Fiji will host a Super Rugby Women's Grand Final for the first time this Saturday, and the home side no longer looks up at the team it is chasing. The Fijian Drua meet the NSW Waratahs at 4R Stadium in Ba at 1pm, a third title decider between the pair in five years — and the first staged on Fijian soil.
The Waratahs arrive as the competition's benchmark, hunting a seventh crown, but Drua coach Mike Legge says the gap that showed in a round-one loss to the same opponent has closed. The difference, he insists, is belief rather than tactics.
"We knew exactly where we went wrong, and building from that game, it's areas where we feel we've rectified, but can get better," Legge told a press conference. He pointed to a shift in mindset among his younger players. "Even our young ones that played against the Wallaroos at the beginning of the year, in previous times the girls would have been in awe of the opposition, but now for them it's just another game."
Veteran hooker Bitila Tawake, one of the last remaining players from the Drua's inaugural 2022 squad, framed the occasion as a reward rather than a burden. "Pressure is definitely a privilege," the 27-year-old said. "I know it is not going to be an easy 80 minutes of rugby, it's going to be a really hard one, a challenging one because we know we're going up against a quality opposition."
Legge named an unchanged matchday 23, with captain Kolora Lomani steering the side and Karalaini Naisewa set for her 31st appearance.
The Waratahs, meanwhile, are only now rediscovering their best after a mid-season wobble. Back-to-back losses to the Western Force and Queensland Reds — as many defeats in a fortnight as the club had suffered in the previous seven years — prompted the leadership group to call a players-only meeting.
"It sucked to lose one, let alone two, so we got together in the safe space to open up and talk about how we're feeling as a team and what we individually think is missing, no right or wrong answers," vice-captain Desiree Miller said. The reset showed in a 33-22 semi-final win over the Force in Perth. "I think particularly that first half just felt a little bit like the old us again."
Miller believes the enforced wait has helped. "We were really happy with how our semi-final went, but we know that's still not our standard, so we're really excited that we're building and hopefully it turns out to be the footy we've wanted to play all season in this grand final."
The visitors have made four changes for the decider, promoting Wallaroo Caitlyn Halse to the starting side and shifting Miller to the wing for her 25th Waratahs appearance. Teenage playmaker Waiaria Ellis, 18, again partners scrum-half Tia Hinds, who scored twice on debut in the semi-final.
Waratahs coach Ruthven is relishing the trip north. "The team is extremely excited about the opportunity we have this week to compete for another Super W title," he said. "We are expecting a great atmosphere over in Fiji and we can't wait to get over there."
