The NSW Waratahs clinched a nail-biting 29-24 win over the Fijian Drua in Sydney on Friday, with a standout try from one of the best wingers in the game.
The Drua looked poised to cause a significant upset at Allianz Stadium until referee Angus Mabey of New Zealand awarded the Waratahs a penalty try in the 76th minute.
Hooker Mahe Vailanu was at the heart of a rolling maul that Mabey deemed was unlawfully halted by the Drua.
Kitione Salawa was shown a yellow card, allowing the Waratahs to fend off one final attempt from the threatening Fijian side.
After finishing at the bottom of the table last season, the Waratahs have opened the current campaign with two wins under the guidance of new coach Dan McKellar, having enjoyed a bye in round two.
Meanwhile, the Drua are still searching for their first victory after suffering three gut-wrenching losses, which also included narrow defeats of 36-32 to the ACT Brumbies and 38-34 to the Hurricanes.
Despite their results, Glen Jackson’s team has delivered some of the most breathtaking moments of the tournament, notably Vuate Karawalevu’s stunning first-half try against the Waratahs.
The Drua winger, a former Fiji league international who played two matches for the Waratahs last season, showcased his skills as he bewildered Darby Lancaster and left Andrew Kellaway standing still before scoring in the right corner with a remarkable finish.
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“That has to be one of the most sensational winger finishes ever seen in Super Rugby,” Morgan Turinui praised on Stan Sport.
“Just take a look at this. He has two Wallabies outside backs twisting and turning, and the finish is simply superb.”
Wallabies great Matt Burke echoed Turinui’s excitement.
Vuate Karawalevu scores a spectacular try for the Drua. Stan
“That looks like magic. A defender’s first rule is if you’re running backwards, don’t turn your back.”
The Waratahs have already matched their win tally from last season and will face the Western Force in round four.
The Drua supporters created an electric atmosphere at Allianz as Waratahs No.8 Langi Gleeson caught the attention of Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt with his two tries.
“The conditions were a bit slipperier than we expected due to the humidity and sweat, but we missed out on some opportunities,” Waratahs captain Jake Gordon reflected on Stan Sport.
“Nevertheless, I thought we did well overall. We’ve been focusing on certain aspects in training, and it was great to see that pay off during the match.
“We anticipated that they’d gain some momentum at some stage, and they can be challenging to stop once they get going. We made a few errors, and our breakdown wasn’t as effective as we’d like, along with some tackle height issues.”
Final score: Waratahs 29 (Gleeson 2, Porecki tries, penalty try; Edmed 2 conversions, penalty) Drua 24 (Loganimasi 2, Karawalevu, Dolokoto tries; Muntz, Armstrong-Ravula conversions)
Compiled by SportArena.com.au.
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