It wasn’t pretty, but the Reds defence held firm late in the second half to ensure a two-point win over the Waratahs.
The Match
The game started at frenetic pace, and kept it going for the next 40 minutes. The Reds looked to have a few cobwebs, which were blown away after a Quade Cooper penalty to open the scoring. The Tahs quickly worked their way into the game, with their backline looking dangerous whenever they were in space. The breakdown battle was fierce, with Gill, Hooper, Robinson and Schatz all making nuisances of themselves at almost every ruck. The Tahs chalked up the first try of the game when Cam Crawford ran a damaging line inside Brendan McKibbin after good lead-up work from Horne and Barnes.
The Reds didn’t waste much time in returning serve, with Cooper throwing a lovely long ball for Ben Lucas to score in the corner. The Reds backline were trying plenty of different things, but not much was coming off in the face of a miserly Tahs defence. The momentum shifted again in the 27th minute when John Ulugia was yellow-carded for a shoulder charge on Rod Davies. The decision was at best questionable. But the Reds couldn’t capitalise on the advantage, and things went from bad to worse when McKibbin took a great intercept from a Cooper inside ball, putting Barnes away in the corner. 12-8 was the score, and it would stay that way until the break despite a few near misses from the Reds.
The second half was as dusty as the first, with plenty of dropped pills from both sides. The Reds still struggled to get any continuity in attack, clearly missing the leadership of Genia and Horwill. But they persisted admirably, and had the better of the first ten minutes, culminating in a penalty goal to Cooper. They hit the lead soonafter, with Cooper kicking well. They continued their physical dominance of the Tahs, with a very solid performance at set piece led by James Slipper. The Waratahs just couldn’t hold the pill, with Peter Betham, Bernard Foley and Tom Kingston all dropping shockers.
The home side slowly began to get on top as they remembered how to catch the ball. Hooper and sub Will Skelton both made good busts, but they just couldn’t get the ball to the tryline. Entering the last ten minutes you felt it would only be a matter of time before the Waratahs scored, but the Reds defence kept repelling wave after wave. Hooper dropped the ball over the line after a good run, and Barnes missed a kickable penalty. Time kept ticking, and the Reds kept tackling. The final minutes were spent camped on the Reds line, but in the end the Tahs were out on their feet. The ball was passed back to Barnes, but he wasn’t in place for the droppie, and his improvised attempt skewed to the right. The Reds were deserved winners, 14-12.
The game never rose to any great heights, though the conclusion was thrilling. No side really developed any flow in attack until the Tahs in the final minutes. The Reds performance will not be putting any fear into the heart of the finals contenders, though their defence was valiant. Quade Cooper had a chance to send a message to the Wallaby selectors, but chose not to take it. The forward pack was stellar, however. It took the Tahs 60 minutes to work out how to play again, and by then it was too late. They will be rueing not taking their chances with the boot, potting only one from five.
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The Game Changer
The introduction of subs on both sides- Skelton for the Tahs and Samo for the Reds. Although they were born around 20 years apart, they both injected physicality and enthusiasm to their respective sides.
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The G&GR MOTM
The Reds outmuscled the Tahs, and the credit for that has to go to James Slipper. He was everywhere, putting in a very timely display of good tighthead play.
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Wallaby watch
With Link in the box, only a few players really impressed. Liam Gill outpointed Hooper though both were good. Quade Cooper failed to show the composure or decision-making ability of a test 10, though his defence was solid. Rob Simmons also played pretty well.
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The Details
Crowd: TBA
Score & Scorers
[one_half last=”no”]Waratahs 12
Tries: Crawford, Barnes
Conversions: McKibbin
[one_half last=”yes”]Reds 14
Tries: Lucas
Penalties: Cooper 3
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Cards & citings
YC to John Ulugia for a shoulder charge.
