Waratahs

First blood for New Zealand in trans-Tasman Super Rugby

The Highlanders trounced Australian champions the Queensland Reds 40-19 before the Hurricanes beat the NSW Waratahs 64-48 in a Sydney try-fest.

Predictions that the six-week contest would be one-sided in favour of the New Zealand sides looked on the money when Highlanders centre Scott Gregory cantered over the line for the first try of the competition after just 35 seconds in Dunedin.

McKenzie takes over at No 10 as Chiefs prepare for first Western Force encounter in over four years

Aidan Ross, Lachlan Boshier, Damian McKenzie, Anton Lienert-Brown, Shaun Stevenson and Liam Messam were on hand for the narrow 16-7 win and will all feature this weekend.

Right wing Stevenson will be the only one of the sextet to wear the same jersey as he did on that evening, however.

Prop Ross and openside flanker Boshier were both on the bench in the victory while Lienert-Brown has shifted out one spot from second five to outside centre.

Penney says he would stand down

The Waratahs have conceded more than 100 points in two record losses to start the Super Rugby AU season after a 41-7 thrashing by the Queensland Reds last week and a 61-10 humbling at the ACT Brumbies on Saturday.

New Zealander Penney said his young side were "shattered" and "broken" after a masterclass in ruthless rugby from the nine-try Brumbies at Canberra Stadium.

"I love these boys and I'm doing my best," Penney said. "If other people think I'm not the right person, I'm not going to stand in the way.

Red card derails Perese's rugby return as Waratahs get thrashed by Queensland

The former Queensland Reds back was sent off after 36 27-minutes of the opener against his old team when he flipped Hunter Paisami in an unnecessary follow-up to a tackle that had already forced the ball loose.

It left the Waratahs a man down for 20 minutes until Perese was able to be replaced under the new rules,.

However, the Reds scored all their points either side of that in a 41-7 rout at Suncorp Stadium.

After leaving the Reds, Perese's short stint at the NRL's Brisbane Broncos ended after he was charged with drug offences.

Young Waratahs star Will Harrison inks new contract to lock in long-term Super Rugby future

A prodigious schoolboy talent, Harrison signed his first professional contract with the NSW Waratahs in 2018 and has been a part of the NSW Rugby pathway dating back to his days at Marcellin College.

Since captaining the Australian Schoolboys, Harrison has gone onto excel at youth international level, playing a pivotal role in the Junior Wallabies side that made the final of the 2019 World Rugby U20 Championships.

Captain Rob Simmons returns while Michael Hooper lines up for 150th Waratahs match

“We’ll be flying up there with a big bullseye on our chest,” Waratahs coach Rob Penney said on Thursday.

Despite sitting last with just two bonus points from four outings since their return to the big stage, the Force have been anything but pushovers.

They led the Waratahs 14-0 last time around, almost toppled the Queensland Reds and took the Melbourne Rebels to extra time last start.

So Penney knows full well what the Waratahs are in for at Cbus Super Stadium.

“They’ve been really good, really competitive,” he said.

Waratahs secure signature of Super Rugby AU's top line-breaker

Ramm was man of the match in the Waratahs’ thumping of the Reds on Saturday, creating an early try with a brilliant step followed by a chip and chase to set the tone at the SCG.

The 22-year-old is surely on new Wallabies coach Dave Rennie’s shortlist, leading Super Rugby AU statistics in clean breaks (10), sitting equal first on defenders beaten (18) and running third for metres carried (275) with three games to play before finals.

Kurtley Beale departs Waratahs with immediate effect

It was announced in May that Beale would not be returning to Daceyville in 2021 and following the COVID-19 shutdown it’s been agreed that he take up that opportunity with immediate effect.

In his eleventh season for his home state, Beale has been an icon of the organisation’s famous sky-blue jersey – equalling Benn Robinson’s all-time appearance record (148) in his final outing as a Waratah.

Brumbies 47-14 Waratahs

SANZAAR announced the competition would be paused following this weekend's matches amid the COVID-19 outbreak, which continues to disrupt sport around the world.

The Sharks managed to play their game on Saturday, beating South African rivals the Stormers 24-14, while the Jaguares-Highlanders clash was cancelled.

The Brumbies and Waratahs managed to take to the field on Sunday, with the former cruising to victory at GIO Stadium in Canberra.

Waratahs break win drought against Lions

The previously winless Tahs scored five tries to two on Friday night at Parramatta's Bankwest Stadium to notch their first victory in six matches and also a first triumph in their past six clashes with the Lions.

The home team made their supporters sweat, however, missing six out of eight shots at goal.

But a 76th-minute try to replacement prop Tetera Faulkner sealed the win after skipper Rob Simmons had left the field with an ankle injury.