Reds try-scorer: Will Genia
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Reds pivot Quade Cooper slotted a 79th minute penalty to steal a last-gasp 17-16 win over the Crusaders in Brisbane on Sunday.
The two tries to one victory keeps the Queenslanders top of the Super Rugby standings, but Crusaders fans will feel hard done by with referee Stu Dickinson's penalty against their team that led to Cooper's match-winning kick.
The Crusaders led 10-7 at half-time and looked to be home and dry thanks to two Dan Carter penalties in the final 11 minutes. But the Reds found a second wind and, after moving into field position, they showed patience, completing multiple phases before Crusaders skipper Richie McCaw was deemed to have infringed and conceded a penalty.
Cooper stepped up to convert his first penalty of the day, after missing three in the first half.
Cooper finished with three goals from six attempts while Carter landed four from five in a gripping contest between international rivals, set to meet again in the World Cup in New Zealand later this year.
The last-minute goal forced the fifth lead change in a match played before a capacity crowd of 48,301.
Cooper's deciding penalty gave the Reds their 12th straight win on their home ground at Suncorp Stadium and put them four points clear of the Blues at the top of the Super Rugby table.
The Crusaders suffered their fourth loss in 14 matches but remained in fourth place behind the Reds, Blues and Stormers but ahead of the Sharks and Waratahs.
Wallabies scrum-half Will Genia scored one try and created another, helping Queensland to a 14-10 lead five minutes into the second half.
The Crusaders fought back bravely with penalties to Carter in the 67th and 73rd minutes to reclaim the lead, but they finally paid for a heavy penalty count.
The match was played at a frantic pace and with an almost Test-match intensity but was lower scoring than might have been expected. Instead it was a match of vigorous defenses which allowed only a tiny handful of try-scoring chances.
Genia exploited two, creating both tries from set pieces. He first took the ball from flank Scott Higginbotham after an over-thrown Reds' line-out and handed off with perfect timing to center Ben Tapuai who scored in the 22nd minute.
Genia then took advantage of quick ball from a pressured Queensland scrum on the Crusaders' 22, to make a try-scoring dash down the blindside in the fifth minute of the second spell.
The Crusaders scored from one of their rare forays in the 28th minute when center Robbie Fruean broke away after a turnover and handed off to winger Brent Ward when the cover defense was spent.
It was the Reds second straight win over the Crusaders after they also beat the seven-time Super Rugby champions in their only meeting last season.
The scorers:
For Reds:
Tries: Tapuai, Genia
Pen: Cooper
Con: Cooper
For Crusaders:
Try: Ward
Pens: Carter 3
Con: Carter
Reds: 15 Ben Lucas, 14 Luke Morahan, 13 Anthony Faingaa, 12 Ben Tapuai, 11 Digby Ioane, 10 Quade Cooper, 9 Will Genia, 8 Radike Samo, 7 Beau Robinson, 6 Scott Higginbotham, 5 James Horwill (c), 4 Rob Simmons, 3 James Slipper, 2 Saia Faingaa, 1 Ben Daley.
Replacements: 16 James Hanson, 17 Greg Holmes, 18 Adam Wallace-Harrison, 19 Jake Schatz, 20 Ian Prior, 21 Will Chambers, 22 Dom Shipperley.
Crusaders: 15 Tom Marshall, 14 Brent Ward, 13 Robbie Fruean, 12 Sonny Bill Williams, 11 Zac Guildford, 10 Dan Carter, 9 Willi Heinz, 8 Kieran Read, 7 Richie McCaw (c), 6 George Whitelock, 5 Chris Jack, 4 Brad Thorn, 3 Owen Franks, 2 Corey Flynn, 1 Wyatt Crockett.
Replacements: 16 Quentin MacDonald, 17 Ben Franks, 18 Luke Romano. 19 Matt Todd/Joe Wheeler, 20 Steve Alfeld, 21 Matt Berquist, 22 Ryan Crotty.
Referee: Stu Dickinson
Comments
trippa says...
tri-nats is as one eyed as Stu Dick and Phil Kearns ... Red-eyed as well ... You must have been watching a different game if you didn't notice Carter being the only back to stand up in the Crusaders backline and outplay Quade 'Tokoroa boy with no heart' Cooper in every facet except jumping sideways at the back like some sort of Chicken.
And yes I am a 'neutral' I support the Hurricanes (as I am from Taranaki) but we won't go into that horror team right now ... moving on ... but I like to see a fair game when I pay (to be able to get the channel) to watch a game .. seeing one team get whistled off the park while the other one gets away (with not contentious errors but blatant ones) the entire match is not how a good game should go.
That being said well done to the Refs .... oh I mean Reds in winning the game they played exceptionally average against another team which played exceptionally average.
When the reds beat a NZ team away from sunbaked stadium and without buying a Red and golden whistle for the Ref to play with for 80 minutes then I will tip my hat to you ...
Until then I will go and enjoy watching the Hurricanes bumble there way to the end of there season and await a Red's capitulation.
I also here the Stu has a new nickname ... 'RED' ... hmmm go figure .. I wonder how that came about ;)
Posted 23:18 02nd June 2011
pacfcrugby4eva says...
If I was a ref for the World Cup, and refereeing the match when the All Blacks lose to the Wallabies, I'd have my flight prebooked to leave asap with massive security, judging from many of the parochial comments on this forum. Entertaining to say the least! Lol.
Posted 14:56 02nd June 2011
runnrugby says...
@ jash. You havnt watched it.
Posted 12:22 31st May 2011
joyce1bro says...
@ pacfcrugby4eva
in the top 1 of all time failed comments... what a TWAT!!
Posted 01:27 31st May 2011
jash says...
Its just typical of kiwi fans blaming the ref...please get your facts right...the ref is in the field and he knows what his doing...the selection committee of refs are not dumb...if it had penalized Reds than these comments would not have been coming...CONGRATS to Reds...Crusaders used to be best but now they suck...MIGHTY REDS....all the best for the season...
Posted 20:12 30th May 2011
blametheref says...
@Adamk, agree with you on the reffing of the scrum and the example scrum you mention. Thought the decision was going the other way...
I looked at the Mc Caw penalty on You Tube, and it seemed to me that Dickinson penalized "Crusaders" and not just McCaw, as it looked like a combined foul where Ben Franks just in front of McCaw rushes through to counter ruck and goes off his feet, paving a path for McCaw to pick up the ball where he should have stepped over the ball to claim it. If Franks, who was leading the charge had stayed on his feet and got over the ball I don't think the ref would have given a penalty if McCaw then picked it up...but it looks like just another one of those ref calls we see time and again at the breakdown where one ref will let it go and another won't....The game hinges on such anomolies!
Posted 17:31 30th May 2011
Ramage says...
Stellenbosched you have made an extremely good point. The current set up is there because of the drive of O'Neill in working for Australian rugby only. Which ever country added the extra team would struggle to add an extra team but Australia more than others. Australia has no provincial competition of their own and the fledgling one they had started was cancelled by O'Neill because of the costs. NZ and South Africa have their own long standing competitions that are being downgraded to accommodate the meglomaniac O'Neill and his wish for Australian dominance and to hell with the competitions in South Africa and NZ. No competition whre a team does not meet every other team once is not fair. An example the Crusaders will not play the Lions and the Rebels.The Rebels or the Rabbles are a joke the Brumbies have hit the pits and relying on Jake White a Saffa to resurrect them and the Force when O'Connor leaves will have some real problems as they dont have the local makeup in their team that all hold dear. The Waratahs once again a bridesmaid. One thing for sure SA and NZ administrators need to get some backbone when dealing with little John O'Neill.
Posted 14:38 30th May 2011
Storm says...
Dickinson and his linesmen should be investigated for match fixing.
Posted 12:21 30th May 2011
pacfcrugby4eva says...
I wish many of the critics here would back track a few weeks and read their own statements, and then put a sock in it. The Reds were written off from the beginning, having not yet 'played any NZ sides'....slated after they lost to the Hurricanes, and still berated after beating the Blues. SBW was going to 'run through the Reds', the Reds scrum was going to be ' destroyed'. Having persevered against a relentless, formidable Crusaders team, they did their talking on the field and won...again!
I dislike Stu Dickinson with a passion, but what about the forward passes from the Crusaders that he missed and the infringements at the breakdown! Moreso than what he had penalized them for.
The Reds defence has neutralised many big name teams because this is rugby league country, and they go low and bring the man down. Then fight foe the ball-simple!
Posted 12:20 30th May 2011
adamk says...
Hrmm. I was looking forward to watching the replay of this match, but judging by the comments maybe not... Seems like a painfully disjointed game. Good to see a capacity crowd at it tho... But Reds v Crusaders was always gonna sell out really.
@blametheref Yep, totally agree with everything there mate, except I think the general feeling is that ref's that don't know anything about the scrum will simply pick the team that's got momentum in the game (rather than randomly picking a side), and unfortunately that'll effect the 50/50 calls, so there for if the ref gives a 50/50 call to say team "A", then the rest of the 50/50 calls will go their way, which effectively sways the game in their favor. Look at the penalty try against Leinster on saturday... It was the munster boys that lost their binding and caused the scrum to 'crab' like that, then in from the side...
Posted 12:11 30th May 2011
Ramage says...
What has been good about this weeks posts is some of the many well expressed arguments various correspondents have put forward about the game,which one can agree or disagree with. Missing thank goodness is the vitriol that often appears on this sight and for that I say hallelujah. Yes a few people have vented some extreme feelings but overall the posts have been enlightening. Please leave the word biased out of any description of Dickinson poor yes biased no I agree with one correspondent who says he believes Dickinson arrives at his decisions as he sees it . I feel that this man was a very good referee a number of years ago but as the years have gone on he , in my opinion, has slipped very badly.
One area that I agree with is the disjointed backline and I believe it starts at halfback and the poor service and option taking there I wonder how far away Andy Ellis is from making a return to Super Rugby? I am particularly interested in the Bulls return to winning rugby. I expect them to defeat the woeful Waratahs on Friday but the Stormers - Bulls game looms large. If the Bulls make the playoffs, which I expect them to, watch out they haven't lost their title yet. One thing I truly believe is that it may not be the top two teams from the qualifying rounds who may take out this competition. The next few games will be very very interesting so bring them on and lets enjoy the rugby and discuss the games with the best spirit. Remember this is Super Rugby not International Rugby so dont read too much into the results after all last year was a classic example.Rampant Bulls and an all South African final yet South Africa under de Villiers were woeful long may he reign lol.
Posted 11:38 30th May 2011
spliffed says...
I have never seen so many forward passes in one game not noticed by both referee and linesmen. Strange when the South Africans say Dickinson is useless its sour grapes.. Reds first try was a knock on. You could see it in the try scorer looking around waiting for the whistle. I know tv distorts angles sometimes but some were so obvious. I'm no fan of either reds or crusaders but that was terrible officiating.. Not just Dickinson but both linesmen as well. Ruined what could have been a good game.. But the Crusaders seemed to be thinking about SBW up coming fight too. Still cant see the reds winning the 15's and if the crusaders play the same in their game against the blues i cant see them making the playoffs
Posted 11:03 30th May 2011
dylster says...
@ Stellenbosched
I wouldnt read into it too much it wasnt even the 1st Crusaders backline let alone the ABs!
A bit annoying to lose over a dodgy call, but i guess thats rugby for you. Hopefully karma means the Crusaders will get the 50/50 calls in their next big game!
Glad Dickinson isnt in the WC.
Anyone think we need a slight overhaul in the breakdown rules so theres a bit more consistency and less interpretation?!
Posted 10:09 30th May 2011
safehands says...
Stuart Dickinson.....well played sir.......single handedly managed to remove any chance of a fair competition the Saders had at the breakdown area. He even started to penalise a dominant scrum for being....well.....being dominant???
Now before all the McCaw haters crawl out from under their rocks, replay the last ruck, counter-ruck and perfectly legal pick-up from thru the gate and honestly tell me where the problem was?
Posted 09:04 30th May 2011
safehands says...
Stellenbosched.......I totally agree with you about the disjointed Saders backline. Bizarrely ineffective. Lacked direction and a cutting edge.
However, there were only 2 AB starters in the backline for the Saders.....Carter and SBW, so I doubt there will be any mental effect on the AB's, although SBW will struggle to make the team with performances like that one. Perhaps he has his mind on his upcoming bout?
Guilford may get into the squad but apart from that, no others to be considered. There are far better centres around than Freuan at the moment.
Posted 08:52 30th May 2011
morgansunfish says...
yes funk, admirably aided by dickinson last nite. wonder why he was not considered for a referee appointment next week.
Posted 08:08 30th May 2011
silas says...
one battle does not win the war lets just wait for the finals(just hope that dickinson doesnt get to control any of those games)
Posted 07:47 30th May 2011
mocelutu213 says...
lets just wait and see what they can bring during the play offs......without Dickinson. lol.
Posted 07:23 30th May 2011
hemip says...
Maori Boys scored the Reds points hehe... can't wait til' the crusaders team gets back to the one it had at the beginning of the year
Posted 06:52 30th May 2011
squilla says...
Wow what a game...big concerns for Crusaders!! If that game was played 10 times you would expect the Crusaders to win almost all of them..lets look at the stats:
Reds: Less possession , less territory, more tackles,loss of a tighthead, 5 losses of own lineout ball, poor kick offs,7 knock ons, 3 scrum penalities given away...poor kicking from Genia....The Crusaders although they play to the brink of the law at the breakdown are the best breakdown team but they simply have no penetration or creativity. They have the best forward pack in the comp and they cant do anything with all this ball. The Reds just out played them..the Reds have beathe the top 5 set piece(forwards) teams in the competition Bulls, Stormers(best defence), Crusaders and Blues...They have outscored all of them by playing creative rugby.I think they have exposed all these teams. Reds have too many creative line breakers and can play differnet types of rugby to suit opposition teams. The Crusaders, like the Bulls, Stormers, and Blues and Waratahs for that matter all should have beaten Qld but they didnt ...please ..this team despite its set piece weaknesses can play and result s speak. Canterbury need to take a good look at where they are going, without Maitland, dagg and Ellis they could have all the ball but wouldnt be able to do anything with it!!!
Posted 03:05 30th May 2011