NSW Waratahs coach Mike Ruthven has faith in debutant scrum half Tiarne Cavanagh and new fullback Waiaria Ellis to make a difference in their Grand Final rematch against the Fijian Drua.
Cavanagh will start at scrumhalf on Friday at Allianz Stadium, winning the race to the vacant position left by Layne Morgan’s departure to the Queensland Reds.
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The playmaker was signed by AFLW side Sydney Swans in 2022, debuted the following year, and returned to Rugby to join the Waratahs at the start of the year.
“She’s earned her start as a new player in our group and has worked super hard in pre-season to deserve this opportunity thoroughly,” Ruthven told the media.
“(Tiarne’s) a really confident kicker of the footy and certainly gives us a point of difference around that. It's exciting to have someone cross over from AFL into our game.
“She's a great athlete. She has a big engine, and the kicking is certainly her point of difference.”
Cavanagh partners the experienced Katrina Barker, filling the void left by Arabella McKenzie (concussion)
Ruthven has also turned to 17-year-old Waiaria Ellis for her maiden start at fullback.
It comes after Desiree Miller's (concussion) and Caitlyn Halse's (hamstring) injuries, with Ellis impressive in her stints at flyhalf and fullback.
“The biggest upside to Waiaria is probably just her resilience,” Ruthven said.
“She's a player that just seems to get on with things; error doesn't impact her in the game. She's able to move on really quickly, and we’ve seen a huge amount of growth in pre-season around her game management.
“I thought she was excellent at ten last week in our last trial against the Western Force, so she’s growing certainly in confidence in and around that space.”
The Waratahs are hopeful Miller, McKenzie and captain Piper Duck will be fit for next week's match against the Western Force, with Duck managing a shoulder injury.
They enter as the defending champions following a 50-14 thumping of the Drua last April.
We've really focused on what this group can achieve this season and certainly haven't reflected heavily on what we did last year,” Ruthven added.
