The Queensland Reds held onto top spot on the Super Rugby table with a thrilling last-minute win over the Canterbury Crusaders in front of an ecstatic full house at Suncorp Stadium this afternoon. Following their earlier home victories against competition big guns Blues and Bulls, and a stunning away win over the Stormers, this means that the Reds now have victories against all of the other top six teams (save the Sharks, whom they are not scheduled to meet in the regular season matches).
This was an intense match, where the Reds matched the Crusaders at the tackle contest from the first minute to the last. Robbie Deans says ‘you have to be competitive in all of the contests’, and the tackle contest is the most common and probably the most important. In fact, the Reds finished behind at the scrum and lineout, so this was an essential area for them on the day. During the past week, the Highlanders’ coach Jamie Joseph had claimed – strangely – that the matches featuring Aussie teams were ‘picnics compared to those featuring New Zealander or South African teams’. This contest certainly put the lie to that claim – and I’m sure that the Crusaders players will agree.
After the match, Crusaders captain Richie McCaw was generous in his praise of the Reds’ performance and critical of his own team’s – including himself – lack of discipline, which gave the Reds some much-needed territory, and indeed the final winning score. Had Quade Cooper been at his best with his kicks for goal – he missed with three relatively simple penalty attempts in the first half – these breaches by the Crusaders would have seen the Reds well clear.
Throughout the match, however, McCaw constantly queried the referee, even asking for clarification of the most obvious rulings. This cannot have endeared him to Stuart Dickinson. The final, decisive penalty came after the Crusaders’ counter-ruck had split the Reds open, only for McCaw to use his hands with the ball still in the ruck.
The win was a just reward for the Reds’ defence, which was forced to contend with an imbalance of possession. They gave the outstanding Crusaders attack no room at all and frequently drove back the ball-carriers. This put severe limitations on their speed of recycle and blunted their pick-and-go game. Radike Samo – who seemed to have the daunting job of putting Dan Carter under pressure – and Beau Robinson were both outstanding with the power of their tackles, and both must have cemented a call-up for the Wallaby training squad in a few weeks’ time. (Let’s hope that Robinson’s dislocated elbow will not keep him out.)
The defensive effort, as is usual for the Reds, was shared right across the board by all of the players. Ben Lucas, selected at fullback, played at fly-half in defence and showed great speed off the mark and sure tackling to often catch the attack well behind the advantage line. This was another important factor in the Reds’ win.
The set plays, however, were a real problem for them, with both their scrum and lineout frequently under pressure. With their set pieces constantly comprimised – even with two scrums and three lineouts lost against the feed – the dangerous Reds attack had only limited opportunities. In such situations, the smallest opportunities must be taken and the Reds did just that.
From a lineout, they threw long to Horwill, a dangerous ball-carrier, with the outside backs racing up to support him. In an obviously rehearsed move, he turned the ball back inside to Genia and he, in turn, delivered back outside to Tapuai, flying up unexpectedly between the two. This was an conception and execution of this play were excellent. Full marks!
In the second half, the Reds managed to wheel their scrum up on the left – more by good luck than good management, I thought – to give Samo a belated opportunity to carry well over the gain line. His quick release on the inside to Genia found the Crusaders tight forwards’ defence too slow to react, and Genia scooted down the unguarded short side for a vital try. Cooper converted from touch and a half-time deficit had been changed to a four-point lead after only four minutes.
Trouble loomed soon after Genia’s try, because Beau Robinson suffered his dislocated elbow and was replaced by Jake Schatz, but the versatile young back-rower was well up to the task. Adam Wallace-Harrison replaced Radike Samo later in the game, and he and Schatz continued the match-winning performances of the two they replaced.
In one five-minute period, from the 66th minute to the 71st, the Crusaders enjoyed a 95:5 per cent possession share and pounded the Reds’ line. All they got out of it was three points from Carter’s boot. It was this massive effort that won the game for the Reds. In fact, I thought that the penalty – for lifting up out of the front row of the scrum – should have gone to the Reds. The first man up was the Crusaders’ replacement hooker, Quentin MacDonald. He’s obviously been watching the England hooker, Dylan Hartley, who is the past master of extracting such dubious penalties!
The Crusaders were not nearly as clinical as the Reds, and the few chances that they had, in turn, were not, for the most part, turned into points. Such games turn on the smallest of margins and Zac Guildford’s extraordinary effort down the left wing, just before half-time, could easily have earned five points. A couple of clear chances in the second half were halted only by frantic Reds defence – and perhaps some uncharacteristically hesitant Crusaders’ attack.
The game was played at a great pace, with Test match intensity, as was befitting a match between two of the very best-performed teams in the competition. More than once, the play continued for periods of more than two minutes, and there were some very tired boys when the full-time whistle was blown. It was a great match and the better team won, but there is a long way to go yet! The Reds will be well pleased with their victory, but they know that they will not escape again, against a top team, with their set plays so well beaten.
For the winners Robinson, Samo and Higginbotham were a great back row and had the better of McCaw, Read and Whitelock. This is a massive result for Queensland and Australia. Genia, Cooper and Ioane were always dangerous with their speed, agility and power, and they made many of the line-breaks that gave their team much of their front-foot ball. Cooper’s ability, in his stand-in fullback role, was freakish and on many occasions he defused Crusaders pressure and turned hard defence into threatening attack. I think that he is getting even better! But, clearly, all of the players made significant contributions to this victory and I’m sure that this made it all the more sweet.
