Quade Cooper may have left Queensland rugby as a diminished hero forced to play club rugby. But he returned in style to reclaim his Suncorp Stadium throne in opposition colours yesterday, orchestrating a dominant 32-13 win for the Melbourne Rebels over the Reds, that sees the Victorians go back to the top of the Australian conference.

They talked about the danger of it happening all week, but the Waratahs’ worst nightmares were realised on Friday night in Newcastle, with a 31-29 defeat to the bottom-placed Sunwolves immediately cancelling out the highs of last weekend’s victory over the high-flying Crusaders.

The SCG is proving to be a happy-hunting ground for the NSW Waratahs in Super Rugby, their third win in three appearances at the iconic cricket ground arguably their biggest yet, with two-time champions the Crusaders taken down 20-12 in wet and tricky conditions in Sydney on Saturday night.

One win from four was not the start the Brumbies had prepared for in the 2019 Super Rugby competition, but they bounced back in style on Friday night to down the Waratahs 19-13 in Canberra, and maintain their hold on the Dan Vickerman Cup.

Returning hooker Tatafu Polota-Nau goes straight into the matchday squad for the NSW Waratahs in this weekend’s derby clash against the Queensland Reds at the SCG.

The Waratahs have survived an almighty scare in Tokyo, sneaking home 31-30 yesterday afternoon over a Sunwolves side that made a mockery of the pre-game predictions of a comfortable victory for the visitor’s.

A new era gets underway for the NSW Waratahs on Saturday night, with several fresh faces named in the matchday squad for the clash against the Hurricanes at Brookvale Oval that ushers in the 2019 Super Rugby season.