Last Saturday, the Waratahs continued their victorious Super Rugby streak as they battled against a strong physical Drua side in front of 14, 562 fans at Allianz Stadium. NSW have now won four in a row, for the first time since 2018.
Let’s have a look at their last four-in-a-row winning streak in our Tahs Throwback Thursday series.
Sunday 18 March 2018, 4.05pm
The Waratah's iconic four-game streak kickstarted in a strong 51-27 win against the Melbourne Rebels in Round 5 of the 2018 Super Rugby Pacific Competition.
The unbeaten Rebels side melted in the 38-degree heat as they fell to the men in sky blue.
While it was a frantic start to the match with the Melbournians initially leading, it was the Waratahs emphatic second-half performance that saw them rise above the Rebels.
Coached under Daryl Gibson, the victorious Waratahs team included our current stars who were fresh off the barrel like Harry Johnson-Holmes and Lalakai Foketi.
Players still in Sky Blue who were part of this exhilarating performance include Jed Holloway, Ned Hanigan and our honorary flanker Michael Hooper.
A tale of two halves, nothing could be closer to the truth. A promising newcomer, the Waratahs were lucky to have Lalakai Foketi kickstart the match into motion as he scored the Tahs first try.
It was the five sublime second half tries that stunned the Rebels, putting the 20-10 score to a close.
Bernard Foley and Kurtley Beale also skilfully controlled the Waratahs attack as they pushed at the Rebel's line with their tactical kicking. Foley also scored 21 points for the home side.
Hooper ran his trademark support lines and dominated the breakdowns in his familiar fashion.
While it was an earlier game with a 4.05 pm kick-off, nothing says Sunday footy better than the Waratahs stunning the Rebels into silence with 38 unanswered points as they climbed up to third in the Australian Super Rugby ladder. A match to remember indeed.
WARATAHS (1-15): Bryce Hegarty, Israel Folau, Lalakai Foketi, Kurtley Beale, Curtis Rona, Bernard Foley, Mitch Short, Jed Holloway, Michael Hooper, Michael Wells, Rob Simmons, Ned Hanigan, Sekope Kepu, Damien Fitzpatrick, Tom Robertson.
RESERVES: Hugh Roach, Harry Johnson-Holmes, Paddy Ryan, Tom Staniforth, Will Miller, Michael Snowden, Alex Newsome, Taqele Naiyaravoro.
Saturday 31 March 2018, 7.45pm
The Waratahs continued to make their mark in a nail-biter match against the ACT Brumbies. Both teams put on a show in the name of the fierce ACT-NSW rivalry with the tight contest evident in the 17-24 score.
The Waratahs fire was set as Daryl Gibson’s side fought hard in the nation's capital, with 13, 515 fans. This was hailed as one of the largest GIO stadium crowds at the time.
This was the game that stopped the Waratahs three-match losing streak against the Brumbies and even moved NSW above the Reds into second position on the Australian ladder while the Brumbies remained in fourth place.
The Waratahs outscored the Brumbies in two tries to one as Taqele Naiyaravoro pulled through, scoring a double. While it was a frantic start to the match, the Waratahs momentum built in the second half, as the away side dominated possession throughout the rest of the half.
The Sky-Blue spark ignited after Beale and Foley expertly created space for Newsome to barge to the try line. Newsome continued his form later in the match with an inside pass to Naiyaravoro who scored his second try.
Foley continued to convert tries and slot in penalties in the game’s closing stages.
The Waratahs team consisted of our now seasoned Tahs with our current Waratahs Captain Jake Gordon, alongside other Wallabies with Jed Holloway, Ned Hanigan and Michael Hooper.
Hanigan maintained his position as a lock alongside Holloway who served as a no. 8, while Hooper continued in his usual openside Flanker position providing some added dynamism to the strong team.
Reserves included mighty prop Harry Johnson-Holmes alongside our dangerous Lalakai Foketi. While both reserves were promising newcomers, they have made their mark with their rugby journey in 2023. The sky is the limit after all.
WARATAHS (1-15): Bryce Hegarty, Israel Folau, Curtis Rona, Kurtley Beale, Taqele Naiyaravoro, Bernard Foley, Jake Gordon, Jed Holloway, Michael Hooper, Michael Wells, Rob Simmons, Ned Hanigan, Sekope Kepu, Damien Fitzpatrick, Tom Robertson.
RESERVES: Hugh Roach, Harry Johnson-Holmes, Paddy Ryan, Tom Staniforth, Will Miller, Mitch Short, Lalakai Foketi, Alex Newsome.
Saturday 7 April 2018, 2.15pm
The sun continued to set in our favour as Waratahs grabbed a dominant win against the Sunwolves in Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium.
Daryl Gibson’s side faced many familiar Australian faces amongst the Japanese side with the likes of Sam Wykes, Craig Miller, Ed Quirk, and Hayden Parker.
Australian bred Wykes and Parker notably scored some points for the Sunwolves, with Wykes’ try and Parker adding to the scoreboard with two extra points.
However, the Waratahs fought hard despite the homegrown Aussie talent. Current Waratahs amongst the team included Ned Hanigan, Lalakai Foketi, Jed Holloway, Harry Johnson-Holmes alongside Hooper who scored a try and current captain Jake Gordon scoring two tries for Sky-Blue.
This third consecutive win pulled the Waratahs ahead of the Rebels by one point in the Australian Super Rugby ladder.
The Waratahs ran in seven tries to four, and 55 points from both sides were totalled in the first half alone with the Waratahs enjoying their 37-17 lead at the break.
Current Waratahs Captain Jake Gordon built momentum with his first try within the opening six minutes. This seemed to inspire his teammates as Curtis Rona, Will Miller and Bryce Hegarty followed suit – no wonder Gordon is captain now.
Michael Hooper, now the most NSW capped player (136), further secured Sky Blue’s score with his five pointer three minutes into the second half. While the Sunwolves replied with tries of their own and denied a Waratahs bonus point, a try to Naiyaravoro within the final minutes ensured that NSW left Japan turf victorious. A game for the books, this gave the Waratahs their best start to their Super Rugby season in nine years, at the time.
WARATAHS (1-15): Bryce Hegarty, Alex Newsome, Curtis Rona, Kurtley Beale, Taqele Naiyaravoro, Bernard Foley, Jake Gordon, Michael Wells, Michael Hooper, Will Miller, Rob Simmons, Ned Hanigan, Sekope Kepu, Damien Fitzpatrick, Tom Robertson.
RESERVES: Hugh Roach, Harry Johnson-Holmes, Paddy Ryan, Tom Staniforth, Jed Holloway, Mitch Short, Lalakai Foketi, Cam Clark.
Saturday 14 April 2018, 7.45pm
Back home, the Waratahs continued to their momentum with a 37-16 victory against the Reds.
The Waratahs were back on home turf, and the boys soaked up the love of the 15, 648 watchful eyes in Sydney Cricket Ground.
It is worth noting that this was also the first-ever Super Rugby game held at the SCG and the Waratahs sure made it worthwhile.
This game also allowed the Waratahs to put themselves on the top of the Australian Super Rugby ladder for the first time that season. Both teams were also donned in their heritage jerseys. Ultimately, there were a lot of special moments and factors in this match.
Current Waratahs Captain Jake Gordon was the one who managed to score the first five points at the SCG. Wallaby Bernard Foley was also standout that game, scoring 17 points for Sky Blue while Taqele Naiyaravoro scored ten in his usual powerhouse form.
The Waratahs backrow did the hard yards with the Michaels of the group (Wells and Hooper).
Wells made fifty metres in attack, off five carries and finished with thirteen tackles and one turnover. Hooper completed nineteen tackles and two turnovers.
In relation to our current squad, Harry Johnson-Holmes scored a signature prop try with Jake Gordon’s adding some extra points to the table with a trademark try of his own.
Other familiar faces in Gibson’s match day 23 included Ned Hanigan, Michael Hooper, Jed Holloway and Lalakai Foketi. We also were against one of our try-scoring machines with Queenslander-born Izaia Perese.
WARATAHS (1-15): Bryce Hegarty, Alex Newsome, Curtis Rona, Kurtley Beale, Taqele Naiyaravoro, Bernard Foley, Jake Gordon, Michael Wells, Michael Hooper, Will Miller, Rob Simmons, Ned Hanigan, Sekope Kepu, Damien Fitzpatrick, Tom Robertson.
RESERVES: Hugh Roach, Harry Johnson-Holmes, Paddy Ryan, Tom Staniforth, Jed Holloway, Nick Phipps, Lalakai Foketi, Cam Clark.
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The NSW Waratahs will face the Crusaders this Saturday 27 May. Not in home soil, the Tahs will cross the ditch to Christchurch and hopefully make history again with a win in Christchurch since 2004.
