The NSW Waratahs have gone down 31-26 to the ACT Brumbies at Exies Sports Field in Griffith.
NSW Waratahs Head Coach Darren Coleman took advantage of the opening trial match to get a look at some of his new signings and broaden the wider squad's exposure to the standard of Super Rugby, with most of his Wallabies sidelined due to World Cup load management.
Waratah’s new recruits Taleni Seu, Harrison Goddard, Nemani Nadolo, and rising star Max Jorgensen all started in the run-on side and showed glimpses of what they can provide the team in 2023.
18-year-old Jorgensen looked solid in the fullback jersey despite the Brumbies targeting him with plenty of high balls, while Lachie Swinton got through 40 minutes of work in his first match back since the opening round of the 2022 season.
Fijian Test star Nemani Nadolo added significant size to the Waratah’s backline and used it to great effect, with some trademark big carries and bruising defence while Taleni Seu got through plenty of work with and without the ball.
The Waratahs dominated the early stages and got the first score of the game through Harry Wilson who scored in the corner in just the 8th minute of the game.
The Brumbies hit back with two tries of their own, through Rory Scott and Cory Toole, grabbing a 12-5 lead midway through the first half.
Te Tera Faulkner levelled the scores at 12-12 at halftime, racing away for a 20-metre try off a beautiful short ball from hooker Mahe Vailanu.
The Brumbies started off stronger in the second half grabbing two tries in the opening ten minutes for a 24-12 lead before Tolu Latu finished off a Waratahs rolling maul to cut the deficit to one score game.
Both teams traded tries through their wingers with Andy Muirhead and Ben Dowling grabbing a try each, leaving the scores at 31-26 with five minutes to play.
The Brumbies managed to hold off the Waratahs and close out the final stages of the game leaving the Waratahs 0-1 to start their pre-season.
Despite the loss, Waratahs Head Coach Darren Coleman saw plenty of positives in the performance.
“Overall, it was a pass mark. We didn’t get the win which was disappointing but for what we wanted to do, we achieved a few goals,” Coleman said.
“There was some good match fitness for the boys and some of our new players showed us what they can do. and the impact they can have for our team.
“It was great to see Lachie Swinton back playing, Taleni Seu had some good involvements, while Harrison Goddard had to play a lot more minutes than we had expected, and was really good.
“Tom Lambert had some nice carries while Max Jorgensen got through 60 minutes in his second game of senior football. He made one or two little errors, but he bounced back, caught some high balls under pressure, and will be better and more confident for the run.
“All in all, there’s definitely some work ons but we’ll move on and get ready for next week’s clash against the Reds.”
The Waratahs take on the Queensland Reds at the annual Santos Festival of Rugby next Saturday, February 11 in Narrabri.
