The NSW Waratahs have won their maiden Super Rugby championship with a heartstopping 33-32 final triumph over the Crusaders at ANZ Stadium.

A pressure-filled 45-metre last-minute penalty goal from five-eighth Bernard Foley snatched the Waratahs victory from the jaws of defeat in a drama-charged conclusion to a classic title decider.

The Crusaders paid the ultimate price for champion flanker Richie McCaw’s ruck infringement that allowed Foley to coolly slot the winning goal on Saturday night with just seconds left on the clock.

A Super Rugby all-time record of almost 62,000 fans witnessed the Waratahs’ historic victory.

The Waratahs had squandered an early 14-point lead to be on the brink of their third painful finals defeat at the hands of their New Zealand nemesis.

But Foley’s 23-point contribution from a conversion and seven penalty goals and a two-try effort from veteran centre Adam Ashley-Cooper proved just enough to deny the seven-time champions from Christchurch.