A royal redhead may have captured attention in the stands, but it was a bloodnut from Narrabri who helped the Waratahs get back to winning ways on the field in a victory over Moana Pasifika at Allianz Stadium.
With rugby fan Prince Harry and his wife Meghan watching on, two tries from NSW fullback Sid Harvey proved the difference in a gritty 29-14 win over an embattled Moana side, who led NSW at halftime.
The victory, secured by a 17-point second half from the Tahs, was the first NSW win over Moana Pasifika since 2022 and a bonus point banked via a 79th-minute try to Folau Faingaa will keep the Waratahs within reaching distance of the top six.
It wasn’t quite a get-out-of-jail win for NSW, but it wasn’t far off.
Up against a Moana Pasifika playing on emotion – following this week’s news their franchise could fold at the end of the season – the sloppy Tahs allowed the visitors to generate and maintain energy, and shoot out to a 14-7 lead in the first quarter.
NSW dominated possession and territory all night over the last-placed Moana outfit, but made life hard for themselves by turning over a mountain of ball, and running right into the willing Moana defence in the tight channels. Wide attack stuttered and the turnovers (there was a final tally of 14) saw coach Dan McKellar growing increasingly frustrated.
Eventually, the Waratahs ground Moana down and scored two tries in the 52nd and 69th minutes to reclaim a match-winning eight-point lead. A 45-minute lightning delay then ensued, and though the royal onlookers had exited by the time play resumed for the remaining 11 minutes, Moana almost rallied to score and make it a thrilling finish. But a timely strip by Harvey near his own line denied them a try, and Faingaa’s try for NSW sealed the deal.
“I thought we handled the break as a group really well,” McKellar said. “I thought the leaders were exceptional. And we had a really clear plan around what we needed to do in that last ten minutes. So that was really pleasing.
“But parts there, in the first half we just turned over too much ball in the A-zone, which let the opposition off the hook. We know we’ve got to reduce turnovers, especially in the attacking 22. It’s a real pressure release for the opposition.”
McKellar said he was very pleased to have banked five points, and praised the bench for providing good impact in the last 30 minutes.
Moana Pasifika coach Tana Umaga said the squad had endured a “tough week”.
“It was a great effort after the week we’ve had,” he said. “It was a bit like the game, really.
“There was a big gap in between and a stop-start. But I thought our players really, in the last couple of days, we’ve really come together and we knew we had a job to do. We were really focused on something that we can control. I can’t fault the effort.”
The visitors led 14-12 at halftime after a mostly poor opening half from the Waratahs, whose abundance of mistakes and turnovers gave Moana Pasifika their two tries and denied them ample opportunity to score more than two of their own.
In a pattern that repeated several times through the opening 40 minutes, NSW started on the attack but lost the ball, and then gave away back-to-back penalties in their own quarter.
Sharp Moana halfback Melani Matavao took a quick tap and crossed in the fourth minute to provide an early dose of confidence for the visitors.
Moana lost a man soon after, when Glen Vaihu was binned for a high shot, but NSW struggled to take advantage despite being camped on the Pasifika line. Using route one through the forwards, the Tahs’ goaline onslaught finally paid off in the 15th minute when they spun it wide and Triston Reilly strolled through a yawning gap for a try.
The visitors responded, however, when penalties again gave Melani a chance to tap quickly and score.
NSW skipper Matt Philip remonstrated with officials, given Melani knocked the ball on to extinguish advantage, and also appeared to tap in front of the mark, but referee James Maybe waved it all away.
The Tahs began to hold the ball for longer stretches and resumed camp in Moana’s red zone, but Matt Philip was held up in the 23rd minute.
It didn’t cost the home team too much, after numbers were made on the left edge and Sid Harvey scored via a superb dive near the corner post in the 23rd minute.
The next 17 minutes should have seen NSW score again but errors released the pressure valve repeatedly, and it was more of the same in the second half.
But the pressure told in other ways. Moana infringed multiple times in their own quarter, and after the Tahs were held up in the 51st minute, Isaac Kailea finally burrowed over for a try.
Eventually the bench changes, and Moana errors, helped the Tahs build more pressure on their opponent’s line.
A long ball from Jack Debreczeni found Harvey unmarked on the left sideline and he crossed for a second try in the 69th minute.
Lightning in the area then saw play paused for 45 minutes, before play resumed and the Tahs held firm in last ten minutes.
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Iain Payten is a senior sports reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect via X or email.
