The Blues claimed their first win of the Super Rugby Pacific season with a commanding second-half display, outscoring the Western Force 28–15 after the break to run out 42–32 victors in the first Super Rugby match played at Joondalup’s HIF Health Insurance Oval.

Key moments

6 mins – TRY BLUES: Joshua Fusitu’a opens the scoring. The Blues forwards batter the Force line through wave after wave of close-range carries, with Bradley Slater and Anton Segner going close before Fusitu’a picks and drives over beside the posts. Stephen Perofeta converts. (Force 0–7 Blues)
12 mins – TRY FORCE: Harry Johnson-Holmes levels the scores with a sharp response. Ben Donaldson finds touch in the left corner, and after messy lineout ball, Brandon Paenga-Amosa taps a free kick quickly and storms towards the line. Johnson-Holmes catches the Blues defence napping, burrowing low to crash over to the left of the sticks. Donaldson converts. (Force 7–7 Blues)
20 mins – YELLOW CARD FORCE: Brandon Paenga-Amosa is sent to the sin bin for repeated offside infringements. The Blues had been camped on the Force line, with Hoskins Sotutu, Slater, Caleb Clarke and Fusitu’a all going close. Three penalties in quick succession around the tryline leave referee Damon Murphy no option. (Force 7–7 Blues)
21 mins – TRY BLUES: Stephen Perofeta capitalises immediately. With the man advantage, the Blues set a scrum five metres out and work patiently through the phases. Finlay Christie swings the ball to the left and Perofeta strolls through a gaping hole to dot down. Perofeta converts his own try. (Force 7–14 Blues)
29 mins – PENALTY FORCE: Ben Donaldson slots a penalty from right in front after Fusitu’a is caught not rolling at the breakdown. The Force steady under pressure during Paenga-Amosa’s absence. (Force 10–14 Blues)
40+2 mins – TRY FORCE: Carlo Tizzano gives the Force the lead right on half-time. Divad Palu produces a brilliant 50/22 to flip the field after Sotutu’s surging run is turned over, and the Force set up camp inside the Blues’ 22. Hamish Stewart goes close before Tizzano charges onto the ball at pace and muscles through two defenders to crash over on the right. Donaldson converts. (Force 17–14 Blues)
Half-time: Force 17–14 Blues. The hosts have edged in front after a frenetic opening 40 minutes played at a ferocious tempo. Both sides have been committed to short carries and brutal collisions, but the Force’s set-piece pressure and Tizzano’s trademark physicality have given them the edge heading into the sheds.
42 mins – TRY BLUES: Zarn Sullivan restores the Blues’ lead with the first play of the second half. The Blues win a lineout 35 metres out, and Marcel Renata and Slater make hard yards before Dalton Papali’i produces an excellent run down the left, drawing two defenders and popping a miracle offload out the back door. Sullivan is into an acre of space and strolls over near the posts. Perofeta converts. (Force 17–21 Blues)
47 mins – PENALTY FORCE: Ben Donaldson trims the margin to a single point from right in front after Mason Tupaea is penalised for collapsing the scrum. The Force sense an opportunity. (Force 20–21 Blues)
53 mins – TRY BLUES: Torian Barnes punches through for the Blues’ fourth. Sullivan drops a grubber in behind that AJ Lam reaches first, and the Blues set up camp inside the Force 22. Laghlan McWhannell goes close with a pick and go before Barnes storms onto a short ball and punches through a hole to plant the ball down. Perofeta converts. (Force 20–28 Blues)
60 mins – TRY BLUES: Cole Forbes scores untouched in the corner. Barnes wins the lineout and the Blues set the drive before releasing for Clarke, who busts through midfield. Christie recycles quickly and spreads the ball wide right, with Sullivan drawing the last defender and shifting it to Forbes, who strolls over unopposed. Perofeta converts from wide on the right. (Force 20–35 Blues)
67 mins – TRY FORCE: Bayley Kuenzle keeps the Force in the fight. Henry Robertson injects pace from the base with a dangerous burst that creates the space, and the ball is worked wide left where Kuenzle finds himself in room to stroll over. Donaldson converts. (Force 27–35 Blues)
70 mins – TRY BLUES: Josh Beehre responds immediately. The Force mistime the restart and then throw a lineout not straight, presenting the Blues with a free kick in attacking position. Kurt Eklund taps and finds Papali’i to carry, and from quick ruck ball, Beehre spots space down the right flank, shrugs out of one tackle and barges over. Perofeta converts. (Force 27–42 Blues)
79 mins – TRY FORCE: Ben Donaldson races away for a late consolation. George Bridge slips past one defender before being dragged down 15 metres out. After Vaiolini Ekuasi burrows low, the ball spills out the side of the ruck and Donaldson scoops it up, streaking away to score under the posts. The TMO confirms the flyhalf was not offside. Donaldson hits the left upright with the conversion from right in front to sum up his mixed evening off the tee. (Force 32–42 Blues)
Full-time: Force 32–42 Blues

In sweltering conditions at Joondalup’s compact suburban oval, the Blues delivered the response Vern Cotter demanded after their controversial opening-round defeat to the Chiefs, overturning a three-point half-time deficit with a blistering 21–3 burst in the third quarter that put the Force to the sword.

The Force, playing their first Super Rugby match at the venue in Perth’s northern suburbs, were far from disgraced. A vocal crowd gathered on the traditional grass bank and saw their side match the Blues blow for blow in a first half defined by brutal short carries, ferocious defensive collisions, and a swirling breeze that turned high kicks into a lottery.

The Blues struck first when Fusitu’a crashed over from close range after sustained forward pressure in the sixth minute, but the Force hit back sharply through Johnson-Holmes, who burrowed over after Paenga-Amosa’s instinctive quick tap caught the visitors napping at the lineout.

The contest intensified around the 20-minute mark. The Blues laid siege to the Force line, sending wave after wave of carriers at the whitewash, but repeated infringements from the hosts proved costly. When Paenga-Amosa was pinged for his third offside in four minutes, Murphy had little choice but to reach for the yellow card. Perofeta capitalised within 60 seconds, strolling through a two-man overlap after patient phase play.

Rather than crumble during the sin-bin period, the Force steadied. Donaldson’s penalty kept the scoreboard ticking, and the home side’s scrummaging—an area where they dominated throughout—continued to give them a foothold. Jeremy Williams and Tizzano were tireless in the carry, and when Palu produced a superb 50/22 after turning over Sotutu’s surge deep in the Force half, the hosts smelled blood.

Tizzano’s try on the stroke of half-time was vintage: the Wallabies flanker charging onto the ball at pace and powering through two would-be tacklers to crash over on the right. Donaldson’s conversion sent the Force into the sheds with a 17–14 lead, and the locals dared to believe the long wait for a win over the Blues—stretching back to 2008—might finally end.

Whatever Cotter said in the sheds got through. Sullivan’s try with the first meaningful passage of the second half was a statement of intent, finished off by Papali’i’s remarkable offload out the back door under heavy contact. The Blues captain, playing his final season before departing for France, was everywhere—carrying hard, turning the ball over, and leading from the front in a performance that underlined what the franchise will lose at season’s end.

Donaldson’s penalty from in front briefly trimmed the gap to a single point at 20–21, and for a spell it felt as though either side could pull clear. But the Blues’ bench impact, combined with Perofeta’s growing command of the conditions with the wind at his back, proved decisive.

Barnes’ try in the 53rd minute, finished after Lam won a foot race to Sullivan’s grubber kick, opened the floodgates. Seven minutes later, Forbes was strolling over untouched in the corner after a slick sequence that began with Clarke’s powerful midfield bust and Christie’s rapid recycle. At 35–20, the Blues had scored three tries in 18 minutes and the Force were reeling.

Kuenzle’s try in the 67th minute, set up by Robertson’s sharp burst off the bench, briefly revived the home crowd, but the Force’s inability to execute at the restart handed the Blues an immediate opportunity. Beehre needed no second invitation, barging over on the right to reassert control.

“It’s important. We had a tough one in round one,” Sullivan told Stan Sport afterwards. “So to come over here to tick off the first one, and then go down to Canberra next week and hopefully get another one. It’s not easy to come over to Perth, so it’s that mentality of being here for a job, get the job done, and let’s get back home.”

Donaldson’s late try, scooping up a loose ball that spilled from a ruck and racing away untouched, provided a consolation that denied the Blues a bonus point. His conversion striking the left upright from right in front summed up a frustrating evening for the Force flyhalf, whose general play was tidy but whose goalkicking lacked its usual precision when it mattered most.

Perofeta, by contrast, was faultless off the tee—six conversions from six attempts in the stiff breeze—and grew into the match as a distributor, landing accurate bombs to pin the Force back and steering the Blues’ attacking shape with increasing authority. Segner was excellent in the loose forwards, Clarke looked menacing whenever he came off his wing, and Christie’s tempo at the base kept the Force defenders scrambling.

For the Force, Tizzano was everywhere as usual—the competition’s top tryscorer last season showing no signs of slowing down—and former All Black George Bridge showed his class operating at centre, but the quest for a maiden finals berth looks forlorn after just two rounds. Simon Cron’s side have now slumped to eight successive Super Rugby Pacific defeats stretching back to round eight last year, and sit at the bottom of the ladder with the task not easing as they fly across the Tasman to face Moana Pasifika in Pukekohe next Friday.

The Blues extend their remarkable dominance in this fixture to 14 consecutive wins since 2008, and head to Canberra to face the Brumbies next Saturday with renewed belief that their season is very much alive.

What’s next

The Blues remain in Australia and head to Canberra to face the Brumbies next Saturday. The Force fly across the Tasman seeking a rare win on New Zealand soil against Moana Pasifika in Pukekohe next Friday.

Teams

Western Force: 15 Mac Grealy, 14 Divad Palu, 13 George Bridge, 12 Hamish Stewart, 11 Bayley Kuenzle, 10 Ben Donaldson, 9 Nathan Hastie, 8 Vaiolini Ekuasi, 7 Carlo Tizzano, 6 Jeremy Williams (c), 5 Darcy Swain, 4 Franco Molina, 3 Harry Johnson-Holmes, 2 Brandon Paenga-Amosa, 1 Tom Robertson.
Replacements: 16 Leonel Oviedo, 17 Sef Fa’agase, 18 Misinale Epenisa, 19 Lopeti Faifua, 20 Kane Koteka, 21 Henry Robertson, 22 Max Burey, 23 Kurtley Beale.

Blues: 15 Zarn Sullivan, 14 Cole Forbes, 13 AJ Lam, 12 Pita Ahki, 11 Caleb Clarke, 10 Stephen Perofeta, 9 Finlay Christie, 8 Hoskins Sotutu, 7 Dalton Papali’i (c), 6 Anton Segner, 5 Josh Beehre, 4 Laghlan McWhannell, 3 Marcel Renata, 2 Bradley Slater, 1 Joshua Fusitu’a.
Replacements: 16 Kurt Eklund, 17 Mason Tupaea, 18 Ofa Tu’ungafasi, 19 Che Clark, 20 Torian Barnes, 21 Sam Nock, 22 Xavi Taele, 23 Codemeru Vai.

Match details

Western Force 32 (Tries: Harry Johnson-Holmes, Carlo Tizzano, Bayley Kuenzle, Ben Donaldson; Conversions: Ben Donaldson 3/4; Penalties: Ben Donaldson 2/2)
Blues 42 (Tries: Joshua Fusitu’a, Stephen Perofeta, Zarn Sullivan, Torian Barnes, Cole Forbes, Josh Beehre; Conversions: Stephen Perofeta 6/6)
Half-time: 17–14

Yellow card: Brandon Paenga-Amosa (Force, 20′)

Venue: HIF Health Insurance Oval, Joondalup

Referee: Damon Murphy (Australia)
Assistant Referees: Jordan Way, Jeremy Markey
TMO: James Leckie

The Chiefs survived a fierce Highlanders fightback to grind out a 26–23 victory under the roof at Forsyth Barr Stadium, extending their winning streak against the southerners to eight matches and making it two away wins from two to open the 2026 Super Rugby Pacific season.

Key moments

2 mins – TRY HIGHLANDERS: Jona Nareki marks his 50th Highlanders cap in style. Jonah Lowe and Timoci Tavatavanawai make hard yards through the middle before Folau Fakatava produces a wonderful face pass to the left that sends Lucas Casey into a hole on the 22. Casey offloads inside to Caleb Tangitau popping up on the opposite wing, who then feeds Nareki for the finish in the corner. Cameron Millar converts from the left. (Highlanders 7–0 Chiefs)
7 mins – TRY CHIEFS: Samisoni Taukei’aho responds from the back of a rolling maul. Josh Lord takes the lineout without a lift, and the Chiefs set a powerful drive that draws in both Leroy Carter and Quinn Tupaea for added weight. Taukei’aho peels off the back and crashes over from close range. Josh Jacomb converts from the left. (Highlanders 7–7 Chiefs)
13 mins – HIA CHIEFS: Jahrome Brown departs for a head injury assessment and does not return. Simon Parker enters the contest early, with Kaylum Boshier shifting to openside flanker. (Highlanders 7–7 Chiefs)
19 mins – CLOSE CALL CHIEFS: Kyren Taumoefolau produces a fantastic burst upfield, weaving back infield on halfway, but cannot link with support. Jacomb then looks for a 50/22 but Nareki gets back to mark it. The pace of the game is breathless. (Highlanders 7–7 Chiefs)
32 mins – TRY CHIEFS: Leroy Carter scores a sensational coast-to-coast try. A Cameron Millar cross-field kick flies just past the fingertips of Sean Withy in the in-goal, resulting in a goal-line dropout. Quinn Tupaea takes the dropout quickly, regathers and races upfield before lobbing a pass infield for Carter, who scorches 50 metres to the line. Jacomb converts. (Highlanders 7–14 Chiefs)
36 mins – CLOSE CALL HIGHLANDERS: Jacob Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens and Tangitau combine brilliantly down the right, but Te Kamaka Howden drops Jack Taylor’s pass just as the line beckoned on the 22. A chance missed. (Highlanders 7–14 Chiefs)
Half-time: Highlanders 7–14 Chiefs. The Chiefs lead after a hectic first half played at a hundred miles an hour. Carter’s opportunistic try from a quick dropout is the decisive moment, though replays suggest the legality of Tupaea’s restart was inconclusive. The midfield battle between Tavatavanawai and Tupaea has been ferocious.
42 mins – PENALTY HIGHLANDERS: Cameron Millar slots a penalty from right of the posts after Veveni Lasaqa, on as a half-time replacement for Casey, wins a holding-on penalty with his first involvement. (Highlanders 10–14 Chiefs)
45 mins – PENALTY HIGHLANDERS: Millar adds another three from the left after Daniel Rona is penalised for going off his feet hunting a turnover. The margin is down to a single point. (Highlanders 13–14 Chiefs)
51 mins – YELLOW CARD HIGHLANDERS: A huge turning point. Fakatava spills at the breakdown and Josh Lord gathers before producing an incredible 70-metre burst downfield. He finds Tupou Vaa’i in support on the inside, who is dragged down just short of the line by Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens. Nareki contests illegally at the resulting breakdown and is sent to the sin bin for a professional foul. (Highlanders 13–14 Chiefs)
56 mins – HELD UP CHIEFS: Taukei’aho peels off the back of the lineout drive and crashes towards the line, but Adam Lennox gets underneath him superbly to hold the hooker up. Desperate Highlanders defence. (Highlanders 13–14 Chiefs)
60 mins – TMO REVIEW CHIEFS: Simon Parker is initially awarded a try after pouncing on a loose ball from Taumoefolau’s chip kick, but the TMO overturns the decision after Parker fails to ground the ball cleanly. The Highlanders survive again. (Highlanders 13–14 Chiefs)
61 mins – TRY CHIEFS: Samisoni Taukei’aho pounces for his double the moment Nareki returns from the bin. A Highlanders lineout throw from Oliver Haig is not controlled at the back, and Taukei’aho swoops on the loose ball to crash over from five metres. Jacomb converts from the right. (Highlanders 13–21 Chiefs)
68 mins – TRY CHIEFS: Kaylum Boshier extends the lead. A Chiefs penalty leads to a lineout five metres out, and after the drive is initially held, Boshier picks from the base and stays low to burrow over. Jacomb misses the conversion from the right. (Highlanders 13–26 Chiefs)
75 mins – TRY HIGHLANDERS: Caleb Tangitau produces a moment of individual brilliance. The winger spies a gap from 45 metres out, splits two defenders clean and backs his gas to sprint away untouched. Reesjan Pasitoa cannot convert from wide on the left. (Highlanders 18–26 Chiefs)
80+1 mins – TRY HIGHLANDERS: Veveni Lasaqa secures a losing bonus point with the last play. The Highlanders drag the Chiefs in on the left before swinging the ball wide right, and Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens sends Lasaqa in on the wing as time expires. Pasitoa misses the conversion from wide on the left. (Highlanders 23–26 Chiefs)
80 mins – YELLOW CARD CHIEFS: Reuben O’Neill is sent to the sin bin for a neck roll on Withy, giving the Highlanders one final chance. (Highlanders 18–26 Chiefs)
Full-time: Highlanders 23–26 Chiefs

New Zealand had been crying out for a Kiwi derby worthy of the name, and the Highlanders and Chiefs delivered in front of a vocal crowd of 15,476 in a contest far superior to the opening round’s fare.

Before kick-off, the stadium fell silent for a moving tribute to the tragic passing of Highlanders and former Chiefs prop Angus Ta’avao’s son, Leo. The emotion carried onto the field from the first whistle, with the Highlanders tearing into the contest at a blistering pace. It took just two minutes for Nareki to cross on his 50th appearance, the culmination of sharp handling down the left that began with Fakatava’s superb face pass and was kept alive by Casey and Tangitau’s link play.

The Chiefs’ maul answered within five minutes. Lord took the throw without a lift, the drive rumbled forward with Carter and Tupaea lending their weight, and Taukei’aho crashed over from the back—a statement of the visitors’ set-piece intent that would define their second-half approach.

What followed was a breathless arm wrestle dominated by tactical kicking and a ferocious midfield collision between Tavatavanawai and Tupaea, with both All Blacks throwing themselves at the defensive line repeatedly in some shuddering exchanges. Neither flyhalf—Millar nor Jacomb, future Highlanders teammates from 2027—dominated the contest, with both guilty of some aimless kicks, though the real danger came from the outside backs on either side. Tangitau, Nanai-Seturo, Taumoefolau and Carter all made inroads whenever they touched the ball.

The game swung on two big Chiefs breakouts while under pressure—one in each half. The first, in the 32nd minute, was tinged with controversy. After Millar’s cross-field kick flew just past Withy’s fingertips in the in-goal and went dead, Tupaea took the resulting dropout at pace, regathered and burst upfield before finding Carter with an offload. The All Black winger hit the afterburners and won the race to the line from 50 metres, outrunning a brave chase from Mitch Dunshea. Replays suggested the legality of Tupaea’s dropout was inconclusive—the midfielder appeared to simply drop the ball directly onto his right boot—but as with Vaa’i’s contentious try against the Blues in round one, the five-pointer stood.

Millar’s boot hauled the Highlanders back to within a point early in the second half, converting two penalties after Lasaqa and Tavatavanawai won turnovers at the breakdown. At 13–14, the momentum was firmly with the hosts.

Then came the second decisive breakout. Fakatava spilled at the base and Lord swooped, galloping 70 metres downfield before offloading to Vaa’i, who was hauled down just short. Nareki’s cynical infringement at the breakdown earned a yellow card, and the Highlanders braced for the onslaught.

What followed was a remarkable 10-minute passage of scramble defence. The Highlanders held Taukei’aho up over the line, benefited from Parker’s failure to ground Taumoefolau’s grubber kick cleanly, and repelled wave after wave of Chiefs attack without conceding a single point during the entire sin-bin period.

The cruelty was in the timing. The moment Nareki returned from the bin, a Highlanders lineout misfire landed straight in Taukei’aho’s grasp, and the hooker needed no second invitation to crash over for his double. Jacomb’s conversion pushed the lead to eight, and Boshier’s close-range try five minutes later—the product of patient Chiefs pressure after further Highlanders indiscipline—appeared to put the result beyond doubt at 13–26.

The Highlanders had other ideas. Tangitau’s breathtaking solo try in the 75th minute—splitting two defenders from 45 metres and backing his pace to sprint clear—injected hope, and when O’Neill was binned for a neck roll on Withy in the dying seconds, Lasaqa was able to finish on the wing with the final play to secure a losing bonus point.

Two missed conversions from Pasitoa, however, meant the Highlanders fell three points short of what would have been a remarkable comeback. The emotion was raw at the final whistle—a performance that deserved more, but against a Chiefs side that keeps finding ways to win when it matters.

Jono Gibbes’ side have now won their opening two fixtures in consecutive seasons for the fourth time, and with another title tilt firmly in mind after three consecutive grand final defeats under Clayton McMillan, they continue to look every inch contenders in 2026. Vaa’i was a menace on both sides of the ball, Lord’s stunning breakout was the catalyst for the decisive period, and Tupaea’s quick thinking once again proved the difference.

For Jamie Joseph’s Highlanders, back-to-back wins to open the season eluded them for the first time since Super Rugby Trans-Tasman in 2021, but this was a display to build on. Tangitau is developing into one of the most exciting young backs in New Zealand rugby, and the grit shown during that sin-bin period under the most intense pressure will serve them well in the weeks ahead.

What’s next

The Chiefs host the Crusaders at FMG Stadium Waikato next Saturday in a heavyweight clash between the two most successful franchises in Super Rugby history. The Highlanders travel to Perth to face the Western Force, seeking to bounce back from this narrow defeat.

Teams

Highlanders: 15 Jacob Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens, 14 Caleb Tangitau, 13 Jonah Lowe, 12 Timoci Tavatavanawai (c), 11 Jona Nareki, 10 Cameron Millar, 9 Folau Fakatava, 8 Lucas Casey, 7 Sean Withy, 6 Te Kamaka Howden, 5 Mitch Dunshea, 4 Oliver Haig, 3 Rohan Wingham, 2 Jack Taylor, 1 Ethan de Groot.
Replacements: 16 Henry Bell, 17 Josh Bartlett, 18 Sosefo Kautai, 19 Will Stodart, 20 Veveni Lasaqa, 21 Adam Lennox, 22 Reesjan Pasitoa, 23 Tanielu Tele’a.

Chiefs: 15 Etene Nanai-Seturo, 14 Kyren Taumoefolau, 13 Daniel Rona, 12 Quinn Tupaea, 11 Leroy Carter, 10 Josh Jacomb, 9 Xavier Roe, 8 Luke Jacobson (c), 7 Jahrome Brown, 6 Kaylum Boshier, 5 Tupou Vaa’i, 4 Josh Lord, 3 George Dyer, 2 Samisoni Taukei’aho, 1 Jared Proffit.
Replacements: 16 Tyrone Thompson, 17 Benet Kumeroa, 18 Reuben O’Neill, 19 Seuseu Naitoa Ah Kuoi, 20 Simon Parker, 21 Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi, 22 Tepaea Cook-Savage, 23 Emoni Narawa.

Match details

Chiefs 26 (Tries: Samisoni Taukei’aho 2, Leroy Carter, Kaylum Boshier; Conversions: Josh Jacomb 3/4)
Highlanders 23 (Tries: Jona Nareki, Caleb Tangitau, Veveni Lasaqa; Conversions: Cameron Millar 1/1; Penalties: Cameron Millar 2/2)
Half-time: 7–14

Yellow cards: Jona Nareki (Highlanders, 51′), Reuben O’Neill (Chiefs, 80′)

Venue: Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin
Attendance: 15,476

Referee: Angus Mabey (New Zealand)
Assistant Referees: Michael Winter, Ben Wollerton
TMO: Aaron Paterson

Max Jorgensen delivered another match-turning masterclass as the NSW Waratahs made it back-to-back bonus-point victories to open their Super Rugby Pacific campaign, overpowering the Fijian Drua 36–13 on a hot and humid Friday night at Allianz Stadium.

Key moments

9 mins – TRY WARATAHS: Charlie Gamble opens the scoring. Jake Gordon’s darting snipe from the base puts the Waratahs on the front foot, and sustained pressure close to the line sees the breakdown become a hunting ground. Clem Halaholo makes tough yards with his carries before Gamble spots the vacant ruck fringe, dummies and dives over under the posts. Lawson Creighton converts. (Waratahs 7–0 Drua)
14 mins – TRY DRUA: Taniela Rakuro strikes back immediately. The Drua win a lineout 15 metres out and spin it wide at first opportunity. Fullback Ilaisa Droasese fires a crisp, looping pass to expose the overlap, and Rakuro shows a clean pair of heels to dive over in the corner. Isaiah Armstrong-Ravula converts from the sideline. (Waratahs 7–7 Drua)
19 mins – CLOSE CALL WARATAHS: The Waratahs steal the lineout and shift it wide right away. James Hendren bursts into the 22 and looks certain to score, but a miraculous covering tackle from Isikeli Rabitu bundles the fullback into touch just inches short of the line. (Waratahs 7–7 Drua)
25 mins – DRUA DENIED: The visitors dominate territory and batter the Waratahs’ line after Zuriel Togiatama breaks clear and combines with his fellow front-rower. The Drua build phases five metres out with a penalty advantage, but flanker Motikiai Murray spills the ball inches from the line. The Waratahs survive by the skin of their teeth. (Waratahs 7–7 Drua)
33 mins – PENALTY DRUA: Isaiah Armstrong-Ravula slots a penalty from right in front after a Waratahs high tackle. The Drua had threatened a try moments earlier—Frank Lomani’s grubber in behind sparked a foot race between Rakuro and Jorgensen, with the Wallaby wing doing just enough to deny the winger a second. (Waratahs 7–10 Drua)
37 mins – TRY WARATAHS: Max Jorgensen produces a moment of pure magic. Lawson Creighton fires a triple cut-out pass that finds the Wallabies winger with barely five metres of space on the left touchline. Jorgensen beats opposite number Rakuro with a bamboozling sidestep and then outpaces the cover defence of Droasese to touch down in the corner. Creighton nails the conversion from the left touchline. (Waratahs 14–10 Drua)
40 mins – TMO REVIEW WARATAHS: Jorgensen is denied a double on the stroke of half-time. Slick hands down the left edge put the winger racing 30 metres to seemingly score under the posts, but the TMO rules a forward pass from James Hendren in the build-up. (Waratahs 14–10 Drua)
Half-time: Waratahs 14–10 Drua. A proper arm wrestle in the Sydney humidity. The Drua have matched the Waratahs physically and led for a spell through their wide-channel attack and Armstrong-Ravula’s boot, but Jorgensen’s brilliance has given the hosts the edge heading into the sheds.
44 mins – PENALTY DRUA: Isaiah Armstrong-Ravula closes the gap to a single point from in front after the Waratahs are penalised for being offside at the ruck. The Drua capitalise on a Jorgensen handling error from the restart. (Waratahs 14–13 Drua)
50 mins – TRY WARATAHS: Ioane Moananu scores on debut with his first touch. Jake Gordon taps a penalty quickly to catch the Drua back-pedalling, and the Waratahs power forward through the tight forwards. Moananu scoops the ball from the back of the ruck and barges over from close range. Creighton converts. (Waratahs 21–13 Drua)
54 mins – CLOSE CALL WARATAHS: Pete Samu crashes towards the line from the back of a rolling maul but knocks on just before grounding. The Waratahs are pressing hard, denied by desperate Drua defence. (Waratahs 21–13 Drua)
59 mins – TRY WARATAHS: Angus Blyth muscles over for his first Waratahs try. Gordon’s clever box kick is collected by fellow replacement Leafi Talataina, who makes good ground down the touchline. The ball finds Blyth, and the towering lock uses every inch of his frame to force his way over. Creighton misses the conversion from the right. (Waratahs 26–13 Drua)
72 mins – TRY WARATAHS: Ioane Moananu seals a dream debut double. The Waratahs back their rolling maul from 15 metres, and it delivers—Moananu peeling off the back to drive over with the pack providing irresistible momentum behind him. Creighton misses the conversion from the left. (Waratahs 31–13 Drua)
80 mins – TRY WARATAHS: Max Jorgensen seals the bonus point with the last play. Pete Samu bursts into the 22 before Jack Debreczeni chips a perfectly weighted cross-field kick into the left corner. Jorgensen swoops on the ball with acres of space and strolls over unopposed. Creighton misses the conversion from the sideline. (Waratahs 36–13 Drua)
Full-time: Waratahs 36–13 Drua

In humid conditions at Allianz Stadium that suited the visitors far more than the hosts, the Waratahs needed nearly 40 minutes to wrestle control from a Fijian Drua side that arrived in desperate need of a result and very nearly produced one. In the end, it was individual brilliance from Jorgensen and a devastating bench impact from Dan McKellar’s replacements that blew the contest apart.

Both sides struggled with the greasy ball in a scrappy opening, but the Waratahs struck first in the ninth minute when Gamble—outstanding all evening with a try, a turnover, and relentless work at the breakdown—exploited space around the ruck fringes after Halaholo’s hard carrying drew in the Drua defenders. The flanker dummied and dived over under the posts for a clinical finish.

The Drua’s response was swift and characteristically explosive. From a lineout 15 metres out, they spun the ball wide at first opportunity, and Droasese’s long pass exposed a gaping overlap on the left. Rakuro needed no second invitation, showing electric pace to dive over in the corner. Armstrong-Ravula’s conversion from the touchline levelled scores at 7–7 and signalled the visitors’ intent to play with width and tempo.

What followed was a period of sustained Drua pressure that had the Waratahs clinging on. Hendren was bundled into touch inches short by a superb covering Rabitu tackle just as the hosts thought they had struck back. The Drua then laid siege to the Waratahs’ line, with Togiatama and the front-rowers making strong ground, but Murray’s knock-on five metres out let the hosts off the hook. Armstrong-Ravula’s boot was the consolation, a penalty from in front nudging the Drua into a 10–7 lead.

Jorgensen had been quiet. That changed in the 37th minute. Creighton’s triple cut-out pass found the 21-year-old with barely five metres of space and two Drua defenders closing. What happened next left McKellar and attack coach Mike Catt shaking their heads in the coaching box. Jorgensen beat Rakuro with a sidestep that defied physics—”he’s beaten him in a phone booth,” McKellar said afterwards—before accelerating past Droasese’s despairing cover to score in the corner. Creighton’s conversion from the touchline gave the Waratahs a lead they would never relinquish.

The winger thought he had a second moments later when slick hands put him away down the left, but the TMO spotted a forward pass from Hendren in the build-up. It was a contentious call that denied what would have been a spectacular brace before the break, sending the sides to the sheds with the Waratahs clinging to a four-point advantage.

The Drua came out firing in the second half. A Jorgensen handling error from the restart gifted the visitors field position, and Armstrong-Ravula’s second penalty trimmed the margin to a single point at 14–13. For a spell it felt as though the momentum was swinging back towards the Fijians, with their breakdown work and physicality keeping the Waratahs honest.

McKellar’s masterstroke was to almost empty his bench in the 48th minute, sending on six replacements in one hit. The injection of fresh legs was immediate and decisive. Moananu, the former Crusaders hooker making his Waratahs debut, scored with his first touch after Gordon’s instinctive quick tap caught the Drua flat-footed. The forwards powered through the phases before the hooker scooped the ball from the base and barged over from close range.

The Waratahs’ dominant scrum—which won penalties throughout the evening—was now providing a strangling platform, and the replacements kept the pressure ratcheting upwards. Blyth’s try in the 59th minute was a product of intelligent kicking from Gordon, whose box kick was reclaimed by Talataina, another replacement making an impact. The towering lock used his considerable frame to muscle over from close range.

Moananu completed a dream debut double in the 72nd minute, peeling off the back of an unstoppable rolling maul that had become the Waratahs’ primary weapon. The former nursing student, who had been recommended to McKellar by ex-teammate James O’Connor after failing to stay at the Crusaders, could scarcely have hoped for a better start to life in sky blue.

Co-captain Frank Lomani acknowledged the Drua’s inability to sustain their early intensity. “We were in the game with eight points separating us until the last 20 minutes when we could not hold on,” the halfback told Sky Sport. “We talked about having a good start and we did that but we could not continue that.”

The final act had to belong to Jorgensen. With the clock in the red, Samu burst into the 22 before Debreczeni—another replacement who added class from the bench—chipped a perfectly weighted cross-field kick to the left corner. Jorgensen had the simple task of gathering and strolling over for his second, and his fourth try in two Super Rugby Pacific matches this season.

“It’s pretty hard to beat the home crowd. Such a great, great support crew,” Jorgensen told Stan Sport afterwards. “The home crowd getting around you really does stuff for you and really pushes you through the full 80.”

McKellar, still searching for adequate words to describe Jorgensen’s first try, was typically understated. “Catty turned around to me in the box and you just shake your head. There aren’t many players that can score that try on the planet.”

The result sends the Waratahs to the top of the table with two bonus-point victories from two matches, and with Rugby Australia’s five-year investment in their 21-year-old winger looking better by the week. For the Drua, it is now 24 consecutive losses outside Fiji, a wretched streak stretching back to round one of 2023, and the task does not ease with the Hurricanes and Brumbies both to visit Churchill Park in the coming fortnight.

What’s next

The Waratahs enjoy a bye before hosting the Hurricanes in a fortnight, while the Drua return home to face those same Hurricanes at their Churchill Park fortress in Lautoka next Saturday.

Teams

Waratahs: 15 James Hendren, 14 Harry Potter, 13 Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, 12 Joey Walton, 11 Max Jorgensen, 10 Lawson Creighton, 9 Jake Gordon, 8 Pete Samu, 7 Charlie Gamble, 6 Clem Halaholo, 5 Miles Amatosero, 4 Matt Philip (c), 3 Dan Botha, 2 Ethan Dobbins, 1 Tom Lambert.
Replacements: 16 Ioane Moananu, 17 Isaac Kailea, 18 Siosifa Amone, 19 Angus Blyth, 20 Leafi Talataina, 21 Teddy Wilson, 22 Jack Debreczeni, 23 Triston Reilly.

Fijian Drua: 15 Ilaisa Droasese, 14 Ponipate Loganimasi, 13 Tuidraki Samusamuvodre, 12 Isikeli Rabitu, 11 Taniela Rakuro, 10 Isaiah Armstrong-Ravula, 9 Frank Lomani (co-c), 8 Elia Canakaivata, 7 Motikiai Murray, 6 Joseva Tamani, 5 Temo Mayanavanua (co-c), 4 Isoa Nasilasila, 3 Mesake Doge, 2 Zuriel Togiatama, 1 Haereiti Hetet. Replacements: 16 Kavaia Tagivetaua, 17 Peni Ravai, 18 Samuela Tawake, 19 Mesake Vocevoce, 20 Kitione Salawa, 21 Issak Fines-Leleiwasa, 22 Inia Tabuavou, 23 Manasa Mataele.

Match details

NSW Waratahs 36 (Tries: Charlie Gamble, Max Jorgensen 2, Ioane Moananu 2, Angus Blyth; Conversions: Lawson Creighton 3/6)
Fijian Drua 13 (Tries: Taniela Rakuro; Conversions: Isaiah Armstrong-Ravula 1/1; Penalties: Isaiah Armstrong-Ravula 2/2)
Half-time: 14–10

Venue: Allianz Stadium, Sydney
Attendance: 13,578

Referee: Nic Berry (Australia)
Assistant Referees: Reuben Keane, Louis Trisley
TMO: Brett Cronan