The NSW Waratahs have made eight changes to their starting side for Saturday’s Round 14 Swyftx Super Rugby Pacific match against the Fijian Drua in Suva. The game is scheduled for HFC Bank Stadium at 2.35pm AEST on Saturday 16 May, with Jack Bowen set for his first start of the season and Michael McDonald named among the replacements.
Dan McKellar has reshaped the pack and the backs in a clear response to recent form and injuries. Jack Barrett, Ioane Moananu, Matt Philip and Clem Halaholo have been added to the forward pack, while Teddy Wilson, Bowen, Triston Reilly and Harry Potter come into the backs. Ethan Dobbins is injured, so Moananu starts at hooker, and Philip returns to captain the side and link up again with Miles Amatosero in the second row.
Halaholo is set for his first start since Round 8, while Charlie Gamble remains at openside flanker. Lawson Creighton and Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii form the centre pairing for a second straight week, Potter comes in for his first start since Round 6 on the right wing, and Reilly gets his first start since Round 8 on the left. Max Jorgensen keeps the full-back role, giving the Tahs a back three that has been heavily altered but still carries pace and experience.
The bench could also tell part of the story. Oniti Finau is in line for a Super Rugby Pacific debut if he gets on the field, while Ben Grant and Michael McDonald could make their first appearances of the season. For McDonald, any outing would end a long wait: he has not played for the Waratahs since 18 July 2020 against the Brumbies at Stadium Australia, a gap of 2,129 days if he runs out in Suva.
McKellar said the team was looking forward to the trip and described the Drua as a dangerous side with a unique style of rugby. He said the key lesson from the Highlanders match was the need to start well, and added that the squad’s next-man-up mindset should leave whoever is selected ready to play. He also praised Finau’s work through the pathway and Shute Shield system, and said McDonald had been patient and was eager for a chance.
The Waratahs know the assignment is a difficult one. They have not beaten the Fijian Drua in Fiji, losing 39-36 in Lautoka in 2024 and 28-14 there last year. Their only win in the matchup this season came back in Round 2, when they beat the Drua 36-13 at Allianz Stadium. That makes Saturday’s meeting less about history and more about whether the reshuffled Waratahs can finally carry their home form onto foreign ground.
There is a fresh edge to the selection, too. Bowen had logged just 44 minutes this season before being handed the start, and Suaalii arrives in another centre pairing after beating six defenders and making 13 carries against the Highlanders. Jorgensen was also one of the Waratahs’ busiest players in that match, finishing with 16 carries and 165 metres, numbers that underline why McKellar has kept him at the back. Whether those flashes travel with the team to Suva may decide whether this is a selection shake-up or the start of a much-needed turn.
