Long-suffering Waratahs fans have frequently argued that when the Waratahs do well, Aussie rugby does well.
Many Reds fans and Brumbies fans would, quite rightly, disagree, and 2024 would back them up, with much of the Wallabies’ resurgence coming off the backs of, to name a few, the names of Rob Valetini, Fraser McReight, Harry Wilson, Len Ikitau and Liam Wright.
However, there is an element of truth to the throwaway phrase.
Australian rugby is in a better place when the heartland sides are performing, and over the last decade, both the Reds and the Waratahs, at all levels, have gone through the wringer results-wise – which has been reflected in the Wallabies’ decline.
While the Sunshine State got up off the tarmac under Brad Thorn and is pushing forward under Les Kiss, after 2024 their rivals south of the Tweed couldn’t be on their backs more if they tried.
The obvious truth is that Australian rugby only does well when EVERYONE is doing well, and 2024 signalled to all that NSW rugby needed to get with the times.
The year saw the chooks come home to roost, the culmination of years of disorganisation, poor player management and missed opportunities – and Darren Coleman took the fall for it.
Commenters might disagree, but his record at Shute Shield, overseas and his first year at the Tahs says otherwise. Darren Coleman is a good coach. He is passionate about NSW Rugby, and it was clear the Waratahs matter to him – and their disappointing run in 2024 cut deep.
(Photo by Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images)
He has now gone full circle, joining his brother Scott in Newcastle as Director of Rugby at the Wildfires – where he should excel. The Steel City is an area ripe to become a prime rugby nursery.
However, the 2024 Waratah season will be an ugly blemish on his career.
While a horrific injury run and five losses decided by less than a converted try didn’t help, many key issues from previous seasons also contributed – predictable attacking tactics and an emphasis on physicality that couldn’t be maintained once players started dropping like flies.
The result saw the Waratahs finish 2024 bottom of the ladder, with only 38 tries (third worst in the competition), 74 clean breaks (fourth worst) and 1,612 carries (fourth worst).
It painted a side that struggled to make inroads, and that ran out of steam in crucial moments. The only team they beat in 2024 was the equalling underperforming Crusaders.
These issues festered a struggling culture, which only compounded problems. No wonder so many Waratahs wanted to leave!
But while Coleman can be at fault for those issues, the club’s problems extended much deeper than during his tenure.
Years of player mismanagement and organisational issues bubbled to the surface, issues that started over a decade ago with NSW Rugby not taking ownership of their NRC teams.
The Sydney Rays and NSW Country Eagles do battle in 2018. (Photo by Jason McCawley/Getty Images)
While the Shute Shield teams covered the gap with the four inaugural sides, it was quite clear there was a disconnect between the Tahs, Rugby Australia and the Sydney Rugby Union – perfectly encapsulated by Bill Pulver’s infamous 2016 comment that clubs ‘only piss money up against the wall.’
The competition struggled to take root in the Sydney heartland, with the Stars, then the Rams, dropping off, which in retrospect was a wasted opportunity. NSW Rugby took ownership of the two remaining sides in 2018 and things appeared on the up the following year, with a young, exciting playing group coming through – until the NRC was cancelled in 2020 by the pandemic.
The result, combined with several senior departures saw the Waratahs significantly underbaked as Super Rugby Pacific got underway – which has hindered the side ever since.
It was hoped this issue could be resolved by Coleman. A winner of multiple Shute Shields, the connections and respect he commanded in clubland was a major part of why so many came back in droves to support the Tahs in his first year – and as the injuries piled up in 2024 he turned to many clubs to fill the gap.
Unfortunately, this decision exposed a brutal reality: as great a competition as the Shute Shield is, the step up to Super Rugby Pacific is too much for even the best club players. Club players would come in, play a few games in sky blue, and then suffer injury.
Harry Johnson-Holmes of the Waratahs leaves the field after sustaining an injury against Moana Pasifika. (Photo by Jason McCawley/Getty Images)
Coleman would bring in an astounding 17 players from clubland as injury cover, even calling on players from overseas. When it was clear his side couldn’t even beat the likes of Moana Pasifika, his departure was inevitable.
Putting a full stop to this decade of missed opportunity, most of that talented core group of homegrown players, fed up with the environment, departed – including Jed Holloway, Will Harrison, Mosese Tuipulotu, Lachlan Swinton, Mark Nawaqanitawase and Izaia Perese.
After such disappointment, it should come as no surprise to anyone reading this that 2025 marks the biggest shake-up in Waratah history.
Since taking ownership in 2024, Rugby Australia has made it a clear goal to turn the sky-blue ship around – for rugby to succeed, the Tahs cannot continue on their current trajectory. They need change, a cleanout, they need it all.
2025 will see that new ownership start to come through, with 14 new players, a new head coach in Dan McKellar and new support staff in attack coach Mike Catt, set piece coach Dan Palmer and defence coach Lachlan McCaffrey.
The hiring of respected coach Simon Raiwalui as Director of High Performance will be invaluable, not just for his experience playing rugby in Sydney, but for his solid reputation internationally from his work with the Wallabies and Fiji.
RA has pulled out all the stops, with 13 Wallabies and one Fijian international set to feature in the side. The Melbourne Rebels capitulation has seen eight players cross the Murray River, the forward pack set to benefit most with the arrival of Taniela Tupou, Rob Leota and Isaac Kailea.
Andrew Kellaway will return to his original Super Rugby side, with Darby Lancaster also joining him – and then there is a certain star recruit who has already impressed at Wallaby level, Joseph Aukuso-Suaalii.
It’s helped that the Tahs have retained several key players, notably Angus Bell, Dave Porecki, Jake Gordon, Tane Edmed and Lalakai Foketi, plus quality depth options in Joey Walton, Charlie Gamble, Julian Heaven and Teddy Wilson.
New arrivals in Henry O’Donnell and Siosifa Amone from the Force, and Lawson Creighton from the Reds will only add more options.
The result, on paper, is a side with good coaching expertise, an extremely talented starting side and, crucially, a lot of quality depth at their disposal.
Judging from a foreboding 43-17 trial thumping of Japan League One side Kubota Spears, there is plenty to suggest this side could flip the script next year.
You can hear Tahs fans in the forums already, proclaiming an infamous phrase: this is our year.
However, that phrase often reeks of preseason assumptions that, of course, NSW rugby is the best. Dare it be said, such a phrase reeks of arrogance. Truth is, progress needs to be earned.
Three key weaknesses loom for the Waratahs in 2025, and the first sits right in the front row.
What will happen if Tupou goes down for the Tahs? (Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images for ARU)
The Waratahs scrum looms as a dangerous prospect, with Bell and Tupou likely to be rejoined by former Wallaby captain Porecki – however, the front row was also what undid Coleman over the last two years – with depth below frequently exposed.
Unlike previous years, Bell should be covered if he goes down by Kailea, with other exciting talent like Junior Wallaby Jack Barrett behind him. Tighthead prop, though, is another question.
Of course, Tupou will be the starting prop, but it has been well-documented that the Tongan Thor has dealt with several injuries throughout the year, and managing his workload was a key challenge for the Rebels and Wallabies.
Should he go down, the backup options loom as the less experienced 13-capped former Force prop Siosifa Amone and 11-capped Tom Lambert – the latter being famously shown up on several occasions, most notably in the 2023 season opener against the Brumbies.
Depth issues extend to the second row, with the Tahs, unlike every other Australian side, possessing no players of international experience – though a strong starting pair looms in Hugh Sinclair and Miles Amatosero, with Angelo Smith and Ben Grant also providing options off the bench.
For this issue, Mike Catt is a critical inclusion – and someone with his coaching pedigree will know how to address these set-piece issues and get the side humming.
The final challenge though, is something that we won’t know until the season starts.
With a side holding this much promise, returning to the right side of the ladder should be expected – but expectation doesn’t always translate. Cohesion between the players is critical, especially with so much new blood arriving at Daceyville.
Dan McKellar excelled at the Brumbies and showed promise as Wallabies assistant coach, but his time at Leicester Tigers saw the team, despite making a Premiership Rugby Cup final, drop down the Premiership ladder within two seasons.
Having the likes of Catt and Palmer around him will help, but does that guarantee success?
Dan McKellar. (Photo by Malcolm Couzens/Getty Images) (Photo by Malcolm Couzens/Getty Images)
Make no mistake, the Waratahs are building from absolute rock bottom, and most know that the journey from rocks to diamonds rarely occurs within one season – it is built over years. There will be losses along the way and issues to address.
If overeager fans think the Tahs have a chance to win the title next year, they should pump the breaks. Be realistic, but optimistic.
The entire reason they have the side they have is because there has been a collective realisation that the organisation’s current performance is not acceptable, nor sustainable.
It is why Rugby Australia has stepped in, why the new blood has been brought in – to get NSW out of the doldrums to where it should be, a heavyweight of Super Rugby Pacific.
Dan McKellar’s men have a huge mountain to climb in 2025 – and they’re going to have to earn every step forward.
