Joseph Suaalii ended up a winner in his Super Rugby Pacific debut as hooker Siosifa Amone's last-second try gave the New South Wales Waratahs a 37-36 victory over the Otago Highlanders in their season-opener on Friday.

NSW Waratahs coach Dan McKellar has lauded his side's "belief in each other" after a battling come-from-behind win over the Otago Highlanders kick-started their Super Rugby season. Waratahs skipper and scrumhalf Jake Gordon admitted it was a relief to get the win.

They came to see code-hopper Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii soar, but Waratahs fans left Allianz Stadium cheering another, far more unlikely, name.

Super Rugby Pacific season got underway on Friday and here are Planet Rugby’s winners and losers from the Crusaders and Waratahs’ triumphs over the Hurricanes and Highlanders. In Christchurch, the Crusaders claimed a 33-25 victory over the Hurricanes in their New Zealand derby before the action moved to Sydney where the Waratahs beat the Highlanders 37-36 in a thriller.