Super Rugby: Queensland Reds beat Sunwolves 32-26
The best start to a Queensland season since 2013 can only be turned into a finals party if the Reds get far smarter in converting all the chances they create. PLUS FIVE THINGS WE LEARNED:
Rugby
Don't miss out on the headlines from Rugby. Followed categories will be added to My News.
The best start to a Queensland season since 2013 can only be turned into a finals party if the Reds get far smarter in converting all the chances they create.
Friday night’s ugly 32-26 win over the Sunwolves was immensely valuable but the Reds made incredibly hard work of putting away an undermanned opponent.
Japan’s gritty Sunwolves contested hard but playing for 40 minutes with only 14 men hurt them, defending with just 13 for five minutes was critical and playing with 12 for four minutes was crazy.
SEE BELOW FOR FIVE THINGS WE LEARNED ABOUT THE REDS
The Reds somehow nearly turned it into a banana skin game at Suncorp Stadium when a costly blunder put them behind 26-25 at the 66-minute mark.
When fullback Hamish Stewart hesitated on whether to kick or run, his delayed long pass was intercepted and he gave a gift 35m run-in try to Sunwolves winger Gerhard van den Heever.
It must have given Reds coach Brad Thorn heart palpitations but the end result is now a 5-5 start, the best since the Reds’ last made the finals with six wins a draw from the 10 matches to open 2013.
There were five yellow cards flashed by referee Angus Gardner but only the red card issued to replacement Reds lock Harry Hockings will cause further dramas.
When Sunwolves No.8 Rahboni Warren-Vosayaco held onto his leg at the back of a ruck, Hockings struggled free and a back heel clipped his opponent on the face.
The Reds missed out on a bonus point again and will have to play far better to beat the Melbourne Rebels in Melbourne next Friday night and the NSW Waratahs back in Brisbane on May 18.
Skipper Samu Kerevi hadn’t made a run and barely touched the ball in the opening 20 minutes. He made up for it with 17 runs for 156m by full-time in front of the Wallabies selection panell of Michael Cheika, Scott Johnson and Michael O’Connor.
No.8 Scott Higginbotham had a busy and influential game because it was his intercept and 25m gallop that set up the Reds’ first half try for flyhalf Bryce Hegarty.
Hegarty also had a strong game, centre Chris Feauai-Sautia made one crucial tackle on the touchline and prop Taniela Tupou played with plenty of zest.
Kerevi said he was “pretty disappointed” with how the team played with 67 per cent of the ball and the momentum of 18 penalties from the ill-disciplined visitors.
Only 8600 fans watched the action. The Reds struggled to capitalise on playing with an overlap, mismanaged it even with too many scrums and only saw the light with Hegarty’s cross-kick to unmarked Sefa Naivalu.
The Reds should have been disgusted with their opening half and their inability to nut out a coherent strategy when the Sunwolves were down to 14 men for 15 minutes of it.
The home side trailed 13-8.
A 5m scrum was botched when a penalty was conceded, a free kick ruined another, one lineout was too disorganised to be set quickly and more ball was lost when a Reds’ lineout maul was held up.
The one try the Reds did score in the first 40 minutes had nothing to do with smart, composed build-up.
Higginbotham expertly anticipated a pass off a Sunwolves lineout, dashed 30m with an intercept and delayed a perfect pop ball for tryscoring support player Bryce Hegarty.
FIVE THINGS WE LEARNED ABOUT THE REDS
1 Prop Taniela Tupou played like he’d lit a fire under himself by buying into this week’s Christian free-speech discussion. He rediscovered his running urge with 10 gallops, fended with menace , flew into an early ruck and was unstoppable when he crashed over for his try.
2 The Reds are still finding their smarts. They got caught up in a macho scrummaging fest to try to capitalise on playing 14 men in the first half. Bryce Hegarty more wisely cross-kicked to unmarked Sefa Naivalu for a try in the second half to make better use of the mismatch in playing numbers.
3 Making the finals is in the Reds own hands because they play the Rebels and Waratahs over the next fortnight in virtual double-points matches. The Reds would leap and keep both opponents treading water with two wins.
4 Flyhalf Bryce Hegarty has found his mojo. That extra pace at flyhalf is invaluable to take a hole or support as well as he did off Scott Higginbotham for a try. You need a kicker booting five-from six when Sunwolves superboot Hayden Parker is kicking six-from-six again.
5 Halfback Tate McDermott made a useful impression in front of the full Wallabies selection panel. His first dart from a fractured lineout was expert, he fed his close supports well and certainly didn’t overplay his hand.
QUEENSLAND REDS 32 (Bryce Hegarty, Sefanaia Naivalu, Brandon Paenga-Amosa, Taniela Tupou triesHegarty 3 cons 2 pens) SUNWOLVES 26 (Gerhard van den Heever 2 tries Hayden Parker 2 cons 4 pens) at Suncorp Stadium. Referee: Angus Gardner
Originally published as Super Rugby: Queensland Reds beat Sunwolves 32-26
Tah’s plan: Edmed and Suaalii to launch a threat set to rival Folau
Waratah playmaker Tane Edmed holds the key to unlocking Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii’s potential, and has a plan to replicate Israel Folau’s aerial assault, JAMIE PANDARAM with the exclusive details.
‘Cry all the time’: $5m man’s road from rags to riches
Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii knew at a young age how much a dollar was really worth, as his parents worked night and day to make ends meet. Before he was even a teenager he knew he needed to step up.