Super Rugby round 16: NSW Waratahs beat Queensland Reds at Suncorp Stadium

There has never been an interstate match like it. Indeed, there has never been a Super Rugby fixture to equal it.

Waratahs players celebrate a try.

There has never been an interstate match like it. Indeed, there has never been a Super Rugby fixture to equal it as 93 points were amassed at Suncorp Stadium tonight as New South Wales scored eight tries to defeat Queensland who scored seven, 52-41.

Records were broken left and right. It was the Waratahs’ highest score against any Australian team, the highest scoring Australian derby match, the most tries ever scored in an interstate fixture and the highest score by Queensland ever in a losing encounter.

As the Waratahs opened up a 40-19 after 50 minutes and then reached 52-29 on 70 minutes, it was very much looking like a NSW cakewalk. As Tahs skipper Michael Hooper noted after the match, the New South Welshmen literally were walking in tries.

But as they have done for most of this season, the Reds simply refused to accept that they were beaten. In the final eight minutes, they crossed for further tries by winger Jordan Petaia and reserve prop Sef Fa’agase and even in the final minute of play, Samu Kerevi was bundled into touch only 10m from the line as Queensland threw caution to the wind.

Two things made a difference. The first was the injection into the game of Caleb Timu for Angus Scott-Young in the 46th minute. He immediately stiffened the Reds defence and injected new venom into its attack. Certainly in his 34 minute cameo he built a solid case to be the starting six or eight in the Australian Test back-row next Saturday against Ireland, along with Hooper and David Pocock.

Hooper, indeed, believed Timu had changed the entire tempo. “He changed the momentum of the match,” said Hooper, who seemed to be relishing the prospect of having a player of his ball-running ability on his side in next week’s Test against Ireland, not opposed against him.

The second was less expected – the introduction of Ben Lucas to five-eighth. He has been a disaster at halfback this season, kicking aimlessly, but when he moved into the playmaking role he ignited the attack and suddenly wingers Petaia and Isaia Perese found themselves in space.

Yes, it was inept defence and there were some outrageously soft tries scored. And yet, that does no justice to both sides who showed all-out commitment to attack. The Tahs, channeling Mark Ella, worked constantly on getting as many touches on the ball as possible and for once the Reds weren’t able to number off in defence. Certainly they attempted to line up the big hits but so brilliantly did five-eighth Bernard Foley and inside centre Kurtley Beale manipulate the defence that Queensland more often than not were left grasping at thin air.

Yet the level of talent on display was inspiring, with the Reds finally displaying what they were capable of when they kept the ball in hand. It has been a funny old season for them – scoring 34 points against the Hurricanes and 41 against the Tahs and still losing both games. And how wonderful it was to witness an Australian local derby ruled not by mindless defence but with both sides holding nothing back.

Still, Wallabies defensive coach Nathan Gray would be having kittens. Half of the Australian squad was on display tonight yet tackles were missed badly on both sides, with the Reds in particular having nightmares containing Naiyarovoro.

In the race for the Australian conference title, the Waratahs maintained their one-point advantage over the Melbourne Rebels who earlier today broke a three-year drought by beating a New Zealand side, the Blues, on the far side of the ditch.

Waratahs coach Daryl Gibson described it as a “bewildering” match but heaped praise on his side for the quality of its attack, especially Folau. “We knew we had an advantage with Israel, with his aerial skills,” said Gibson.

Even Reds coach Brad Thorn was forced to concede the Wallabies Test fullback was all but unstoppable in the air. “Sometimes you just have to tip your hat and say you’re very good,” he said.

While assuring everyone he really hated losing –as if anyone was in any doubt on that matter – Thorn admitted he was extremely proud of his side, which continues to show the “something” that he had demanded at that start of the season. But whether he could corral it, that was the question.

Jordan Petaia of the Reds is tackled.

“Sometimes I go into the coaches box and feel like putting the seatbelt on.”

It was a case of the Reds desperately hanging on throughout the first half but somehow matching the Tahs try-for-try until just before the break when Israel Folau scored one of his trademark tries off a Foley crosskick, flying high over Queensland fullback Jayden Ngamanu to put his side ahead 28-19 at halftime.

Even when the Reds jumped out to an early lead, after captain Scott Higginbotham had intercepted on his own line and passed to winger Izaia Perese for a length of the field try, the writing looked to be on the wall. Had it not been for the intercept, the Waratahs would have been over in the corner. No matter, they revisited the same corner of the field two minutes later and this time the unstoppable Taqele Naiyarovoro slipped a neat pass to centre Curtis Rona for the equalizing try.

That set the trend of the first half. The NSW side always looked threatening but the Reds were gamely hanging in. The looked to have minimized the damage when they reached the 39 minute mark just two points adrift, 21-19 but then Test second rower Izack Rodda gave away a silly ruck penalty and the Tahs swung into attack-mode.

Foley, as he was to do all night, put the ball into touch just metres from the line and while the Reds blunted the rolling maul, they gave away a penalty in the process and Foley, playing under advantage, launched a crosskick out to the left where Folau did what he always does.

It looked like developing into a cake walk when halfback Nick Phipps waltzed over for a try on the short side after another Foley penalty into the corner and then when Reds centre Duncan Paia’aua attempted a delicate chip kick which perversely bounced exactly as Folau would have wanted, as he raced 50m to score, it was bordering on the embarrassing.

Rob Simmons ruled the lineouts in his comeback to his old home ground Suncorp Stadium and thankfully the 14,452 Reds supporters left him alone, giving him none of the bucketing they handed out to Wendell Sailor on his return in a blue jersey to play against his old Queensland team-mates.

Yet the Reds scrum exercised control throughout, even when second rower Kane Douglas was sent off for team indiscipline after a series of penalties by the Queensland players at the start of the second half.