Flying NSW redhead helps Tahs avoid a right royal upset
A red-haired royal may have caught the attention of the stands, but it was a blood madman from Narrabri who helped the Waratahs get back to winning ways with a win over Moana Pacifica at the Allianz Stadium.
As rugby fan Prince Harry and his wife Meghan looked on, two tries from NSW fullback Sid Harvey proved the difference in a hard-fought 29-14 win over an embattled Moana team who led NSW at half-time.
The victory, which the Tahs secured with a 17-point second-half lead, was NSW’s first win against Moana Pacifica since 2022, and a 79th-minute bonus point to Folau Faingaa will keep the Waratahs within reach of reaching the top six.
It wasn’t quite a get-out-of-jail victory for NSW, but it wasn’t far off either.
Against Moana Pacifica, who played with emotion (following the news this week that their team would fold at the end of the season), the sloppy Tahs allowed the visitors to generate high energy and take a 14-7 lead in the first quarter.
NSW dominated possession and territory all night on the last-placed Moana team, but made life difficult for themselves by knocking down a mountain of possessions and running into the eager Moana defense in narrow channels. The broad attack stuttered.
In the end, the Waratahs defeated Moana and scored two tries in the 52nd and 69th minutes to take back the game-winning eight-point lead. After a 45-minute lightning delay, Moana attempted to recover with a try, but a timely strip from Harvey near his own line denied this and Faingaa’s try sealed the deal.
The visitors took a 14-12 lead at half-time after a mostly poor first half from the Waratahs, which saw numerous errors and turnovers give Moana Pacifica two tries and deny them the opportunity to score more than two goals of their own.
In a pattern repeated several times throughout the first 40 minutes, NSW began attacking but lost the ball and then gave away back-to-back penalties in their own quarter.
Sharp Moana halfback Melani Matavao struck quickly and crossed in the fourth minute to give the visitors an early dose of confidence.
Moana lost a man soon after when Glen Vaihu shot high but NSW struggled to take advantage despite setting up camp on the Pacifica line. They missed several scoring chances, including a Pete Samu try which was canceled out due to an earlier kick.
Using route one through the forwards, Tahs’ goalkeeping attack finally paid off in the 15th minute when he turned the ball out wide and Triston Reilly crossed wide for a try.
But the visitors hit back as a long phase of Tahs goal-line defending ended with a lazy penalty kick from Joey Walton, and Melani scored quickly again.
NSW captain Matt Philip took issue with the umpires given Melani had deliberately kicked the ball to take away the advantage and also tapped it in front of goal, but referee James Maybe waved it all off.
The Tahs began to hold the ball longer and continued their camp in the Moana red zone, but Matt Philip was stopped in the 23rd minute.
It didn’t cost the home team much as points were scored from the left wing and Sid Harvey scored with a perfect dive near the corner post in the 23rd minute.
With over 60 per cent possession and territory in the next 17 minutes, NSW needed to score again. But repeated mistakes with the ball in hand continually let Moana off the hook. Coach Dan McKellar appeared to be growing increasingly frustrated with each mistake.
The second half saw little improvement in NSW’s striking power, at least not for the first ten minutes.
The Waratahs had all the possession but were unable to get past the lively Moana defence; which has consistently pushed back against the predictable direct tactics often used by NSW.
But pressure came in other forms, too. Moana breached multiple times in their own area and Isaac Kailea eventually dug in for a try after the Tahs were stopped in the 51st minute.
The visitors also lost a man in the bin and NSW looked to turn things around after resisting a Moana attack on their line.
Screwdriver continued to slip again but eventually the bench changed and Moana errors helped the Tahs put more pressure on the opposition line.
A long ball from Jack Debreczeni found Harvey unmarked on the left byline and he crossed for a second try in the 69th minute.
Lightning in the area saw play paused for 45 minutes before play resumed and went into the final ten minutes.
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Iain Payten is senior sports reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect with: X or email.
