Two of the biggest powerhouses in Australian Women's Rugby are set to battle it out once again on the biggest stage as the NSW Waratahs take on the Queensland Reds.
It's the fifth Final between the two sides and the first since 2021 as the Waratahs enter as the team to beat after claiming the minor premiership.
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Mike Ruthven's side have never been beaten by an Australian team and, thanks to a 36-14 win at Ballymore, hold bragging rights over their Queensland counterparts in 2025.
As for Queensland, new coach Andrew Fraser has undergone a remarkable transformation after they missed the finals last year.
New Wallaroos Layne Morgan and Eva Karpani have added major quality but it's Sevens icon Charlotte Caslick that has been the story of the competition, winning every game she's started since her full-time move to 15s for 2025.
Rugby.com.au sat down with both coaches, captains and game breakers Caslick and Maya Stewart for their Final Word ahead of tomorrow's Final.
On living up to the legacy of the Waratahs
“The message to our team is to get excited, let's have those nerves, but let's use them when we get on the field.
"Ultimately, it's another game of rugby and we just want to go out and play the way we know we can for the Waratahs."
On the game being on free-to-air
“We do have such a big year ahead of us and this is just a really great opportunity to be showcased with potentially a wider audience being able to reach it.
"Hopefully we put on a really great performance on Saturday and that leads to more eyes on the screen, more bums on seats for test matches throughout the year and ultimately a big growth and opportunity for the women's game down the track.”
On the expectation of the Waratahs being the team to beat
"The girls have got really high expectations and they're accustomed to winning and they enjoy winning
"That's always been the expectation that we start every season with the goal of making sure that we compete hard and ultimately win Super W."
On captain Piper Duck and Wallaroo Leilani Nathan missing the Final due to injury
"Obviously feeling for Piper and Leilani this week, really unfortunate for them. We've wrapped our arms around them.
"Leilani and Piper have both been terrific this week. They've both been in and supported the group."
"Ruby's (Anderson) been in the program for two years now and she's performed incredibly well. She's been super consistent and has been a part of the matchday 23 for most of the year so she'll step in seamlessly for Piper.
"Nicole Nathan, we've just gone there with (twin sister) Leilani. She's a physical, abrasive player who'll step right into the collision space, and that's been a big focus for us this year."
On how this Waratahs team compares to past title winners
"We've obviously seen a few key players leave the Waratahs line-up, but we've been able to fill those voids quite seamlessly.
"I just think it's really impressive with the youth that we have coming through."
On the mid-season spark after their opening round defeat
"In the Fiji game, we were missing a few key members to our starting line-up, but still performed quite well and then the Force game, we left to the last minute, so I think just putting in a consistent performance and eliminating some errors (has been the difference).
"We know what we're capable of as a team, so it was nice to do that up in Queensland (last month.
(It was a) nice dry paddock, super hot, and obviously, those Sevens girls playing does add a bit of motivation to get one up there, but I think all around it was a team performance that we were looking to have and it was just slowly building (from there)."
On the side's turnaround after missing the finals last year
“I'm super proud of our squad this year. Last year was a real disappointing year for us and now to have that turnaround in 12 months and be running out tomorrow in the grand final, pretty proud of the squad and our efforts this year.
“I think each game has taken something away to be where we are today, which is running out into a grand final tomorrow.”
On the extra motivation after four finals defeats
"It was definitely there, always in the back of your mind, especially, just for us older girls that have been there.
"It's been a big pre-season into the season and now we get the chance to run out in a grand final tomorrow."
On returning to the Final
"Credit's got to go to the Queensland Rugby organisation for supporting the women's program.
"They've invested heavily in staff across a number of realms within the program, and for that, we are the players and the benefactors of that.
"We've got a great facility there at Ballymore and we've dedicated and devoted a lot of time and energy and now we find ourselves on the cusp of a grand final. It's pretty exciting."
On the pressure of breaking the drought
"I guess it is the classic saying, pressure is a privilege and we're privileged to be in the big game tomorrow.
"We actually haven't even talked about the past, to be honest, because that was the past.
"Tomorrow is our opportunity to hopefully create something in history for our program and for the organisation and that's all we can worry about. I'm not worried about the past one bit whatsoever."
On her Super Rugby W experience
"I feel like every game I'm learning more and more and getting more comfortable.It's been a great experience so far.
"I've loved being a part of the group, and I just can't wait to play tomorrow."
On the Queensland-NSW rivalry
"I obviously am a proud Queenslander. I love playing for Queensland and representing the state that I grew up in.
"I think obviously the New South Wales girls have been the top of the game for so long now, and we've been constantly trying to chase them.
"I think it's going to be great just to be able to test ourselves against the best tomorrow and hopefully put on a good performance."
*Courtesy of Opta/Stats Perform
- The NSW Waratahs have won all 12 of their games against the Queensland Reds in Super Rugby Women’s, with five of their last seven wins against them coming by margins of 20 points or more on the day.
- This will be the fourth time that the Queensland Reds and NSW Waratahs have met in the final of a Super Rugby Women’s campaign, with the Waratahs winning all three previous iterations (2018, 2019, 2021); though, two of those three games were decided by a margin of just three points on the day.
- The NSW Waratahs have won the Super Rugby Women’s in five of the competition’s seven seasons (2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2024), with the Fijian Drua (2 – 2022, 2023) the only other team to win it; in fact, the Queensland Reds (5 times) have finished runners up more times than any other teams.
- The Queensland Reds have won their last three consecutive Super Rugby Women’s games after winning only two of their previous eight games in the competition; it’s the third time they’ve won three straight games in the competition, but they have never won four in a row.
- The NSW Waratahs have won 11 of their last 12 Super Rugby Women’s games, including their last four in a row, and haven’t conceded 30 points in a game since a 31-30 win against the Queensland Reds in Round 4, 2023.
- The Queensland Reds have scored 3.1 points per entry in the opposition 22m zone this Super Rugby Women’s season, the most of any team in the competition, while the NSW Waratahs (1.9) have conceded fewer points per entry by the opposition into their defensive 22m zone than any other team.
- The NSW Waratahs have played wider than first receiver on 42% of their total plays this Super Rugby Women’s season, the most of any team, while the Queensland Reds (26.7%) have done so the least of any team; Waratahs duo Waiaria Ellis (80%) and Katrina Barker (76%) have passed on a higher percentage of their possession at first receiver than any other players (min. 20 possessions).
- Eva Karpani (Queensland Reds) has scored six tries across her last three Super Rugby Women’s games and needs just one more to equal the record for the most tries by a Reds player in a single season (7 tries – Alana Elisaia in 2019).
- Maya Stewart (NSW Waratahs) has scored 43 tries in 29 games in her Super Rugby Women’s career, 26 more tries than any other player in the competition; she’s scored five tries across her last three games and has scored 10 tries in seven career games against the Queensland Reds including at least one in each of her last five games against them.
- Lori Cramer (Queensland Reds) has a goal kicking accuracy of 87% from 23 attempts this Super Rugby Women’s season, the second-best of any player to attempt at least 10 kicks, while Arabella McKenzie (65%) has the lowest accuracy of any of the five players to make at least 10 attempts.
