Waratahs Spoil Fiji's Party: NSW Claim Seventh Super Rugby Women's Crown in Historic Ba Final

The NSW Waratahs have ruined the Fijian Drua’s history-making party, producing a ruthless six-try performance to claim a 34-17 victory in the first-ever Super Rugby Women’s Grand Final played on Fijian soil.

A Landmark Occasion for Pacific Rugby

History was made the moment the whistle blew at Ba’s Four R Stadium on Saturday. For the first time since the competition’s inception, Fiji hosted the Swyftx Super Rugby Women’s Grand Final, a milestone that underscored the rapid growth of women’s rugby across the Pacific.

The Fijian Drua earned that historic home advantage the hard way, finishing the regular season atop the table before dismantling the Queensland Reds 31-5 in their semi-final. A nation that lives and breathes rugby sevens had finally claimed centre stage in the XVs format, and the occasion carried a significance that stretched far beyond the try line.

Fiji’s Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka was on hand to witness the occasion and present the trophy, while a passionate home crowd turned Four R Stadium into a cauldron of noise and colour. Tickets, which went on sale on 22 July, were snapped up by a rugby-mad public desperate to be part of the moment.

The Rivalry

This was the third time these two sides had met in a Super Rugby Women’s decider, with honours split at one apiece before Saturday. The Drua were chasing their third title, having last lifted the trophy in 2023, while the Waratahs arrived as back-to-back defending champions hunting a record-extending seventh championship.

The narrative was irresistible: the established dynasty against the rising Pacific force, playing in front of a home crowd that had not seen their Drua lose in Ba across both men’s and women’s fixtures. The hosts had not dropped a game in Fiji since round two of the 2025 season. Something had to give.

Waratahs Blitz Silences the Crowd

It gave, and it gave brutally. NSW produced what captain Emily Chancellor later described as their definitive response to a rugby public that had written them off after consecutive round-robin losses to the Reds and Western Force.

The Waratahs scored the opening four tries of the contest, racing to a stunning 24-0 lead ten minutes after half-time. Winger Maya Stewart opened the scoring in the 19th minute, charging over untouched after rapid ball movement unlocked the Drua defence. Stewart then turned provider, offloading to fellow Wallaroo Desiree Miller for the second.

Wallaroos prop Faliki Pohiva, in a player-of-the-match performance, crashed over after the break before centre Rose Ferguson dummied her way through the defence to round off a sweeping multi-phase move that effectively decided the contest.

The Drua, despite dominating territory for stretches, were undone by uncharacteristic errors. Six lost lineout throws proved catastrophic, and twice in the first half the hosts turned down kickable penalties only to come away empty-handed.

Late Fightback Falls Short

Flanker Nunia Daunimoala finally broke through for the Drua’s first points approaching the hour mark, briefly igniting the home support. But any flicker of a comeback was extinguished within eight minutes as replacement back Amelia Whitaker crossed for a quickfire double that stretched the margin to an insurmountable 34-5.

To their credit, the Drua refused to fold. Daunimoala bagged a second try and No.8 Sulita Waisega also crossed as the hosts rallied in the dying stages, giving the crowd a glimpse of what their side can produce when they hold possession and play with discipline. The final scoreline of 34-17, though comprehensive, did not fully capture the Drua’s fight.

“I feel like rugby in Australia wrote us off. We lose two games and that’s it for us — and this is the response,” Chancellor said after collecting the trophy from Prime Minister Rabuka. “I couldn’t be more proud of the way we played today.”

What Comes Next

The Waratahs’ season is not done. They now advance to the second-ever Women’s Super Rugby Champions Final at Leichhardt Oval in Sydney on Saturday 1 August, where they will face the winner of New Zealand’s Super Rugby Aupiki competition.

For the Drua, the pain of a home final defeat will sting, but the bigger picture tells a different story. This was a side featuring 11 players in their first Super Rugby Women’s final and 14 debutants at the start of the season. Head coach Mike Legge has rebuilt from the ground up, and the trajectory is unmistakable.

“This has been a tough year. We’ve rebuilt from ground level again,” said season captain Bitila Tawake. “The goal for the club is to get to another grand final, and we promise that we will get there again.”

NSW forward Emily Robinson entered the record books too, coming off the bench for her eighth Super W final appearance and collecting a seventh winner’s medal — a testament to the dynasty the Waratahs have built.

For women’s rugby in Fiji, the result may not have gone to script, but the occasion itself was the victory. A Super Rugby Women’s Grand Final on Fijian soil, played before a nation transfixed, represented a threshold crossed. The Drua will be back.

---

Sources: Rugby Australia (rugby.com.au), The Guardian / AAP, RugbyPass