Warringah flyhalf Chloe Leaupepe scored two decisive tries as the Ratettes pulled off a major upset by defeating Sydney Uni 21-17 to take out the Jack Scott Cup on Saturday at Boronia Park in Sydney.
Leaupepe opened the scoring against the previously unbeaten Uni side and her second try gave her team a decisive 14-5 lead midway through the first half.
She also kept the scoreboard ticking over throughout the afternoon by adding three conversions for a 16 point haul on the day.
“It was a bit of an arm wrestle, we knew they were going to come back at us so we just had to keep going and make sure we controlled what we could,” Warringah captain Emily Robinson said after the match.
Sydney Uni skipper Grace Hamilton added: “We’ve had a really good season, we hadn’t lost a game. To lose the last one is pretty tough but we’ll keep fighting. We will be back next year."
A happy Ratettes coach Erin Morton said both sides showed great skill and courage throughout the premiership decider.
“The girls know each other quite well, they play rep footy together but once they cross that line it’s all about respect and there’s not a lot of cuddling going on,” she said.
“Huge credit to Sydney Uni they had an awesome season.
"They had a few injuries in that semi-final which probably hurt them but you can only play the team that’s out there on the day and the (Warringha) girls really stood up.
“We lost our discipline there for a bit but we got the result in the end and I’m really super proud of them and I’m just really happy for them.”
SCORES
Warringah 21
Tries: Leaupepe 2, Watts
Cons: Leaupepe 3
Sydney University 17
Tries: Le’Auanae, Sheppard, Batibasaga
Cons: Leaitaua