Waratahs

The Waratahs got off to a flyer on Saturday night, leading 14-0, and looked in great shape to back up their win over the Highlanders, which ended 40 straight losses for Australian teams against Kiwi foes.

The game was closer than the scoreline suggests, with just two points separating the teams with five minutes remaining.

But Chiefs playmaker Damian McKenzie scored his second try after the final siren to claim a bonus-point win and ensure the Waratahs left empty-handed.

Not even the return of an inspired Israel Folau could save the Waratahs from suffering a 38th straight defeat for Australian teams against New Zealand opposition in Super Rugby.

Topping the Australian conference and up against the cellar dwellers from the New Zealand conference, the Waratahs had been well fancied to snap the near-two- year run of losses in trans-Tasman encounters.

The Blues had won just two of their nine matches in 2018 to be all but out of finals contention.

Folau, an Evangelical Christian, wrote on his Instagram page last month that gays would be condemned to "hell" if they failed to "repent", sparking outrage on social media and criticism from a key sponsor.

The 29-year-old, who faced no sanction from Rugby Australia (RA), is now set to feature in the Waratahs' game against the Blues in Sydney tomorrow night after recovering from a hamstring injury.

"I've said what I said in recent weeks," Folau told reporters on Thursday. "I stand firm on what I believe in and that's from something personal with who I am.

Gibson said he wanted Folau, who is off-contract at the end of 2018, to stay in rugby, but that those conversations were initially, at least, between the Test star and the national body.

Rugby Australia is yet to publicly respond to Folau's article, though after their meeting last week, Rugby Australia CEO Raelene Castle said they still wanted Folau to stick with the sport.

It is unclear exactly what the organisation's next step will be after Monday night.

The Waratahs stole an opening victory over the Stormers in the 81st minute on Saturday night, with a Ned Hanigan try snatching the result, in a finish Fitzpatrick said was critical psychologically.

Scores were even for almost the entire match, until Hanigan snuck over after full-time, with the Waratahs providing a display of grit that was rare in 2017.

“Psychologically for us, it's huge,” Fitzpatrick said post-match.

“Going to the airport getting on the plane, full of confidence now that we can go 80 minutes.We were probably unlucky not to be winning by that stage.

The 23-year-old played Super Rugby for the Rebels in 2014, signed from Shute Shield club Manly after playing Australian Schoolboys and U20s, and came in with plenty of high hopes.

Though he made his Super Rugby debut in that season, he played just 12 minutes all year, before being released.

“Going to Melbourne when I was 18, I didn’t know what to do - it was my first time living out of home and I was like a little kid in a candy store, being in a Super Rugby team that early,” he said.

NSW farewelled experienced duo Dean Mumm and Will Skelton at the end of last season, and they’ll be missing veteran tighthead Sekope Kepu in the first two rounds of 2018, taking a big chunk of recognition out of their team.

That’s not to say they are all rookies - Wallabies lock Rob Simmons joined the club this season and their skipper Michael Hooper has nearly 100 Super Rugby caps as well - but this isn’t the Waratahs makeup of old.

It might have only been the Brisbane Global Rugby Tens but the heartbreak was real as a last-gasp try from Highlanders winger Tevita Nabura sealed a 12-10 victory at Suncorp Stadium on Friday night.

The 'Tahs' looked on course to notch the first win by an Australian side over a Kiwi franchise in any format since the opening match of last year's inaugural tens event. An embarrassing 21-0 whitewash in Super Rugby followed.

Robertson's renewal is for a further three years, tying him down to the ARU and Super Rugby's the Waratahs until 2020.

The 23-year-old, who made his debut for the Wallabies against South Africa last year and has since amassed 15 Tests, said: "New South Wales is home for me. I'm very passionate about the Waratahs and Wallaby jersey and it means so much to me to get the chance to pull them both on.

"There's plenty still to do this season with the Wallabies, but I'm also really excited about next year with the Waratahs.

That’s how long it’s been since an Australian team won in New Zealand, as the Waratahs became the latest team felled across the Tasman, going down 44-28 to the Highlanders. 

A year to the day since the Waratahs beat the Chiefs, the last Australian victory over a Kiwi team anywhere in the world, they looked to have remedied their sluggish starts with a half-time lead, but were unravelled in the second half by recklessness as much as anything else.