The script was written perfectly for a fairytale finish after a brutal season for the Waratahs. With one minute to go after a heroic comeback that clawed back 19 points, 20-year-old NSW debutant Jack Bowen hunched down, and carefully adjusted his kicking tee just inside his half, confident that he could kick the winning penalty with his side a point down against their oldest and fiercest rivals, the Reds.

Bowen slipped slightly with his footing and the kick missed, soon after the hooter sounded, the Reds celebrated the 27-26 victory and the 12,018 fans quickly left Allianz Stadium, just like the Waratahs players, ready for this season to be cast to the memory banks forever and to draw a line under it once and for all. It is often the hope that hurts the most.

The one-point defeat summed up NSW’s season perfectly, there was often so much hope and promise, but the Waratahs always seemed to stumble when they needed to execute at the crucial moment. The team have become well acquainted with close losses. In round three, the Waratahs lost by 21-23 to the Hurricanes. In round four, they went down 10-12 to the Blues. Then in round five, they lost an excruciatingly tough encounter 39-36 to the Drua in Fiji. Arguable it was this series of close losses that punctured their season.

In his final game at the Waratahs, coach Darren Coleman was reflective after the game on the chances missed in a difficult season. “Once we started playing some good footy they [the crowd] really got behind us,” Coleman said. “It sort of makes you regret what we didn’t, or what we couldn’t achieve because I just genuinely feel Sydney is waiting for this team to do well. Pity I couldn’t deliver it but I really hope the next bloke does because they’ll get that joint pumping.”

The Waratahs have often seemed incapable of having a dull game in Super Rugby, taking their fans and coaching box through the emotional ringer in almost every round. In the first half on Friday night, the Waratahs were short of energy, ideas and execution as they entered the dressing room down 19-0, grateful that it wasn’t worse. Coleman in his final game was seen cajoling his players to show some pride after Waratahs centre Lalakai Foketi had admitted in a halftime interview with Stan Sport that the effort wasn’t there from his team.

The comeback was thrilling and was largely spearheaded by Bowen at five-eighth, helping his side score four tries to the Reds one in the second half, showing fearlessness with the ball in hand and with instinctive touches of his boot. Coleman paid tribute to his young debutant and the coach highlighted his skillset.

“Yeah there’s bit the egg on my face we didn’t give him a shot earlier,” Coleman said. “In a way we’ve all seen it in Jack he’s he’s exciting attacking player and he puts speed on the game.

“He just needs to grow a little bit, be more consistent with his kicking and his game control and if he can get those parts of his game (right), he’ll definitely go on and be a good player.”

With ten minutes to go, it appeared that Dylan Pietsch had done enough to take the Waratahs home with a brilliant try after Izaia Perese’s break. Reds five-eighth Tom Lynagh responded quickly with a 47-metre penalty to give his side a one-point cushion. The Waratahs had chances to kill off the game, but once again, in a season of so many near misses, they just missed out when it mattered most.