The NSW Waratahs have concluded the 2025 U16s regular season top of the table after demolishing Victoria 79 -7 at Latrobe University Sports Park in Melbourne.
The Waratahs will now prepare for their all-important Grand Final against the Queensland Reds at Knox Grammar School in Sydney next Sunday.
Under gloomy skies on Sunday, it took just 40 seconds for the Waratahs to punish Victoria.
In doing so, they highlighted how dangerous Finn Hannon can be on the counterattack. He put Victoria on notice with attacking flair, setting up Ben Wright for the opening try of the fixture.
However, the Waratahs’ confident start was short-lived. A dangerous lifting tackle by blindside flanker Jayden Richards led to him being sent off. This left the Waratahs a man down for 20 minutes, allowing Victoria to gain scrum dominance and slow the Waratahs attack.
Despite being a player down, the scoreboard began to quickly turn in the Waratahs’ favour.
Following a rolling maul, hooker Talmage Lemusu threw a huge dummy pass and crashed over the line to score, leaving Victoria stunned as the Waratahs began to flex their muscles.
Soon after, Super Rugby U16s leading try scorer, Asher Chapman crossed for his first try of the game, adding to Victoria’s concerns.
The Waratahs continued piling on the points as Chapman led a sharp counterattack, with two more tries coming in the closing minutes of the first half. Hunter Hall and Tom Longland both crossed to send the team into the sheds with a commanding 31-0 lead.
As the second half got underway, the pedal was not lifted. An early try to Cooper Williams, followed by another to Ben Wright, exposed Victoria’s space on the wing. The Waratahs, however, left points on the field with several missed conversions.
As the weather cleared and the Waratahs returned to a full fifteen players, Wilson Ruthven entered the field, kicking a clinical 50-22 before setting up a third try for Wright.
The Waratahs continued to show their physical dominance in the final quarter, finding strength in numbers with a try to Rauri Basten.
Victoria finally got on the scoreboard when the Waratahs were caught offside in defence, allowing captain Dharczy Vaiimene to cross the line.
However, the Waratahs did not finish the game quietly. Late tries to Asera Peniata, Ruthven, and Lepolo ensured they finished the game with a score rate of almost one point per minute,
The Waratahs will return home to NSW confident and spend the next week preparing for their all-important home Grand Final next Sunday.
Match Details
NSW Waratahs (79) defeat Victoria (7)
Location: La Trobe University Sports Park, Melbourne
NSW Waratahs: 79
Tries: Ben Wright (4), Asher Chapman (2), Ziyon Lepolo (2), Rauri Basten, Wilson Ruthven, Asera Peniata, Cooper Williams, Talmage Lemusu
Conversions: Finn Hannon 2, Wilson Ruthven 5
Victora: 7
Tries: Dharczy Vaiimene
Conversions: Hamish Ward
