Queensland Reds stage second-half comeback to down Chiefs

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A ROUSING 23-18 Reds upset in Hamilton on Friday night is proof the financial rescue package for Queensland rugby will be backing a steely new attitude on the field, not the flops of old. Not since a 14-man Reds outfit stunned the Stormers in Cape Town seven years ago have Queensland uncorked a backs-to-the-wall display of such character overseas to come back from 15-0 down against the top-dog Chiefs.

The Reds conceded three tries in the opening 20 minutes when they were every bit the 7-1 outsiders they entered the match as because injuries had torn quality Wallabies Digby Ioane, Peter Hynes and James Horwill from the ranks.

The patched-together Reds fixed their leaking defence and outmuscled the home side with their direct style to end a five-year drought against the 2009 Super 14 finalists from Waikato.

They rallied courageously around new team leaders Will Genia and Daniel Braid.

“We really dug deep and it was an outstanding effort,” said Genia, whose composure and service were superb.

“Attitude was something we really wanted to change (in our team) and that shone through with our performance.”

Former All Blacks flanker Braid, opposing younger brother Luke, was outstanding and produced two pivotal plays.

Trailing 18-16 midway through the second half and with the Chiefs on attack, Braid pounced on a Mils Muliaina fumble and hoofed it 50m downfield. Tearaway teenage fullback Luke Morahan outsprinted his rivals, toed ahead and scored next to the posts.

Braid also snuffed out an almost certain Chiefs try in the tense final minutes by forcing a penalty after the Reds soaked up a series of pick-and-drives on the line.

There was a try for code convert Will Chambers and a happy homecoming for Reds playmaker Quade Cooper. He was raised in nearby Tokoroa.

“It was a fantastic win. I never even mentioned what was going on with the administration (arranging financial assistance from the ARU) back in Queensland,” coach Ewen McKenzie said.

“I’m confident everything is under control and we’ve got the resources to get on with player retention and recruitment.”

NSW WARATAHS 25 SHARKS 12

THE Warathas held on for dear life to post a potentially season-saving 25-21 victory over the Sharks in Sydney on Saturday.

Playing their first home match of 2010 after a draining fortnight in South Africa, the Waratahs spent most of the final quarter camped inside their own half starved of possession.

The Sharks argued they were unfairly denied a match-winning penalty try three minutes from fulltime when NSW replacement fullback Kurtley Beale was yellow-carded for desperately and deliberately knocking down a pass from his Sharks counterpart Stefan Terblanche.

NSW coach Chris Hickey felt Beale was attempting an intercept but, either way, had he not intervened and had Terblanche found his supporting winger, it would have been lights out for the Tahs.

Instead, the Waratahs opened their home campaign in winning, if unspectacular, fashion.

“Certainly there’s some things there that we’ll be working on during the week, but coming away with four points out of that game is really important for the season,” Hickey said.

“Sometimes you do have to grind out wins.”

After back-to-back defeats at the hands of Stormers and Bulls, another loss would have been disastrous for the lowly-positioned Waratahs, who now have a golden opportunity to climb the ladder with three of their next four games in Sydney and the other against the Western Force also in Australia.

The Waratahs had looked to be on their way to a comfortable win after resurgent halfback Luke Burgess put powerhouse hooker Tatafu Polota-Nau – the official man of the match – over under the sticks in the 52nd minute to give NSW a 11-point buffer.

But as the Tahs began to wilt, with Burgess and fellow Wallabies playmaker Berrick Barnes among the many second-half replacements, the Sharks refused to lie down, closing to within four points through a converted try to centre Adrian Jacobs and threatening to spoil the homecoming.

“I suppose it’s fortunate it’s an 80-minute game, not an 82 or  83-minute game,” Waratahs skipper Phil Waugh said.

“The guys hung in there.”

BRUMBIES 24 LIONS 13

BRUMBIES flyhalf Matt Giteau says his side will need to improve their execution after coming away with a win but failing to earn a vital bonus point.

The Brumbies made a victorious return to Canberra Stadium in their first home game of the 2010 Super 14 season on Friday night, downing the Johannesburg Lions 24-13.

It was the home side’s second win on the trot and now leaves them with three wins from the first four rounds.

But despite dominating the possession and territory stakes, the Brumbies were unable to score a fourth-try for a bonus point.

Giteau, in his first game back in front of the Canberra faithful after a stint with the Western Force, struggled to settle in the match played in wet conditions.

The Wallabies playmaker said his side will need to be more patient and improve their execution if they are to be finals contenders.

He conceded failing to come away with a bonus point was a lost opportunity.

“I think we’re rushing a little bit, probably panicking too much, but we still got a win,” Giteau said.

“It’s was a good win but we’ve got to start getting bonus points.”

“Our forwards were great. I thought they laid a platform … but our execution needs to be better.”

The Brumbies set up the win with a dominant forwards display while the Lions, coming into the match with eight changes including an entire new front row, struggled to find cohesion.

The loss leaves the Lions, winless so far in 2010, without a win in Canberra from nine attempts.

CRUSADERS  33 BLUES 20

All Blacks five-eighth Daniel Carter won a goalkicking duel with former teammate Stephen Brett to lead the Crusaders to a  win over the Blues in Christchurch on Saturday night.

Carter kicked seven goals from seven attempts – three conversions and four penalties – for 18 points to steer the seven-time champions to their third win in four matches.

Brett, in his first match for the Auckland-based side against his former team, kicked four penalties and a dropped goal for 15 points.

The Crusaders scored tries through flanker George Whitelock plus centers Ryan Crotty and Robbie Fruean, while the Blues had a late try to halfback Alby Mathewson.

Crotty’s intercept try in the 16th minute of the second half was a game-breaker, giving the Crusaders a 23-15 advantage after they had clung to a one-point lead for more than 20 minutes.

Crotty swooped on an ambitious infield pass from Blues winger Rudi Wulf and dashed under the posts, setting up Carter’s second conversion.

A try 10 minutes later to Crotty’s midfield partner Fruean sealed the Crusaders’ win.

“We were a bit rusty in the first half and we didn’t seem to play much rugby,” Crusaders and All Blacks captain Richie McCaw said.

“It was pretty close at halftime but we felt if we stuck at it the opportunities would come and they did. It wasn’t pretty but that’s what games like this are all about.”

McCaw played his first full match of the season for the Crusaders after missing the first two games and starting from the bench last week.

“It was pretty pleasing just to get out there and it felt good to get a full 80 minutes under the belt,” McCaw said.

The Blues pressed hard in an intensely physical match but couldn’t break its defensive line until the 76th minute when Mathewson scrambled over.

“In this competition the difference between making mistakes and not making mistakes is the difference between winning and losing,” Blues captain Keven Mealamu said.

“You can’t expect to come down here against a team like the Crusaders, make as many mistakes as we did and expect to win.”

STORMERS 33 HIGHLANDERS  0

BRYAN Habana nailed the bonus-point fourth try right on full-time but it was the forwards who set up the Stormers’ 33-0 whitewash of the Highlanders in Cape Town on Saturday.

The Stormers pack has been criticised of late but it dominated the Highlanders in the set pieces, read the play better at the breakdowns, and stole the ball on important occasions in the lineouts. The competition’s best defence wasn’t bad either.

“We’ve defended well this whole season but our attack can keep on improving ,” Stormers captain Schalk Burger said.

His team looked assured of victory as early as the 14th minute when hooker Deon Fourie crashed over after the Stormers lineout jumpers pinched a Highlanders throw in.

“We worked hard on the lineouts this week and it paid off,” said lock Andries Bekker.

Also impressive for the Stormers was the rolling maul, from which two tries were produced.

The first was by Burger, who rounded off a 25-metre effort for the second try, and then his replacement Pieter Louw went over from one that started a little closer to the tryline.

Habana’s try came from more hard work by Louw, who charged down a kick on the halfway line. Habana followed up in a flash, and kicked ahead twice more before pouching the ball and diving over.

“They really brought it to us up front,” said Highlanders captain Jamie McIntosh, who was penalised twice for front-row infringements in scrums.

“We didn’t respond, and it was a tough day at the office, to be honest. “”

The Stormers’ first bonus-point victory kept them in fifth place, while the Highlanders dropped to 11th.

CHEETAHS 28 HURRICANES 12
THE Central Cheetahs pulled off an upset 28-12 win over the previously unbeaten Wellington Hurricanes in Bloemfontein on Saturday even though the visitors dominated possession and showed more flair on attack in the first half hour.

But while scrum-half Piri Weepu missed three early kicks at goal, Cheetahs centre Meyer Bosman and fly-half Naas Olivier combined to land eight kicks out of eight for the match.

Bosman booted four long-range penalties while Olivier succeeded with three penalties and a conversion from the touchline of his team’s only try, scored by Kabamba Floors.

The game swung decisively to the Cheetahs in the second half, with the Hurricanes showing the effects of playing at high altitude after a long flight from New Zealand.

Cheetahs captain Juan Smith said the win came after a difficult week in which his team were heavily criticised for a poor performance at the same venue against the Otago Highlanders.

“The Cheetahs are the most difficult team to play against,” quipped Smith.

“One week we’re the most shocking team and another week we can beat anyone.”

Hurricanes captain Andrew Hore said his team went to Bloemfontein expecting a win but admitted his players conceded too many penalties.

“We couldn’t play our game with the penalties we gave away,” he said.

The visitors were also handicapped when two of their players – Ma’a Nonu and Jeremy Thrush – were sent to the sin-bin.

The Hurricanes paid for missed opportunities in the first half and trailed 12-5 at the interval.

The New Zealanders scored the only try of the half, with left wing David Smith scoring his fourth try of the campaign after ten minutes following a slick move from a lineout.

The Cheetahs took control in the second half, however, and stretched their lead to 20 points with 20 minutes to play.

Replacement loose forward Floors scored in the right corner eight minutes after half-time when he collected a chip ahead by wing Jongi Nokwe and held off two tackles to force his way over.

Reduced to 14 men when Thrush was handed a yellow card in the  66th minute, the Hurricanes mounted a brief rally, with full-back Cory Jane scoring with ten minutes to go.