Waratahs

The New South Wales Waratahs, who are known simply as 'the Waratahs' by rugby fans all over the world, compete in the Super Rugby and Super Rugby AU competitions. The team's name is taken from the waratah, which is the state flower for New South Wales.

Read on to discover even more about the Waratahs Rugby side. On this page, you can learn all about the history of the New South Wales Waratahs and see the side's latest results and upcoming fixtures.

The Waratahs Rugby team has existed in various forms since 1882 and the name of the side has historically been the name of the New South Wales Rugby Union (NSWRU) representative team. However, in 1996, it became the name of the New South Wales team when the side entered the Super 12 (now Super Rugby) for the first time.

Since the team first entered the Super 12 in 1996, they have been highly competitive. Although they've only won the tournament once, they've regularly qualified for the knockout phase of the competition and they've appeared in the final three times. On top of this, they've also lost at the semi-final stage on five occasions.

To date, the Waratahs Rugby win in the 2014 edition of the competition still ranks as one of the tournament's great finals. Trailing against the Crusaders going into the final minute of the match, the Waratahs won a last-gasp penalty which was converted by Bernard Foley from 45 metres out to give them a 33-32 victory.

Due to the side's sustained level of success since 1996, several Australian rugby legends have played for the Waratahs since the team was formed. These include some internationally-recognised names like Michael Hooper, Israel Folau and David Campese.

Today, the Waratahs Rugby squad is not as star studded as it once was. However, several Australian internationals still play for the Waratahs, including captain Jake Gordon and loose forward Jack Dempsey.