Waratahs sign Foley and Phipps for 2027 season

The New South Wales Waratahs are bringing back their championship-winning halfback pairing of Bernard Foley and Nick Phipps for the 2027 Super Rugby season. The duo, instrumental in the Waratahs' sole Super Rugby title victory 12 years ago in 2014, will return to Sydney after stints abroad.

Foley, known as "the Iceman" for his clutch penalty in the 2014 final, returns at age 36 after seven years playing in Japan for the Kubota Spears. Phipps, a year older, has also been playing in Japan with the Green Rockets since 2022 and rejoins the Waratahs seven years after leaving Australia to play in Europe for London Irish.

“

I'm so grateful to have the opportunity to rejoin the Waratahs for 2027. I feel very lucky to have the chance to finish back at the club where it all started. I can't wait to meet the playing group and everyone involved and get to work.

Beyond their Super Rugby success, Foley and Phipps also partnered to help Australia reach the final of the 2015 Rugby World Cup. Their experience could provide valuable options for new Wallabies coach Les Kiss ahead of next year's World Cup on home soil. Phipps last played for Australia in 2019, while Foley returned to the test arena in 2022, offering rare international flyhalf experience for Australian rugby.

"I'm so grateful to have the opportunity to rejoin the Waratahs for 2027," Foley stated in a news release. "I feel very lucky to have the chance to finish back at the club where it all started. I can't wait to meet the playing group and everyone involved and get to work." High-performance director Barrie-Jon Mather highlighted their "hunger to contribute" and "desire to help drive our team forward," emphasizing their understanding of what it takes to represent the Waratahs and build a winning environment.

“

What has been clear in my conversations with Bernard and Nick is their hunger to contribute and their desire to help drive our team forward. They have a deep understanding of what it means to represent the Waratahs and they know what it takes to build a winning environment.