Back to the ’burbs: Waratahs settle in for a season at Leichhardt

The Waratahs will play five of their seven home games at Leichhardt Oval after the Omicron surge threw the first season of Super Rugby Pacific into chaos.

Darren Coleman’s side will kick off its season with a Friday night blockbuster against new entrants Fijian Drua at CommBank Stadium in Parramatta on February 18. They will also play one match at the SCG, hosting the Melbourne Rebels on Saturday, March 19.

The Waratahs will play five of their seven home games at Leichhardt Oval this year. Credit:Getty

But with a crowded winter schedule of AFL, NRL and A-League at those venues, and the new Sydney Football Stadium in its final stages of construction, the Waratahs have embraced Leichhardt Oval for their remaining five home games.

They last played there in 2020, in a Super Rugby AU match against the Rebels. The suburban Sydney ground has a 20,000-seat capacity and regularly hosts A-League Men, A-League Women and Wests Tigers home games. A two-Test series between the Wallaroos and Samoa slated there was cancelled last year amid the second wave of the pandemic.

The Waratahs will host the Reds (February 25) and the Western Force (April 16) at the venue before welcoming New Zealand sides the Crusaders, Hurricanes and Blues in late April and May.

“After years of splitting games across the greater Sydney metropolitan area and regional NSW we are excited to build a real sense of a home venue for the side at Leichhardt Oval in 2022,” chief executive Paul Doorn said.

“I’d like to thank our members, fans, and Venues NSW for their continued support of the team throughout the redevelopment of the Sydney Football Stadium.”

The original Super Rugby Pacific draw had 12 teams from Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and the Pacific Islands hopping back and forth across the Tasman Sea. In the revised format, announced before Christmas, teams from Australia and Fiji, and New Zealand and Moana Pasifika, will play each other first, before the top teams meet in a three-week play-offs series.

NSW home games
Round 1: Waratahs v Fijian Drua, Friday 18 February, CommBank Stadium
Round 2: Waratahs v Reds, Friday 25 February, Leichhardt Oval
Round 5: Waratahs v Rebels, Saturday 19 March, Sydney Cricket Ground
Round 9: Waratahs v Force, Saturday 16 April, Leichhardt Oval
Round 11: Waratahs v Crusaders, Saturday 30 April, Leichhardt Oval
Round 13: Waratahs v Hurricanes, Saturday 14 May, Leichhardt Oval
Round 15: Waratahs v Blues, Saturday 28 May, Leichhardt Oval

Sports news, results and expert commentary. Sign up for our Sport newsletter.

Most Viewed in Sport

Source: Read Full Article