of Friday night’s wet weather skirmish with Queensland to snatch a historic 17-14 victory at Semenoff Stadium, Whangarei, New Zealand.
Following a disastrous streak of games where they conceded 175 points across three matches, home side Moana Pasifika restricted one of Australia’s best attacking teams to just two tries to deliver, for the first time ever, their third win in a season.
“Real happy after our last few weeks. We know we haven’t been putting our best foot forward for our fans and our people and players. We know we have much more to give,” Havili told Stan Sport.
“We made it a bit hard for ourselves tonight.
“It means a lot… We know we are a good side on our day so we just need to keep believing and having that faith.”
The Queensland Reds had overcome a red card to their co-captain Tate McDermott to capture their first lead (14-10) in the 72nd minute and looked primed to go on with the job before suffering another red card, this time to Wallaby flanker Fraser McReight.
The trailing Reds were playing with 14 men for much of the second half, but when dynamo utility back Mac Grealy came on (after the first infringement) the Reds shifted the ball swiftly through the hands to put fleet footed winger Jordan Petaia in for a telling try.
But even after weathering the storm with McDermott off and scoring a wonderful try to lead by four, the Reds again proved their own worst enemy with a McReight shoulder tackle to the head of Havili seeing the visitors fall to 14 men for the second time in the space of thirty minutes.
Moana Pasifika, who left six points out there from missed penalty goals, were finally able to make their opposition pay when Havili broke out of a weak Grealy tackle to burst away and emphatically slam the ball down. In the process, handing the Reds their third consecutive loss.
A nervous week awaits with both McReight (tackle contact to the head) and McDermott (swinging arm) who were placed on report in the second half of an enthralling start to round eight of the Super Rugby Pacific season.
SLOW START
Queensland were their worst enemy in the first half of Friday night’s battle under slippery conditions.
The Reds racked up 17 unforced errors, allowing Moana Pasifika plenty of ball which they made good use of.
The home side led 10-0 at the main break, despite having conceded a whopping 175 points in their three matches prior to this.
Early in the second half, loosehead prop Peni Ravai crashed over to draw closer, before accurate territorial kicking from Paisami and fullback Jock Campbell swung momentum in Queensland’s favour.
BRAIN EXPLOSION
The Reds were dealt a double blow in the 46th minute, inflicted by their most important player and following six minutes of enterprising rugby working to erase a 10-0 halftime deficit.
Co-captain and livewire scrumhalf Tate McDermott had a brain explosion, swinging his arm with intent in a reckless tackle attempt on a rival big man.
The uncharacteristic result of frustration left the Reds down a man for 20 minutes, and meant ace finisher Suliasi Vunivalu had to come off to make way for halfback Kalani Thomas.
It also erased seven points from the Reds total, who threatened to go ahead 14-7, after a deft Hunter Paisami chip kick was regathered and scored by outside centre Josh Flook.
Just six minutes after Queensland were back to 15 men (66th minute), experienced breakaway McReight left them disadvantaged once more (72nd minute).
MAN ON A MISSION
Onlooking Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt had to have liked what he saw from Reds wrecking ball Hunter Paisami.
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The menacing inside centre was the Reds most potent back, turning his opposition around with his greatly improved kicking game and marching his team up the field with countless strong carries.
He did all he could to turn the tide in an inspired Reds team chasing a go-ahead blow with a one man disadvantage.
They landed that blow, but could not hold out a determined Pasifika outfit a second time in the dying moments.
Originally published as Waratahs’ Hail Mary pays off as Moana Pasifika pip the Reds
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