SYDNEY — The New South Wales Waratahs beat the Queensland Red 43-31 on Saturday to win their sixth Super Rugby Women’s title in eight grand final appearances.
The Waratahs have now beaten Queensland in all 13 of their matches, including the championship match Saturday at North Sydney Oval.
Queensland scored the first try of the second half to pull to within six points of the Waratahs, but it was all New South Wales after that. Flyhalf Arabella McKenzie had 13 points for the winners from a penalty goal and five conversions.
Queensland fullback Charlotte Caslick, who signed with the Reds after making the switch from her dominant seven-a-side game to the 15-player format, missed out on adding to her career accomplishments.
Caslick was looking to add a Super Women’s premiership to her trophy cabinet, which already includes an Olympic gold medal, Women’s World Cup gold and multiple World Series titles.
In the semifinals, the Waratahs beat the Perth-based Western Force 54-17 when Georgina Friedrich scored three tries, and she also had two tries in the final on Saturday. Queensland was an attacking force in its 54-40 semifinal victory against the Fijiana Drua, but the Reds allowed 35 unanswered points in the second half.
The Waratahs will now travel to New Zealand to face the winner of Super Rugby Aupiki in the inaugural Women’s Super Rugby Champions final next Thursday.
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