Mahalia Murphy's second-half hat-trick gives Waratahs bonus point win
The NSW Waratahs are victorious in the Buildcorp Super W season-opener against the ACT Brumbies in Canberra with a 31-17 bonus-point win.
In torrential rain, handling was difficult. A couple of big shots from Eva Karpani and Iliseva Batibasaga dislodged the ball giving the Tahs great attacking opportunities in the early exchanges.
Pauline Piliae cashed in on these big efforts, kicking a 50-22 to give the Tahs the first real attacking opportunity of the match.
Despite this, the Brumbies defence held firm. Their aggressive line speed resulted in a counter-ruck generating a penalty for holding on.
Off the back of this penalty, a beautifully worked backline move by Brumbies Flyhalf, Ash Hewson, found Winger Jemima McCalman to open the scoring in the 16th minute. Hewson added the extra two points to give the hosts the perfect start.
They extended their lead soon after with a penalty goal close to the posts, which saw the score at 10-0.
The Waratahs maintained composure and it was again the kicking game of Pauline Piliae which played a role in opening their account.
Piliae’s cross-field kick bounced kindly for Emily Chancellor out wide who crashed over for the try. Lori Cramer converted, and the Waratahs found themselves trailing by only three points at the break.
Grace Hamilton entered the contest upon resumption, lifting the intensity with a couple of strong carries.
A high tackle from Pesi Palu saw the Brumbies Centre shown a yellow card which was a costly period as the Waratahs put on back-to-back tries.
The first came directly from that penalty after Piper Duck crashed over from a rolling maul, and then Mahalia Murphy crossed for her first courtesy of some slick passing from Lori Cramer.
Cramer kicked one of those two goals to give the Waratahs a 19-10 lead in the 55th minute.
Palu returned from the sin bin just as Mahalia Murphy picked up her second try. Murphy received early ball, put an in-and-away on her opposing Winger and finished the play with a fend, before touching down in the corner.
Cramer continued her great day with the boot, slotting the conversion attempt from the sideline.
The Ash Hewson/Jemima McCalman combination continued when the Flyhalf kicked the ball to the unmarked Winger. McCalman’s ability to catch the ball in the wet and put a step on gave the Brumbies a chance at a late come back.
Hewson continued her perfect day with the boot narrowing the visitor’s lead to nine points.
The Waratahs had the last say however when Mahalia Murphy banked a hat-trick in the dying moments of the match. Captain, Katrina Barker found Murphy with another cross-field kick which held up in the in-goal.
While Cramer could not convert, the Waratahs brought up the bonus point and 19th straight victory with the final score at 31-17.
Waratahs 31 (Tries: 3 Murphy, Chancellor, Duck, Conversions: 3 Cramer 2) def. Brumbies 17 (Tries: 2 McCalman, Conversions: 2 Hewson, Penalty: Hewson) at GIO Stadium, Canberra
