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How long can the Waratahs remain unbeaten against the other Australian Super Rugby Women’s sides?
It must break at some stage. For the Reds, there could not be a better time than winning their first Super Rugby title and breaking the streak.
There are so many potential narratives around the grand final; but one scenario that can be dismissed is the Waratahs winning easily.
They are not going to put on the points they did a couple of weeks ago against the Reds.
The Tahs had a big win that day, but the Reds had a lot of opportunities that they were unable to convert. There are so many questions to be answered on the competition’s biggest day.
Will Eva Karpani and Layne Morgan turn the tables on their old club?
Will it be the young gun Shalom Sausao or one of the competition’s star recruits, Charlotte Caslick, doing something special?
Or will it be the sharpshooting boot of Lori Cramer who kicks the Reds home?
The Tahs will be hoping the double-barrel winger assault of Desiree Miller and May Stewart can rack up the winning try.
Prop Faliki Pohiva could continue to step it up with a lineout set play try.
Can the starting young gun teenagers Ruby Anderson and Caitlyn Halse be the difference or the teenagers coming off the bench Anahera Hamahona, Waiaria Ellis and Millie Parker?
Will it be up to the experienced heads of Katrina Barker and Georgina Friedrichs to get the Tahs over the line?
It could be one of the many other narratives too.
From the very first grand final in 2018 are the Reds’ Ivania Wong, Cramer – and probably in the commentary booth Kiri Barker. From that decider, the Tahs have Emily Robinson, Katrina Barker and Iliseva Batibasaga, who is now a Waratahs assistant coach.
There were a couple of interesting comments in the last week. Cramer was saying she still thinks about a three-point grand final loss to the Waratahs. Not sure which one; the Reds lost 2018 16-13 in extra time and in 2019 8-5.
She is driven to erase that memory. It was funny on Stan’s Between Two Posts Extra, Caslick said all the pressure was on NSW and implied that they were just heading down to enjoy the experience.
Never in a million years is Caslick going into a game without the total mindset to win. She is one of the most competitive players in Australian rugby.
But she is right about the pressure on NSW. On Stan, Georgina Friedrichs when asked said their unbeaten record did put pressure on them. At the same time, she rolled out the ‘pressure is a privilege’ line.
Across the park, the match-ups are everywhere.
With both teams having fire-power in the backline, the question is which forward pack will provide the best platform. These teams have very good front rows; the Reds have the edge in terms of experience, so maybe the bench will be a deciding factor.
Charlotte Caslick of the Reds. (Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)
The locks will be a belter of a battle, the Reds’ Tiarah Minns and Veneta Teutau up against Kaitlan Leaney and Annabelle Codey. All four are real workhorses. Which pair will be able to bend the defensive line consistently more?
The backrow discussion is a bit of an unknown. Both backrows have been decimated by injury. What are the chances that the captains of both teams are out injured?
The Reds have lost Jemma Bemrose and veteran Saraha Riordan. Both went down injured in the semi-final. In comes Zoe Hanna and Maraea Tupai.
Hanna has started and come off in a couple of matches, while Maraea has come off the bench. The Tahs have lost Leilani Nathan and Piper Duck, which is not really a surprise.
Both came off in their semi-final, too. In a weird twist of fate, Leilani is replaced by her twin sister, Nicole Nathan, who starts in the back row for the first time.
She is usually a bench centre replacement. No surprise, Ruby Anderson gets a start at eight. She started in round one and has come off the bench in most of the games. But the Waratahs will miss Duck, she takes a lot of the hard carries.
Fortunately, the Tahs have stalwart Emily Chancellor to take over the captaincy, who brings not just skill but a lot of experience and smarts.
In the backs, the Reds have the Wallaroos starting and bench half-backs Morgan and Nat Wright.
NSW have an inexperienced starter in Tatum Bird. She has come off the bench a lot over the last couple of years, and Martha Harvey has played just 16 minutes of Super Rugby over the last two games since her debut.
The battle of the fly-halves is a shootout between two of the more experienced players, 32-year-old Cramer and 26-year-old Arabella McKenzie.
Desiree Miller of the Waratahs. (Photo by Mackenzie Sweetnam/Getty Images)
The centres are chalk and cheese. The Reds have the youngsters Sausao, 17 years old, and Faythe Manera, 21, against the, let us say the more experienced Katrina Barker, 32, and 30-year-old Georgina Friedrichs.
As far as the wingers go, all four are very good. Caitlin Urwin has been one of the Reds’ best all season, with Queensland co-captain Wong facing off against the Wallaroos’ wingers Miller and Stewart.
While not a direct head-to-head clash per se, you have Caslick, self-explanatory, up against teenager Caitlyn Halse and the current Wallaroos fullback. Halse is just returning from injury, this is her first run-on start of the season.
So, which team has the edge? There is not much in it.
The Reds have a more experienced bench and do have Cramer’s goal-kicking. After last season’s poor performance and having never won the title, the Reds will be desperate to win.
At the same time, the Waratahs will be just as desperate to keep their winning record over Australian teams.
Who will be more desperate? No idea. A Reds win is probably good for the competition for a change, but do not tell the Tahs that.
The final big question post-game: how much celebrating will the coach allow? The winner heads over the ditch to play the Super Rugby Aupiki winner next Thursday.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.
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