The NSW Waratahs reignited their Super Rugby Pacific campaign with a 30-21 win over the ACT Brumbies in Canberra.
A late fightback wasn’t enough from Stephen Larkham’s side as the Tahs stormed home off the back of Sid Harvey's unerring boot.
Watch every second of the 2026 Super Rugby Pacific season live and on demand via Stan Sport.
So, what did we learn?
The Tahs weren’t just underdogs heading into Friday’s derby - they were rank, unbackable outsiders.
NSW had won just one of their past 15 clashes with the Brumbies, hadn’t won at GIO in almost a decade, and had only tasted victory four times ever in Canberra.
Add in the fact they were coming in off a three-game losing streak and the bookies weren’t treating Dan McKellar’s side kindly.
That win is a massive shot in the arm for NSW rugby and much needed ahead of a tricky run of away games for the Tahs.
It's also another feather in the McKellar coaching cap after he ended NSW's long win drought against the Brumbies last season.
McKellar can thank Sid Harvey’s boot for breaking an eight-game Waratahs duck in the nation’s capital.
The former Sevens flyer slotted three crucial penalties in the final fifteen minutes to secure a much-needed victory - each from beyond 40 metres on the left-footer’s non-preferred side.
Harvey didn’t miss from six attempts off the tee and finished with 15 vital points.
It’s been a long time since we’ve seen a genuine sharpshooter in action for an Aussie Super outfit - and long may he slot them from range - but the kid’s got other tricks up his sleeve.
10 from 10 tackles made at fullback speaks to his core sevens skillset and aside from a few spilled pills in attack, Harvey looked right at home in the sky blue 15.
NSW’s tackling left a lot to be desired throughout March - but tonight was different.
Skipper Matt Philip and his 19 tackles without a miss set the tone, Dan Botha, Clem Halaholo and Jamie Adamson racked up 20-plus rib rattlers, and Miles Amatosero went proper beast mode.
The hulking lock threw every inch of his six-foot-eight frame around with violence, laying on 21 tackles and a turnover.
Jack Debreczini, Andrew Kellaway and Pete Samu all made key defensive plays too as the Tahs laid on 254 tackles, including 148 in a mammoth opening half.
This scrap was typified in the final 10 minutes where NSW twice held up the Brumbies over the chalk to save certain five-pointers.
It's the eternal curse of this ACT side - not finishing high enough on the ladder to earn a home semi final.
Even at their most potent through the 2024 season where they finished with 12 wins and just two losses, the Brumbies have not been able to crack a top two berth since Super Rugby went Pacific.
Tonight marked their third loss this season and may have sealed their finals fate in 2026 - but they'll be left to rue the result either way.
The Brumbies had more possession, more territory, carried more effectively and made more attacking entries in to the Tahs 22 but couldn't orchestrate another last-gasp win.
Having done the hard yards against the Chiefs, Blues and Crusaders already this year, slipping to the Tahs feels a fell blow to ACT's title ambitions.
This Tahs team may have been written off before tonight but Andrew Kellaway says they've maintained faith throughout a trying month.
"In the broader context it’s pretty important for us - now we’ve got to kick on," he told Stan Sport's Michael Atkinson post-game.
"We know is all we need to do is make it to the finals and give ourselves a chance.
"Things were starting to look little shaky but there’s good core belief - from the inside we feel like we’re trending in the right direction and tonight was a good indication."
The mettle of both sides will be tested next week across the ditch - the Tahs take on the Chiefs in Hamilton while the Brumbies face the Highlanders in Dunedin.
