When the whistle blew after the opening game of the 2026 Super Rugby W season, there was a feeling on the field among Fijian Drua and NSW Waratahs players that this wasn't the end.
“I remember round one of the season shaking hands with them and a few said ‘good job, we’ll see you in the Final,” Waratahs winger Desiree Miller said.
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The two premier sides in the competition will meet in the Grand Final for the third time in five years on Saturday, continuing their on-and-off relationship in deciders.
The Drua came into Super Rugby W with a bang to stun the Waratahs in 2022, repeating their efforts a year later after eliminating the NSW side in the semi-finals.
With their grip on the competition under threat, the Waratahs delivered a thumping 50-14 victory in the 2024 Final, repeating their efforts in 2025 against the Queensland Reds after the Drua fell during the semi-final.
“They’re the benchmark,” Fijian Drua head coach Mike Legge said during the week.
“For us, it’s testing ourselves against the best."
“I think there’s a mutual respect that we have for each other in that we respect their footy and they respect ours and it's always a good competitive match, good rivalry and it's always a great game to watch," Miller added.
But this Grand Final has another edge to it as the Waratahs must head to Fiji to claim their third straight title and cement the current group's dynasty claims.
The Drua have never hosted a Grand Final and the magnitude of the occasion has been evident in the build-up, with the nation rallying around their team.
The arrival of the trophy, let alone Waratahs players, made back-page news in the Fiji Times to go with multiple page spreads of op-eds by FRU and Rugby Australia CEOs Koli Sewabu and Phil Waugh respectively.
Fijian Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka is already a confirmed attendee, with the Waratahs well aware they'll have to defy a raucous home crowd amongst other things.
“We know the home ground advantage, especially in a place like Fiji where the whole crowd gets behind them, it’s going to add another whole layer of challenge," Miller said.
“We’re coming in with the focus on ourselves and working within ourselves as a team. I think that will be the point of difference for us and the home ground advantage might not affect us as much as it would have previously."
The two sides have already played in Fiji this year, with a 27-all draw during pre-season a potential preview of just how tight the contest will be.
For skipper Emily Chancellor, victory would leave no doubt in the mind of who's the dominant team in the competition, with the ledger at two titles apiece since the Drua's inclusion.
Chancellor is one of the few remaining Waratahs to experience the entirety of their six titles in eight years, with the seventh leaving no doubt in their place as one of the most dominant club teams in Australian sport.
"We've had such strong battles and we know that if anyone goes to sleep or switches off for a moment in that game, the other team will punish them," Chancellor added.
"Looking forward to a physical battle, but also looking forward to a really exciting game."
