Byrne Trolls Waratahs with Chicago Bulls Cap
“We may not have played like the Chicago Bulls, and we may not have won like the Chicago Bulls, but we won,” Byrne said.
Tuesday 26 March 2024 | 04:45
Fijian Drua coach Mick Byrne cheekily donned a Chicago Bulls cap to make the Waratahs eat their words on Saturday after his side’s first victory against the latter.
The Drua had beaten Waratahs 39-36 for the first time in the Super Rugby Pacific competition at Churchill Park, Lautoka.
Two years ago, Waratahs coach Darren Coleman told reporters in Sydney that “it wasn’t like we beat the Chicago Bulls” after their victory against the Drua.
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But after the Drua beat the Waratahs in a golden point thriller in Fiji on Saturday, Byrne returned the favour by attending the press conference in a Bulls cap.
The image was posted on X (formerly Twitter) by Drua media manager Shane Hussein, along with an accompanying screen shot of the “not the Chicago Bulls” headline.
“We may not have played like the Chicago Bulls, and we may not have won like the Chicago Bulls, but we won,” Byrne said.
The Drua’s victory was their first in five attempts against NSW, again showing the big strides they have made under Byrne.
Kemu Valetini snapped a field goal nine minutes into extra time to snatch victory after the Waratahs seemed poised to avenge two deflating two point home defeats to the Highlanders and Blues.
Five-eighth Tane Edmed missed with a drop goal attempt of his own before Valetini sealed a famous victory. The loss turns up the pressure on Coleman, who is in the final year of his contract and is trying to convince Waratahs powerbrokers that he deserves an extension.
Waratahs captain Jake Gordon lamented his side’s inability to close out tight games.
Fijian Drua coach Mick Byrne wearing a Chicago Bull cap.
“There are positives, I don’t want to get bogged down in the negatives, but we’re an aspirational team, “ he said.
“We want to be at the top end of the table and we need to be more clinical.
We need to find ways to close out those games.”
The Drua are now eighth on the Super Rugby Pacific ladder, while the Waratahs are 10th with just a solitary victory to their name.
Source: Stuff
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