They led NSW to their only Super Rugby title. Now they are back in blue

The Super Rugby-winning halves partnership of Bernard Foley and Nick Phipps will rejoin the Waratahs after agreeing to return next season, seven years after the veterans last wore NSW colours.

Foley, 36, and Phipps, 37, recently finished stints in Japan. Foley has been in negotiations with the Waratahs since May.

The resignation of NSW coach Dan McKellar two weeks ago didn’t scuttle the talks and after agreeing to terms, both Foley and Phipps are set to sign one-year contracts, according to informed sources unable to comment due to the confidentiality of negotiations.

It’s been a long time between drinks for the veteran pair, who last played for the Tahs in 2019.

Phipps and Foley were the starting No.9 and No.10 for the Waratahs in their first and only Super Rugby grand final win in 2014. Foley played 119 times for NSW over nine seasons and Phipps played 87 Super Rugby games for the state, after switching from the Rebels in 2013.

The Sydney University clubmates – who also featured in two Rugby World Cups for the Wallabies and had 148 Test caps between them – both moved overseas after the 2019 Rugby World Cup. Phipps played for London Irish and the Green Rockets Tokatsu in Japan, and Foley had a successful six years with Kubota Spears, also in Japan.

He led the Spears to the 2022-23 League One premiership and was the competition’s leading point-scorer.

Like Foley, Phipps finished in Japan last month with no firm plan to play on. However, a long-term Achilles tendon injury to Jake Gordon in the Waratahs’ last game saw the Tahs offer a deal to cover Gordon’s absence in the first third of the 2027 season.

The Waratahs have Teddy Wilson but after Michael McDonald departed last month, the next player in the queue is Junior Wallabies halfback Angus Grover, who is highly regarded, but only 19.

Foley’s recruitment to NSW has come after a shake-up of the playmaking stocks at the franchise, with Lawson Creighton, Jack Bowen and Jack Debreczeni all recently departing.

With new pair Max Burey and Joey Fowler in the Tahs squad as No.10s, Foley was pursued as an experienced player who can also act as a mentor, but the likelihood is he will be relied upon as the Waratahs’ main pivot.

Foley told the KOKO podcast last week he was excited about potentially returning for NSW in a Rugby World Cup year.

“I think it’s a really exciting year to be back in Australian rugby, if it does eventuate,” Foley said. “Just the hype around the game leading into a home World Cup, and being able to contribute and help the Waratahs, that’s what sort of excited me about the opportunity.”

The return of a couple of veterans will raise plenty of eyebrows, particularly given the number of young five-eighths who have churned through NSW since Foley departed in 2019. Will Harrison, Tane Edmed, Ben Donaldson and Bowen – who is tipped to move overseas – all came up through the Waratahs’ system.

Rugby Australia boss Phil Waugh, who also oversees the Waratahs after RA took over the franchise in 2023, said Foley’s experience would be valuable for the young playmakers and incoming NRL recruit Angus Crichton.

“He’s a winning Waratah, he’s a winning Wallaby, and he’d certainly be very attractive to have in the environment,” Waugh said on Tuesday at a Hahn sponsorship announcement.

“When you look at the make-up and the construct of the broader (Waratahs) squad, having someone like Bernard who has a long history with the Waratahs and has had very successful stints everywhere he’s played, and then you put that with the combination of Angus Crichton returning to rugby but hasn’t played it for a while … to get that experience in there in a pivotal position, it’s a good balance.”

Asked if he was concerned about the number of homegrown young No.10s who have come through but are now gone, Waugh said: ’We’ve acknowledged and recognised that we need to continue to develop our players and we need to develop them in our system, and we want to retain those players as they come through.

“You can’t retain all of them, but we’re making a pretty conscious decision to invest in coaching and invest in the pathways so we have more good talent coming through and choosing to play rugby in Australia.

“History says we haven’t done a great job in retaining our top talent, and so we need to ensure that we’re investing in the right people.”

In Wallabies news, Donaldson is set to be fit to play Italy in Perth after training fully on Tuesday. The Force five-eighth was ruled out of the Wallabies’ Test against France last week with a calf injury, leading to Declan Meredith’s debut, and fullback Jock Campbell serving as back-up.

Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt, who elected not to call in an experienced five-eighth into the squad this week, said Donaldson would have to train on Tuesday to be considered for selection.