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Smashed across the ditch over consecutive weeks, the NSW Waratahs responded emphatically on Friday night by taking down the ladder-leading Chiefs 21-14 in Sydney to keep their season well and truly alive.
The Waratahs were forced to defend 28 phases at the death, before a dubious double knock-on ended an incredible evening at the Sydney Football Stadium more than five minutes into stoppage time.
Despite being on the end of an 18-5 penalty count from referee Angus Mabey, making almost more than 100 tackles than their opponents and having two tries overruled in the first half, Dan McKellar’s side showed the grit missing over the past month to suggest they can still feature in the finals despite a daunting second half of the season.
Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii and Jack Bowen celebrate their win over the Chiefs at Allianz Stadium on April 11, 2025 in Sydney. (Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)
The three-tries-to-two win had the 14,278 fans on the edge of their seats as the NSW chant bellowed around the stadium in the dying minutes for the first time in years.
Multi-million dollar recruit Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii was at the heart of the win, scoring his first try in Waratahs colours and combining in a strong back three combination alongside Andrew Kellaway and Triston Reilly.
Kellaway, in particular, had a night to remember as he played his part in an incredible coast-to-coast try that saw rising halfback Teddy Wilson score one of the most spectacular tries in recent Waratahs memory.
In total, the Waratahs made 231 tackles to the Chiefs’ 134, with first-year Waratahs flanker and former England sevens playmaker Jamie Adamson making 27 tackles.
“We keep saying that defence is the most important thing in the building,” McKellar said.
“That doesn’t mean we don’t value attack. And we’re starting to see Mike Catt’s attack come to fruition now. But you’ve got to defend well.
“And if we want to be a team that’s full of fight and works hard for each other time after time after time, then you’ll get reward off the back of it.”
It was, however, a forgettable night for the other headline act of the evening, with All Blacks star Damian McKenzie enduring one of the worst performances of his illustrious career after making seven knock-ons.
“They were decent. We knew exactly what they were going to bring,” McKenzie said.
“I let our team down tonight, it’s just not good enough by my standards. When you do it against a good team like the Tahs, so I’m extremely disappointed in my performance.”
The playmaker’s horror show was part of a forgettable night for the Chiefs, who made 18 errors and couldn’t make anything work on a perfect evening for running rugby.
But the visitors, who are known for their bruising physicality and freakish skills, were flat as a tack.
Damian McKenzie had a forgettable night against the Waratahs at Allianz Stadium on April 11, 2025 in Sydney. (Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)
There’s no doubt the Waratahs’ defence played a part in the Chiefs’ struggles, who looked like they were still at the beach after enjoying a trip across the Tasman from Hamilton.
Outgoing Chiefs coach tipped his hat to the Waratahs’ defence, saying they “defended like demons”.
The upset victory came after McKellar repeatedly laid down the law throughout the week and at half-time, and questioned whether his side had it inside to rise to a new height after consecutive defeats across the ditch.
“It was just, ‘what does it mean to us?’ McKellar said.
“You’ve got to ask yourself, ‘what does it mean?’ And I know it means a lot, but sometimes you need to remind yourself and reflect on that. ‘What does the jersey mean to you? What does your teammates mean to you?’ What we’re building, ‘what does it mean to you?’ And if it means something, then genuinely you go that extra yard and you show that bit more care.
“You get your answer then in that second 45?
“I mean, you’d like to have won it by 30, but in terms of fight and courage and just turning up for your mate time after time after time, we certainly saw that.”
Despite the Chiefs dominating territory and possession early, last year’s runner’s-up had nothing to show for their toil.
While Wilson was denied a try soon after because of a knock-on near half-way, there was no stopping Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii after 18 minutes as the code-hopper managed to beat a couple of defenders, including McKenzie and All Blacks star Quinn Tupaea, on his way to the tryline.
The Waratahs then raced to a 14-0 lead after some fine foot-work in the middle of the field from Joey Walton saw Reilly continue his rich tryscoring form.
The home side looked like they had a third try when Lalakai Foketi planted the ball out wide, but a head-scratching decision from TMO James Leckie denied the centre a five-pointer.
Making matters worse, an obvious forward pass was missed moments later from Luke Jacobson as the visitors hit back through winger Leroy Carter.
The Chiefs’ surge was short lived though as outside centre Gideon Wrampling was shown a yellow card for a high shot on Suaalii.
Wilson’s incredible length-of-the-field team try restored the Waratahs’ 14-point lead after 44 minutes.
It didn’t look like being enough when bruising back-rower Samipeni Finau crashed over in the 52nd minute. McKenzie added the extras to cut the score to a converted try.
Despite being camped down inside the Waratahs’ 22, the Chiefs couldn’t break the home side as McKellar’s men held on for a famous win.
“It was a special one, a really special one,” acting Waratahs captain Hugh Sinclair said.
“It might have been a few years since the New South Wales chant started up. It’s nice to hear, and nice to be able to string some home wins together.
“Those kids, I remember when I was a kid, they remember the wins. They remember those games and signing autographs and whatnot.”
The defeat could prove an incredibly costly one for the Chiefs though, who slipped dropped behind the Crusaders after their New Zealand rivals beat the Hurricanes earlier on Friday.
The seven-point win saw the Waratahs entrench themselves in the top six, moving into fourth on 21 points – seven points behind the Crusaders.
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.