Super Rugby round 15: Highlanders beat the Queensland Reds at Suncorp Stadium

No-one knew how the Queensland Reds would perform two days after their captain tested positive for cocaine. Now we do.

Andrew Ready of the Reds attempts to tackle Teihorangi Walden of the Highlanders at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane.

The Queensland Reds had only themselves to blame for a series of second half errors that eventually allowed the Highlanders to escape with an 18-15 Super Rugby victory at Suncorp Stadium.

No-one knew how the Reds would perform only two days after their captain this season, James Slipper, tested positive for cocaine twice this season. The answer was: heroically. But still, no-one is more accomplished at eating Queensland this year than Queensland itself.

Reds captain James Slipper speaks to his team back in round 10. He has been stood down over cocaine use.

Rarely have the Reds had a better chance to break their losing streak against New Zealand sides — a sequence that now stretches to 11 matches — than they did tonight when the scores were locked together at 15-all right up until the 77th minute. At that point Izack Rodda gave away a penalty for an innocuous high tackle on Teihorangi Walden but it was enough for Lima Sopoaga to step up and break the deadlock with a simple penalty goal from straight in front.

It was disappointing that Rodda should have been the player to cost the Reds so dearly, since he had been one of their best performers throughout the match. Indeed, there were countless other culprits, with the Reds kickers repeatedly putting the side under pressure by failing to kick the ball into touch. The Highlanders, who had lost at their past five visits to Suncorp Stadium, thrive on counter-attack and in the end the Reds’s appalling tactical kicking played into their hands.

“We did everything to lose this match,” said Queensland captain Scott Higginbotham after the match. “You can’t miss stuff like that, simple errors, giving them back the ball. The plan was to kick the ball out. We’ve got to learn from those small errors.”

Reds players are dejected in defeat.

Reds coach Brad Thorn also credited the arrival on the field of All Black halfback Aaron Smith early in the second half changed the whole momentum of the match. “You had one of the best halfbacks in the world finishing the game. He was composed and in control. What you’d expect, I guess.”

Yet the 11,729 supporters who turned out on a rainy day in Brisbane must be wondering when the Reds are going to learn from all the errors they are making. Their execution last week against the Hurricanes was appalling yet they only lost by four points. Tonight the margin was reduced to three but it was of scant consolation to the Queensland faithful. Realistically, the Reds had to win tonight to keep their season alive. From now on, their role will be to play kingmakers, effectively deciding whether the Waratahs or the Melbourne Rebels emerge as Australian conference leaders.

While the Queensland scrum continued to go well, and had one shining moment in the 32nd minute when they blew the Highlanders set piece apart, their lineout was reduced to a rabble. While hooker Brandon Paenga-Amosa is building a solid case for the Wallabies number two jersey in next month’s series against Ireland with his scrummaging and general play, he did his selection chances no good by missing with two vital lineout throws. Nor did Andrew Ready, who came on midway through the second half to replace him, fare much better as he too was astray with his throwing.

The good news, however, is that Queensland is developing an exciting back three with wingers Izaia Perese and Jordan Petaia and fullback Hamish Stewart all performing brilliantly. It would come as no surprise, indeed, if Perese comes strongly into the reckoning for the Wallabies.

He threatened every time he got the ball and his astonishing exit from basically behind his own in-goal to shred the Highlanders defence in a 50m run in the 73rd minute was as dazzling a piece of wing play as any Australian three-quarter has produced this season. Stewart, too, keeps pressing his nae forward, though it would be good to see him switch places with Jono Lance at five-eighth now that the season is done.

The match began as an arm-wrestle and continued that way throughout the first half, with the Reds dominating possession but the Highlanders quite comfortable in playing without the football and counterpunching efficiently.

The South Islanders are the most heavily kicking team in Super Rugby and the Queenslander certainly gave them plenty of opportunities to put boot to ball with good effect. Sopoaga repeatedly accepted pointless kicks and driving the Reds back into their own 22 with sniping touchfinders. It was from one of those lineouts that the first try of the match resulted, as Reds hooker Brandan Paenga-Amosa overthrew his jumpers and presented the ball to the South Islanders just 15m from their own line.

Steadily the Highlanders built pressure and when they reserved direction from a scrum to Tevita Li, Reds winger Izaia Perese rushed up on his outside shoulder but Li spun out of the tackle and was able to bolt over in the corner.

The Reds bounced back with a driving maul try to Paenga-Amosa just before halftime to lead 10-8 going into the break. But after jumping out to a 15-8 lead on the strength of a Stewart try a bewildering interchange between Perese, tight-head Taniela Tupou before Lance passed inside to Samu Kerevi who then threaded his pass to Stewart, the Queenslanders couldn’t build on their lead.

Sopoaga levelled the scores when he put All Black backrower Liam Squires over for the equalising try and from there is became a case of the first side to make a mistake would lose.

Sadly, it was the Reds.