The NSW Waratahs broke the shackles to open the Super Rugby Pacific season with a rousing 36-12 derby win over the Queensland Reds, snapping a four-match losing streak against their arch-rivals as Wallabies wonder winger Max Jorgensen dazzled with a double.
Key moments
7 mins – TRY WARATAHS: Clem Halaholo marks his Super Rugby debut with the opening try after an intense assault on the Queensland line. Several rolling mauls are repelled but the Waratahs go off the top of a lineout, and the powerhouse flanker bulldozes through under several Reds defenders. Great story—Halaholo was told he wouldn’t be re-signed at the end of last season. Lawson Creighton converts. (Waratahs 7-0 Reds)
20 mins – TRY REDS: Chaos ends in a Tim Ryan try. After a breathless period where Jock Campbell makes a 35-metre break and Fraser McReight links well in another raid, NSW latch onto a turnover. When the ball comes loose, Reds backrower Joe Brial calmly seizes it and bangs a kick 40 metres into the corner. Ryan’s chase flusters the final Waratahs defender and the lightning winger grabs the ball to score. Harry McLaughlin-Phillips misses the conversion. (Waratahs 7-5 Reds)
35 mins – YELLOW CARD REDS: Vaiuta Latu is sent to the sin bin for repeated team infringements. Referee Paul Williams had issued multiple warnings to captain Fraser McReight. Miles Amatosero, returning from a two-game suspension for laying out teammate Angus Scott-Young in an infamous training bust-up, had found space for a 30-metre burst and dived over a ruck, but the referee wouldn’t allow it. McReight then pulls off two miraculous try-savers on Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii and Halaholo in the space of 20 seconds to keep the Tahs at bay. (Waratahs 7-5 Reds)
37 mins – PENALTY WARATAHS: New Sydney-born skipper Matt Philip, making his NSW debut at age 31, decides enough is enough and instructs Lawson Creighton to finally take the three points on offer. Creighton slots the easy kick. (Waratahs 10-5 Reds)
39 mins – TRY WARATAHS: Max Jorgensen lights up the stadium with a 70-metre solo effort. Nice offloading from Joey Walton and James Hendren sets the left winger free with a one-on-one against Reds fullback Jock Campbell. Jorgensen produces a huge sidestep—away then in—and burns Campbell before out-pacing the cover defence of flyhalf Louis Werchon. An early try of the year contender. Lawson Creighton converts. (Waratahs 17-5 Reds)
40+2 mins – TRY REDS: The halftime siren has sounded but the Reds steal possession when Miles Amatosero charges upfield instead of going to ground. McReight, with his back to the defence, dishes off a quick pass to Joe Brial who somehow crosses in the left corner. Harry McLaughlin-Phillips converts. (Waratahs 17-12 Reds)
Half-time: Waratahs 17-12 Reds. Waratahs dominate territory and possession but execution near the line costs them. Reds survive ten minutes down a man thanks to McReight’s heroics. Statistics tell the story: Waratahs had nine minutes in the Reds’ A-zone; Queensland had just 90 seconds in theirs.
42 mins – REDS RETURN TO 15: Vaiuta Latu returns from the sin bin as the Reds survive the yellow card period relatively unscathed. (Waratahs 17-12 Reds)
50 mins – BENCHES EMPTIED: Both coaches turn to their benches in search of a spark. Teddy Wilson replaces Jake Gordon for the Waratahs, while the Reds swap their entire front row. (Waratahs 17-12 Reds)
58 mins – TURNOVER MCREIGHT: When NSW weapon Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii makes a powerful charge, Lachie Anderson meets him front-on before Fraser McReight comes over the top for a classy steal 10 metres out. The Reds captain has been immense on both sides of the ball. (Waratahs 17-12 Reds)
65 mins – TRY WARATAHS: Isaac Kailea breaks the game open. After yet another Reds penalty, the Waratahs turn down an easy three points to extend their lead and it pays off. The replacement prop forces his way over near the posts to give the Tahs some breathing space. Charlie Gamble sets up the try with strong carrying. Lawson Creighton converts. (Waratahs 24-12 Reds)
72 mins – TRY WARATAHS: Max Jorgensen completes his double with a try that showcases Charlie Gamble’s brilliance. Jack Debreczeni’s pinpoint crossfield kick finds the fingertips of Gamble loitering on the wing. The flanker somehow stays in bounds while collecting above his head, then conjures a magical offload off the deck for Jorgensen surging through in support. Lawson Creighton converts. (Waratahs 31-12 Reds)
78 mins – TRY WARATAHS: Teddy Wilson puts the icing on the cake to secure a precious bonus point. The replacement scrumhalf pokes his head out of a ruck on the Reds line and puts the ball down. Lawson Creighton misses the conversion. (Waratahs 36-12 Reds)
Full-time: Waratahs 36-12 Reds
On a sweaty Sydney evening at Allianz Stadium, with moments of silence observed for Dame Marie Bashir and Easts’ young rugby player Nico Antic, who died as a result of a shark attack, it was NSW’s new-look forward pack that caused most of the carnage in a performance built on defensive grit and bench impact.
After losing experienced Test stars Taniela Tupou, Angus Bell, Dave Porecki, Rob Leota and Langi Gleeson from their engine room this season, inspirational newcomers Pete Samu and Clem Halaholo, along with naughty boy lock Miles Amatosero—returning from a two-game suspension for laying out teammate Angus Scott-Young in an infamous training bust-up—provided the Waratahs’ grunt.
The 36-12 triumph, featuring five goals from as many attempts from flyhalf Lawson Creighton, was only the Waratahs’ second win from their past 10 matches against the Reds since before COVID. In reality, they could have won by much more.
The Waratahs’ intent was clear from the outset. Within minutes, they were camped on the Queensland line after strong work from Matt Philip, whose charge-down of Louis Werchon’s clearance kick won a lineout 15 metres out. Several rolling mauls were repelled, but the hosts eventually found a way through when they went off the top of a lineout and the quicker pass allowed debutant Halaholo to bulldoze through under several Reds defenders in the seventh minute.
It was a fairy-tale moment for Halaholo, who was told at the end of last season he wouldn’t be re-signed. A superb off-season, particularly in the Super AUS competition, earned him another chance, and he seized it with both hands—his emotional celebration said it all.
The Reds found themselves in penalty trouble almost immediately. Referee Paul Williams issued multiple warnings to captain Fraser McReight as Queensland conceded penalty after penalty, frequently in their own territory.
Yet the visitors managed to stay in touch through a moment of quality game-sense and hustle in the 20th minute. After a breathless period where Jock Campbell made a damaging 35-metre break and McReight linked well in another raid, NSW latched onto a turnover. When the ball came loose, Reds backrower Joe Brial—the son of former Waratah and Wallaby Michael, now wearing Queensland colours—calmly seized it and banged a kick 40 metres into the corner. The opportunity was nothing without a great chase, and winger Tim Ryan delivered precisely that. His pursuit flustered the final Waratahs defender and the lightning-quick Ryan grabbed the ball to score.
The Waratahs’ defence, a point of emphasis throughout the off-season, was brutally effective. Queensland had extended spells of possession around 40 metres out and went nowhere, eventually resorting to kicking it away. Long spells of possession yielded nothing against the sky blue wall.
When Vaiuta Latu was finally yellow-carded for repeated infringements in the 35th minute, the Waratahs should have pulled clear. Amatosero, looking a man on a mission after his suspension, found himself in open space for a 30-metre burst and dived over a ruck in search of NSW’s second try. The referee wouldn’t allow it, but McReight then produced two miraculous try-savers in the space of 20 seconds—first on Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, then holding up Halaholo over the tryline—to keep the Tahs at bay.
It was respect for that defence that prompted new Sydney-born skipper Matt Philip, making his NSW debut at age 31, to instruct Creighton to finally take the three points on offer and nudge his side ahead 10-5.
Then came the moment of the match.
Nice offloading from Joey Walton and James Hendren set Jorgensen free on the left edge with a one-on-one against Campbell. What followed was mesmerising: the Wallabies winger produced a huge sidestep—away then in—that left the Reds fullback clutching at air. The 21-year-old then had the pace to burn past the covering Werchon and complete a stunning 70-metre solo try. An early contender for try of the season, it lit up the stadium and had the crowd on their feet.
Just when the Tahs figured they’d take a 12-point lead into the break, they produced a moment of classic ‘Tahsy’—that forehead-slapping tendency to do dumb things at the worst possible time.
The halftime siren had sounded, but Amatosero caught the restart and instead of going to ground for the ball to be kicked out, charged upfield. McReight, with his back to the defence, showed quick thinking to dish off a pass to Brial, who somehow crossed in the left corner. The big backrower’s second crucial involvement of the half suddenly had Queensland trailing just 17-12 at the break.
Queensland would have been delighted to only trail by five entering the second half after the home side dominated much of the opening 40 minutes. The statistics told the story: the Waratahs had nine minutes in the Reds’ A-zone; Queensland had just 90 seconds in theirs.
The second half became an attritional affair, with the parry-and-thrust typical of combative interstate games over decades. Both coaches emptied their benches around the 50-minute mark in search of a spark, with Teddy Wilson’s sniping at halfback providing the Waratahs with a different dimension.
McReight was magnificent throughout for Queensland, producing multiple turnovers that kept his side in the contest. When NSW weapon Suaalii made a powerful charge, Lachie Anderson met him front-on before McReight came over the top for a classy steal. But the Reds simply couldn’t stop conceding penalties, and eventually it cost them dearly.
The game remained poised at 17-12 past the hour mark. Then, after yet another Queensland infringement, the Waratahs turned down an easy three points, backing themselves to score from close range. The gamble paid off in the 65th minute when replacement prop Isaac Kailea forced his way over near the posts after strong carrying from Charlie Gamble set up the position. Creighton’s conversion stretched the lead to 12 and finally gave the Tahs some breathing space.
Seven minutes later, Jorgensen completed his double with a try that showcased Gamble’s brilliance. Jack Debreczeni, on for Joey Walton, delivered a pinpoint crossfield kick to the right edge where Gamble was loitering on the wing. The flanker somehow stayed in bounds while collecting above his head, then conjured a magical offload off the deck—popping a pass from the ground to find Jorgensen surging through in support. The winger went in untouched to seal victory at 31-12.
Wilson added the cherry on top in the 78th minute. The replacement scrumhalf spotted an opportunity, poking his head out of a ruck on the Reds line and putting the ball down to complete the bonus-point victory and spark joyous celebrations among the home fans.
For the Waratahs, it was a powerful effort across the park. While Jorgensen and James Hendren were excellent at the back and out wide, the performance was built on the work of the loose forwards—Samu, Gamble and Halaholo all had huge games in their engine room rebuild.
The Reds will be bitterly disappointed. McReight was the standout, picking up where he left off last season with an outstanding display on both sides of the ball—his try-saving tackles, turnovers and try assist showcasing his importance to this Queensland side. Hunter Paisami had a strong game with his defence and ball-carries in midfield. But the discipline issues are a major concern—17 penalties conceded, more than twice the Waratahs’ tally—and with seven Wallabies injured, the depth is being severely tested.
Finn Mackay made his Super Rugby Pacific debut at just 18 over the final 12 minutes as replacement flyhalf, while debuts were also milestones for starter Latu and reserves Xavier Rubens and James Martens.
What they said
Dan McKellar, Waratahs head coach: “We’re pleased, really pleased. There’s parts of the 80 minutes where we’ll certainly be better at, but just pleased with things that we spoke about around our defence, our fitness. We want to pride ourselves on being one of the fittest teams in the comp and also the impact of our bench. To sit here and have five points after round one against a team we’ve got enormous respect for is a good start to the year.”
Dan McKellar on Max Jorgensen: “You’re a fan, aren’t you? You’re like everyone else. He’s a unique talent. The best part about Jorgo is he’s just so down-to-earth, so humble. He doesn’t get ahead of himself at all. We want to try and get 30,000, 35,000 people here, and the Max Jorgensens of the world will certainly help that, because they’re players you want to watch live.”
Les Kiss, Reds head coach: “With 20 minutes to go, I thought our boys were digging in against a lot of things. If you get a break here or there, something can happen. That’s the footy game. A bit of weight of possession told and where the game was played. On our numbers, they had nine minutes in our A-zone. We had 90 seconds in theirs. That’s a massive difference.”
Fraser McReight, Reds captain: “It hurts. There were key moments where we had them and just didn’t need to give away a penalty. The last 20 minutes got away from us. We’ll regroup and get ready for our first game at home.”
Match details
Waratahs 36 (Tries: Clem Halaholo, Max Jorgensen 2, Isaac Kailea, Teddy Wilson; Conversions: Lawson Creighton 4/5; Penalties: Lawson Creighton 1/1)
Reds 12 (Tries: Tim Ryan, Joe Brial; Conversions: Harry McLaughlin-Phillips 1/2)
Halftime: 17-12
Venue: Allianz Stadium, Sydney
Referee: Paul Williams (New Zealand)
Assistant Referees: Angus Mabey, Michael Winter
TMO: Graham Cooper
Attendance: 16,655
What’s next
The Waratahs host the Fijian Drua at Allianz Stadium next Saturday, looking to build on this impressive start. The Reds have a bye week to address their discipline issues before hosting the Highlanders at Suncorp Stadium on February 27.
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