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.

The Waratahs have overcome the Highlanders 37-36 in a thrilling encounter in Sydney, in a game that featured nine lead changes.

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

Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii made his Waratahs debut against the Highlanders and was surprised at the intensity and pace of the game.

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.

Code-crossing star Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii was hugely influential as the Waratahs scored a last-minute try to win a 37-36 roller-coaster encounter in Sydney.