Updated ,first published
A relationship forged in a Sydney pub after the 2003 World Cup final, and strengthened during the Invictus Games 15 years later, was a key factor in getting Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to a Waratahs game on Friday night.
The high-profile Duke and Duchess of Sussex will round out their four-day tour with an unusual engagement at a comparatively low-profile Super Rugby Pacific match between NSW and Moana Pasifika at Allianz Stadium.
In a sad twist, however, the game could be one of the last for the troubled Moana Pasifika franchise, which represents Tonga, Samoa and the Cook Islands. Owners of the New Zealand-based club told players on Tuesday they will not fund the team next year, opening the prospect of the club folding and Super Rugby Pacific moving to a 10-team competition in 2027.
The Friday night game will be the first rugby match in Sydney for Prince Harry since he cheered England home in the final of the 2003 World Cup, in which Jonny Wilkinson infamously kicked an extra-time drop goal to beat the Wallabies.
Aged 19 at the time, Harry enjoyed several weeks in Australia following the England team during their World Cup campaign, decked out in a replica England jersey. He even joined the celebrations of Martin Johnson’s English squad in their change room after the final.
Rugby Australia chief executive Phil Waugh, who played for the Wallabies in the 2003 final, also had a drink with Prince Harry later that night at a Darling Harbour pub.
“After the final we spent a bit of time together; he was excitable, which every English person in our country and around the world were at that time,” Waugh said.
“It was just it was a celebration of rugby, as much as it was about one team winning or losing.”
Waugh was later involved with the 2018 Invictus Games in Sydney as well, the multi-sport event founded by Prince Harry, in which wounded, injured and sick military service personnel compete.
When Prince Harry and Meghan’s Australian trip was announced recently, Waugh reached out to their camp and extended an invitation to the Waratahs’ clash with Moana Pasifika.
“We heard they were coming to town and with that connection with the Invictus Games, it was a good opportunity to reconnect and see if there was a possibility of catching up, and the dates and timings worked out perfectly,” Waugh said. “It will just give them a chance to relax and watch some footy and have a good night.”
The royals are likely to watch the game from the SCG Trust suite and entertain some military and Invictus Games guests.
The crowd will likely be about 13,000-15,000. The royal visit may help move some tickets, and Harry will recognise at least one person on the field in the warm-ups. One of the Waratahs’ coaching staff – backs coach Mike Catt – was in the England side in 2003.
“Catty thinks him and Harry are best mates,” NSW defence coach Locky McCaffrey said. “
The Moana Pasifika fixture works well for the royals with the Commonwealth connection but the game can’t be described as a blockbuster: NSW are running eighth in Super Rugby and Moana Pasifika are last, with one win from eight games.
Moana Pasifika have struggled on and off the field since their introduction in Super Rugby Pacific in 2022. Their highest finish was third-last, in 2025, and they have won only 15 games in five seasons.
The outfit has also struggled financially, and with early World Rugby and New Zealand Rugby funding having been wound back, the owners – Pasifika Medical Association – have been unsuccessfully looking for more investment for several seasons. After a semi-revival with Ardie Savea in the side last year, Moana’s crowds and results have nosedived this season.
New Zealand legend Tana Umaga, who is leaving his role as Moana Pasifika head coach to join Dave Rennie’s All Blacks staff in July, blasted the Blues for not being welcoming in their shared home city, Auckland.
“I don’t know if they realise there’s two professional rugby teams in this city, but we do know they don’t want us here,” Umaga said on Thursday.
“We’ve got nothing against the playing group, nothing against the staff, because I’ve worked in there, but the people that make decisions have made it very hard for us to survive over here. That’s why they probably are our greatest rivals because they want to see us not do well, and not thrive. I struggle with that.”
‘Wizard of Oz moment’: Tornado terror for touring Aussie rugby stars
Meanwhile, the Australian women’s rugby team was forced to take shelter in their hotel after tornado activity in Kansas produced late-night alarms and caused panic among players.
The Wallaroos, who are in America as part of the Pacific Four Series, are in Kansas City before a clash with the US women’s team on Saturday morning (AEST).
But their preparations took a scary turn on Monday night (Tuesday AEST) when wild storm activity in the city escalated to a “Tornado watch warning”, following the confirmed landing of twisters in the nearby suburbs of Ottawa and Harrisonville.
Kansas City is part of the region in central America known as “Tornado Alley”, due to the destructive storm activity between April and June.
Wallaroos players were preparing for bed after a day of training when an alarm sounded and they were instructed by hotel staff to move into the inner section of the Sheraton Overland Park away from windows.
Wallaroos players huddled in the hallway as the storm front rolled through.
“We trained today in Kansas for the first time and it was quite strong winds and warm weather, but didn’t think anything of it,” Wallaroos winger Maya Stewart said.
“We got an afternoon storm come through, and it’s just got worse since we’ve been here. We got back to our rooms and now they’re telling us to stay in the hallways of our hotel until the warning is over.
“It feels a bit like a real life Wizard of Oz moment here. Hopefully it settles down soon.”
Wallaroos players were eventually allowed back in their rooms after danger subsided.
It is the second dangerous weather the Wallaroos have been exposed to in a week. A Test match against Canada at the weekend in Sacramento was delayed by 70 minutes due to lightning as part of a torrential storm.
The game eventually got under way, but with no fans after local police deemed it too dangerous.
In horrendous conditions that would have resulted in most games being called off, Canada won 24-0.
Iain Payten is a senior sports reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect via X or email.