“This is one of the greatest tries that we have ever, ever seen at the SFS. Wow!”

They were the words ushered by Stan Sport’s Sean Maloney as Teddy Wilson – the son of Wallabies World Cup winner, David – finished off a coast-to-coast try during the Waratahs’ 21-14 upset win over the Chiefs in a moment that will be played on highlights reels for years.

While the Waratahs took the ball from deep inside their touchline to the opposition line 105 metres downfield, the magical five-pointer that got the traditionally sleepy Sydney crowd up from their seats was closer to a 120-metre effort.

Indeed, after Chiefs lock Manaaki Selby-Rickit turned over possession on the Waratahs’ line, the ball went through seven sets of hands, including a double touch from Andrew Kellaway, after Lalakai Foketi shovelled the ball back to Wilson to kick start 20 glorious seconds of running rugby.

In the end Wilson finished what he started, combining spectacularly with Kellaway as the Waratahs threw caution to the wind and backed themselves to score a try from the Gods.

Along the way, several New Zealanders were made to look silly, including Damian McKenzie, Leroy Carter, Josh Jacomb and Cortez Ratima, as the Waratahs took a leaf out of their trans-Tasman neighbour’s book.

Teddy Wilson finished off one of the Waratahs’ greatest team tries during their win over the Chiefs. (Photo by Pete Dovgan/Speed Media/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

So how did it occur?

“We spoke during the week about just being brave and playing from wherever,” Wilson told reporters following the seven-point win, which saw the Waratahs move up into fourth spot.

“The boys put in a good defensive effort, we got the turnover, and then the boys just lit up.

“There was plenty of space out there on the right. We found Kels, and Kels did a lot of the work, and then gave it to Su (Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii), and it was some good skill from Lawson [Creighton] to tap it back in, and then Kels again.

“I was just lucky to be backing up on the inside and finish it off.”

Wilson finished the try with an epic swan dive that capped the incredible moment.

But Kellaway, who has made it a habit of featuring in some long-range tries, admitted it didn’t quite go to script.

“I was telling Su to switch under me,” the veteran Waratahs back said.

“It was my Nathan Cleary moment, and he wouldn’t come underneath me.

“But what we know is you give the thoroughbred (Suaalii) the ball nice and early, and he’ll do his thing.

“Look, as Teddy said, we talked about it.

“You don’t be the Chiefs by scoring 12 points. You really have to earn your metres and earn your points, and I think that’s a really good example of the mindset that we took into the game.”

That stuff’s harder than it looks, though, right?

“Yeah, well, you talk about where we are as a team, right? So it’s new. We’re three or four months into a two or three-year journey. So, for the last couple of weeks, we’ve been building combinations, building relationships.

“Some of these guys only met in January.

“I think what you’re seeing there is we’ve had a little bit of teething, but we’re starting to get to know each other a bit better, get to know each other’s games a bit better, what makes each other tick and all that sort of stuff.

“So, look, all I’ll say on the combination, the way it all worked, is I think that’s a result of quite a lot of work that’s gone in over the last couple of weeks.”

While Wilson, Kellaway and Suaalii all featured prominently in the counterattacking play, the showstopping moment could have been left in the scrap heap if it wasn’t for Creighton’s incredible, split-second overhead pass that found Kellaway.

“I think Lawson’s just a naturally gifted footy player,” said Wilson.

“He’s that type of guy that can take the line on at 10, create things out of nothing. That to him just comes naturally. You’ve got the ball on the inside.

“He knew Kels was going to be there, and just that tap over the top, it was very special.

“If he doesn’t do that, we don’t score the try. So, it’s a credit to him.”

The Waratahs celebrate their win over the Chiefs at Allianz Stadium on April 11, 2025. (Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)

And is that the DNA of Australian rugby returning?

“You might have to ask Campo about the DNA of Aussie rugby,” Kellaway said. “He’ll be able to tell you all about it.

“Look, it’s above my pay grade to answer a big question like that. But what I will say is I think that we believe, certainly as Waratahs and as Wallabies, that we can attack with the best of them.

“And in order to do that, we have to back ourselves.

“I would say that those tries are all a result of plenty of hard work that went in before the actual moment.”