The Waratahs have defeated the Queensland Reds in their first pre-season trial fixture, claiming the inaugural Santos Cup at the Santos Festival of Rugby in Narrabri.
In hot and humid conditions, the Tahs ran in two tries to one against the Queensland rivals, with neither side able to score in the first 60-minutes of play.
Nine players uncapped at Super W level featured for Queensland in what was their first hit-out of 2023.
Neither side troubled the scorers in the opening half, with much of the match spent in the middle third of the ground as the 37-degree heat took its toll in Narrabri.
The Waratahs had the best attacking opportunities of the first 40-minutes with a number of raids in the Queensland-22, but were ultimately unable to crack the resilient Reds defence.
It was the Waratahs who broke the deadlock, Caitlyn Halse crossing out wide to open up a 5-nil lead for the hosts with 20-minutes to play.
A penalty to Halse put the score out to 8-nil in the 70th minute, before Tiarna Molloy gave her side the chance to snatch victory in the final minutes. Molloy burrowed through the defence to score Queensland’s first try from close range, with the missed conversion meaning the Reds trailed 8-5 with seven-minutes to play.
The Waratahs put the result beyond doubt in the final minutes, a late try to Margot Vella seeing the score finish 13-5.
Queensland kick-off their 2023 Super W campaign at AAMI Park against the Melbourne Rebels on Saturday 25 March. Secure your membership via https://bit.ly/3HPDkxr.
