The Queensland Reds have produced a sizzling final 20 minutes to knock over their arch-rivals, but the NSW Waratahs were left questioning a contentious refereeing decision which took away a try that would have given them a late lead.
The Reds held a 19-17 lead with seven minutes left to play at Lang Park on Saturday night, when Waratahs outside centre Triston Reilly streaked down the right touchline, soared over the corner post, and appeared to ground the ball just inside the dead-ball line.
But after the try was awarded, the Television Match Official (TMO) intervened, and the try was under review. Despite the point of the ball appearing to be grounded before touching the dead-ball line, the try was disallowed.
Carter Gordon would score his second try of the night just minutes later to seal the 26-17 win for the Reds.
Asked about the overturned decision, NSW Waratahs coach Dan McKellar cut a frustrated figure, asking members of the media in at his press conference if they thought Reilly had scored.
“If the referee awards a try, unless it’s clear and obvious, it stays a try,” McKellar said.
“Is that not right?”
Dan McKellar questioned whether there was enough evidence for the referees to overturn what would have been a try to take the lead late against the Reds. (AAP: Darren England)
The Waratahs would have taken the lead if Reilly’s effort was rewarded. Instead, the Waratahs had to rue a missed opportunity as they twice let a five-point lead slip in the final 20 minutes.
After a scrappy opening hour that was at times bereft of attacking imagination, the game sprung into life in the final stages with five of the game’s seven tries coming in the final 22 minutes.
The Reds would score three of those tries, with Gordon snagging a double and inside centre Isaac Henry finishing off a magnificent attacking raid that started deep inside Queensland territory.
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The win makes it three in a row for the Reds after going down in their season-opener to the Waratahs last month, also racking up wins against the Highlanders and ACT Brumbies in this stretch.
“I was proud,” Reds captain Fraser McReight said after the win.
“It’s one of the highlights when you get to play New South Wales at [Lang Park] for any Queenslander.\
“We knew that last 15 [minutes] was going to be important. The boys did a fantastic job.”
The Waratahs were forced into a late change before kick-off, with openside flanker Charlie Gamble being ruled out and replaced by Englishman Jamie Adamson.
Australia Wallabies captain Harry Wilson scored the opening try of the contest for the Reds in the seventh minute.
A bomb from Reds Gordon was not caught by Waratahs fullback James Hendren. Reds fullback Jock Campbell gathered the loose ball, then gave a short pass to Wilson who was on his left in support.
The Waratahs were denied a try six minutes later when lanker Clem Halaholo was held up over the line, but the visitors would strike in the 17th minute.
Sustained pressure at the goal line paid off when Adamson burrowed over from close range to level the match at seven all.
That would be all the scoring in the first half, with both side unable to take advantage of any meaningful scoring opportunities.
The slugfest in the middle of the field continued in the second half, with both sides struggling to achieve any sort of sustained momentum.
With a lineout five metres from the Reds’ goal line, the Waratahs were able to drive a maul over the line, with reserve hooker Ioane Moananu grounding the ball for a 12-7 advantage after 58 minutes.
That score sparked life into the contest, after dull hour of both teams trading kicks from the base of the ruck.
The Reds levelled the game at 12 all, when fly-half Gordon touched down off the back of a spirited run from Campbell.
But a poor defensive error from the home side allowed the Waratahs to re-establish a five-point lead.
Right winger Max Jorgensen streaked down the wing and put in a little kick which rolled dangerously towards the corner. Two Reds were unable to converge on the ball, while the chasing Jorgensen chased and got an outstretched boot onto the ball.
Wallaby Harry Potter, who had recently being brought into the contest, grounded the ball as the Waratahs took a 17-12 lead.
Then the moment of the match came in the 70th minute, when the Reds attacked from deep in their own territory to produce a brilliant try.
Treyvon Pritchard, in his second Super Rugby match, passed wide to inside centre Henry who ran across field then passed to right winger Filipo Daugunu who ran back against the grain.
Daugunu broke through the line and ran 40 metres up the middle of the field, before passing to a flying Henry who scored next to the posts to ensure the successful conversion.
Gordon scored his second try in the 75th minute to seal the win for the Reds, running against the grain and slicing through the Waratahs’ defence to run 55 metres and score in the corner.
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Gordon’s try came just two minutes after Reilly’s overturned try was chalked off following a video review.
The sideline conversion from Campbell gave the Reds a 26-17 lead with four minutes remaining.
Brumbies suffer first ever loss to Drua
— Reporting by AAP
The undermanned ACT Brumbies have suffered their first-ever loss to the Fijian Drua, beaten 42-27 in their second-straight Super Rugby Pacific defeat.
Coach Stephen Larkham made 10 changes to his squad that copped the heartbreaking, last-gasp 34-31 loss to the Queensland Reds because of player management protocols and injuries.
His heavily-rotated team not only had to battle the lively Drua, fresh from a bye and in front of a raucous home crowd, but also the wet, sultry conditions engulfing sold-out Govind Park at Ba in Fiji on Saturday.
After a back-and-forth first half the home side had a 20-12 lead at the main break and the Drua put more pressure on the visitors to create a 20-point deficit with less than 30 minutes remaining.
Although the Brumbies found three five-pointers, the Drua held strong to dash the Canberrans’ hopes of retaking top spot on the ladder.
“They got into a bit of Fijian rugby, and we weren’t clinical enough to close out opportunities,” Brumbies fullback Andy Muirhead told FBC Sports.
“We’ve got to have a goldfish memory about this one, review it quickly, and move on.”
It was the Drua’s second win against a top-two opponent this season, having beaten the ladder-leading Hurricanes 25-20 on February 28 at home, and it came in their first-ever match in Ba.
“We came down on Tuesday and we spoke about a historic moment here in Ba and that we had to perform,” Drua co-captain Frank Lomani said.
“It was so energetic. We could feel them [the crowd]. They were with us on the field.”
The Brumbies can take some satisfaction from the performance of 21-year-old back-rower Toby Macpherson, who scored a double in his first start, while Wallabies star Rob Valetini was typically busy (44 metres, 17 tackles) in his 100th Super Rugby game.
Hudson Creighton crossed first after Kye Oates slipped through the Drua’s defence before handing it to Klayton Thorn, who grubbered it to the diving Brumbies centre.
Blindside flanker Etonia Waqa responded with a try before teammate Mesake Doge was handed a yellow card and Macpherson crashed over in the 25th minute.
The Drua scored the next three tries through Elia Canakaivata, Sairusi Ravudi and Ilaisa Droasese.
But, Macpherson scored his second when he found himself on top of a loose ball before Ryan Lonergan and Creighton linked up to cut the deficit to 10 points.
Although Muirhead found a five-pointer in the 80th minute, it came as a consolation after Droasese crossed in the 70th minute.
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