Waratahs title validates Cheika's changes

Bernard Foley's late penalty will go down in the record books as winning New South Waratahs their first Super Rugby title, but for coach Michael Cheika the triumph was built on getting all the little things right.

Flyhalf Foley's 79th-minute kick from range gave the Waratahs a thrilling 33-32 victory over the seven-time champion Canterbury Crusaders in front of an ecstatic crowd of 61,823 at Olympic Stadium on Saturday.

The victory capped the revolution Cheika has inspired in his two years back in Sydney, transforming an underachieving team coming off its worst season and regularly booed off the park by dwindling crowds into southern hemisphere champion.