Round Two of SMARTECH Super Rugby Women's saw two thrillers as the competition heats up.
It started in Sydney with a last minute winner by the NSW Waratahs against the Western Force as the Queensland Reds hung on against the Fijian Drua.
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Rugby.com.au selected its Team of the Week for Round One.
Another big scrummaging performance from the loosehead to set the tempo for the Drua at home.
Nabuli got the better of Wallaroo Eva Karpani for the majority of the afternoon, drawing two penalties in the first 30 minutes whilst making nine tackles without a miss.
Malcolm Heke was strong for the Force until a case of friendly fire left her with a nice souvenir on her forehead.
From her six carries, she had three tackle busts and 26 post-contact metres to complement a near-perfect performance at lineout time.
O’Gorman was solid for the Waratahs as they recorded a crucial win.
She got through plenty of tough tackles in the first half whilst holding her own at the scrum battle.
Minns worked tirelessly in the tough conditions to inspire the Reds to victory.
She was incredible in defence with a perfect 22 from 22 tackles, 11 of which came in the final quarter as the Drua were rolling on attack.
Tapsell was exceptional in replacing Michaela Leonard as she terrorised the Waratahs.
The former Black Fern was a class above, winning four turnovers in the second half as they just feel short.
Nathan’s explosive charges got the Waratahs back into the contest and inspired them to victory.
The backrower produced a crucial break to reduce the margin to two with nine minutes to go, slamming the ball over the line to inspire the win.
Kreis was huge in the win in all aspects of the game, starting with a crucial try in the 17th minute.
She had two big turnovers late in the first half, including one on half-time that would be the deciding penalty goal.
Masters started the game strong and continued this throughout the game, scoring the first try for the Force.
Following, Masters solidified her importance on defence, pilfering the ball from the Waratahs 5m from their tryline, stopping the home team from scoring to keep the Force in front for the majority of the game.
Morgan delivered a quality outing for the Reds on her club debut.
Her speed around the ruck made a big difference in the first half as they built a commanding advantage, never hiding from having to make tough tackles.
McKenzie’s presence in the backline was massive as she calmed the Waratahs and helped direct them to victory.
She looked damaging when taking on the line with four tackle busts and two offloads whilst sitting up Leilani Nathan’s try with a lovely cutout spiral that put the backrower into motion.
Miller carved up the Force from her first touch, inspiring the Waratahs to victory with a double.
She broke seven tackles and almost single-handedly kept them in the game before the late comeback.
Sauaso solidified her status as one of the best young talents and showed why it’ll be such a shame she won’t be eligible for this year’s World Cup due to her impending NRLW move.
The teenager skittled Drua defenders all afternoon, beating seven tacklers and setting up a try with a brutal solo effort
Smith’s class was on full display and nearly scored the decisive try to get the Force home.
She scored a classy try in the 64th minute to build a commanding lead, breaking three tackles and throwing two offloads.
Urwin has continued her fine 2024 form and looked electric on the edge for the Reds.
The winger came up with a crucial five-pointer against the run of play to finish with two line breaks and four tackle busts.
Cramer’s calm head at the back was a difference-maker for the Reds.
Her kicking was huge for the Reds at testing times throughout the game, often beating the first defender with the ball in hand.
