Triple boost for Waratahs as home-grown talent, Holloway, Kellaway and Sandell re-commit to NSW

Apr 22 • General News, Super Rugby • 1089 Views • Comments Off on Triple boost for Waratahs as home-grown talent, Holloway, Kellaway and Sandell re-commit to NSW

The NSW Waratahs have received a welcome boost with three of their home-grown talents, Jed Holloway, Andrew Kellaway and Matt Sandell, re-committing to the Club this week.
Jed Holloway has signed for an extra three years while Andrew Kellaway and Matt Sandell have signed on for an extra two with the Waratahs.

The triple re-signing is a huge coup for the team with all three players amongst the Waratahs’ new and in-form talent this year.

All born and raised in NSW, Holloway, Kellaway and Sandell are successful products of the NSW rugby pathways program, all having previously represented in the NSW Gen Blue Under 20s, NSW National Rugby Championship (NRC) sides and NSW Club Rugby.

NSW Waratahs Head Coach, Daryl Gibson said he was pleased to see the three players commit to the team.

“It’s great news for the team. Jed, Andrew and Matt are all quality young men. They are the type of players we can build a team round for the future,” Gibson said.

“All three players have developed through the NSW pathways system and are passionate about representing NSW.

“They are all making excellent progress and proving they can compete well at this level, which is great for NSW and Australian rugby.”

Holloway made his run-on debut in round one of 2016 following his maiden Super Rugby match for NSW back in 2013.

The former captain of Southern Districts and the Greater Sydney Rams NRC side has taken little time to make a name for himself as one of the Tahs’ strongest ball runners this year in the number eight jersey.

In round three against the Highlanders, Holloway not only scored his maiden Super Rugby try, he went on to score a hat-trick after coming from the bench at half-time. His three tries seeing him enter the record books for most individual tries in a match for NSW as a replacement since 1882, and as the first Waratah forward to score three tries in a Super Rugby match since the inception of the tournament.

Andrew Kellaway made his long-awaited Super Rugby debut three weeks ago in round six after plying his trade with the Waratahs since the beginning of 2015.

Kellaway’s potential was thrust onto the stage in 2014 when he scored on debut for Randwick against Eastern Suburbs in the Shute Shield. That same year he went on to break the record for most amount of tries ever scored at a Junior World Championship, crossing for 10 five-pointers at the tournament held in New Zealand.

He also topped the try scoring tally as part of the NSW Country Eagles in the inaugural NRC competition, with nine tries in seven matches.

Matt Sandell was named on the bench against the Brumbies in round two this year but is yet to make his first Super Rugby appearance.

A product of Sydney Rugby nursery, St Joseph’s College, Sandell is one of six players in the squad this year born in country NSW and, like many of the Waratahs players, has been a standout representative in the Australian Schoolboys, national Under 20s, Shute Shield and NRC.

Jed Holloway
Date of birth: 02/11/1992
Height: 195cm
Weight: 115kg
Position: lock
Super Rugby caps: 10
NSW caps: 11
Shute Shield Club: Southern Districts

Andrew Kellaway
Date of birth: 12/10/1995
Height: 183cm
Weight: 94kg
Position: Wing/fullback
Super Rugby caps: 2
NSW caps: 2
Shute Shield Club: Randwick

Matt Sandell
Date of birth: 20/02/1995
Height:187cm
Weight: 107kg
Position: Prop
Super Rugby caps: 0
NSW caps: 0
Shute Shield Club: Sydney University