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Fourteen-man 'Tahs in sensational win

Sat, 13 Feb 2010 12:37

Match-winning try: Waratahs loose forward Wycliff Palu

The Waratahs managed to snatch an unlikely victory from the jaws of what appeared to be certain defeat when they beat the Reds 30-28 in Brisbane on Saturday.

The Waratahs will be thrilled with their sensational come-from-behind win, but the score hardly reflects the course of the game.

The Reds were leading 28-23 and by three tries to one with time all but up when Wycliff Palu scored the vital try for the Waratahs, and he scored it under the posts to give Daniel Halangahu an easy conversion.

The Reds will feel desperately unlucky and the Waratahs wonderfully fortunate, and so they should, with the Reds having the better of the game everywhere except where it counts - on the scoreboard.

The 15 penalties conceded by the Reds was crucial because the Waratahs stayed in touch by goaling five penalties. The Waratahs conceded only nine penalties, with only two of those resulting in points.

In a game of tight defence, the home team's three tries (one of them a penalty try) should have sealed the victory for them earlier, especially after foul play reduced the visitors to 14 men with six minutes to play.

They had kept the Waratahs under pressure for much of the game, rattling their composure and forcing them into errors, but in the end it was the Waratahs fighting spirit and their composure when it counted - and the strength of Palu - that carried them to victory.

Games between the Reds and Waratahs are always passionate affairs and right from the kick-off there was plenty of passion in this derby, the 290th encounter between Queensland and New South Wales since 1882.

The game came alive in the fifth minute when Waratahs right wing Lachie Turner had a chance to score in the corner from a kick ahead but, running at pace, he couldn't gather the rolling ball just short of the goal-line and the TMO ruled a 22.

The Reds had their first opportunity to score when Benn Robinson ran forward ahead of a Waratahs kick in the 11th minute but flyhalf Quade Cooper fluffed a golden opportunity to put his team into an early lead.

A big hit by Cooper on opposite flyhalf Berrick Barnes was followed by a strong breakaway run by Waratahs No.8 Wycliff Palu, and then hooker Tatafu Polota-Nau lost the ball forward near the Reds goal-line. Points were proving hard to come by, with none scored in the first 19 minutes.

After a period of pressure inside the Reds 22, the Waratahs put the first points on the board when Barnes kicked a close-range drop-goal.

Before the kick-off referee Craig Joubert called Reds captain James Horwill and lock Adam Byrnes across to look at Will Caldwell's finger.  The alleged biting had not been seen by the referee or his assistant referees - but the citing officer will no doubt have a close look at the alleged incident.

From the kick-off the Reds attacked strongly and after they had retained continuity through a series of phases, right wing Digby Ioane put the Waratahs defence under pressure with a penetrating run into their 22 before scrumhalf Will Genia fed Quade Cooper, whose long, accurate pass put flank Daniel Braid into just enough space to force his way over for the first try of the game.

Cooper, who had handled the ball three times in the sequence of movements leading to Braid's try, converted from far out.

This made the score 7-3 to the home team going into the second quarter of the game.

Just on the half-hour mark Reds fullback Peter Hynes was penalised at a tackle and Berrick Barnes goaled the straight-forward penalty to reduce the lead to 7-6.

From a penalty against Palu at breakdown inside the Reds half Genia tapped and run at defenders, and at the ensuing ruck just outside the Waratahs 22, Barnes was pinged for a side entry. Cooper's penalty-goal gave the Reds a 10-6 lead in the 36th minute.

Barnes had a chance to pull back three points almost immediately but his penalty attempt from 43m out flew wide and the players took their half-time break with the home team leading 10-6.

The Reds started the second half at great pace with Cooper and then centre Morgan Turinui, who had up to then hardly been in the game at all, leading a strong raid into the Waratahs 22.

Horwill was tackled just short of the line, then substitute hooker Saia Faingaa was held up over the line, but from the 5m scrum skipper Horwill crashed over 6m in from touch - a reward for sustained pressure.

Cooper's conversion flew well wide of the uprights, but the Reds led 15-6 after 44 minutes.

In the 46th minute, a penalty-goal by Barnes from close to the posts inside the 22 reduced the lead to 15-9.

But two minutes later Waratahs flank Dean Mumm failed to roll away from the tackled player, clearly contravening one of the laws which referees have been instructed to blow strictly, and Cooper goaled the long-range penalty to take the lead to 18-9.

In the 54th minute, Barnes kept the Waratahs in touch by goaling an angled penalty from just outside the 22 (18-12).

A long, elusive run by Hynes and strong carry from Horwill took the Reds into the visitors' 22 and in the 56th minute Cooper kicked a neatly-struck drop-goal to increase the lead to 21-12.

Another Barnes penalty made it 21-15 just over an hour into the game.

From the restart Genia tore the Waratahs defence apart with a slicing break but his opposite number Luke Burgess saved the day for the Waratahs with a fine tackle deep inside his 22.

A late charge by Reds lock Vern Humphries gave new Waratahs goal-kicker Daniel Halangahu, on in place of Barnes, a penalty kick from in front of the posts in the 65th minute and he made no mistake (21-18).

A brilliant blindside break and chip ahead by Genia looked like it would lead to a try as he and Waratahs sub Ben Mowen were the only two chasing the ball. A Mowen hand on Genia's shoulder in the race to the line and then the decisive action, Mowen knocking the ball deliberately into touch inside the in-goal, saw the referee and TMO agree on a penalty try.

Cooper converted to make it 28-18 after 70 minutes.

The Waratahs fought back immediately and two minutes later Rory Sidey, on as a sub, celebrated his Waratahs and Super 14 debut with a try in the corner. Halangahu's conversion was well wide.

A shoulder charge by Dean Mumm into the back of Faingaa at a ruck earned him a yellow card and may lead to a citing.

The Reds looked set for victory, but the drama was far from over.

In the last movement of the game, the Reds were penalised twice 5m from their goal-line and the decisive moment of the game came when substitute scrumhalf Josh Holmes fed Palu who was tackled just short of the goal-line but placed the ball over the line for a try under the posts.

Halangahu converted to secure the 30-28 win.

"I'm shattered," said losing skipper Horwill, which would sum up the feelings of all his players and supporters.

Waratahs captain Phil Waugh and his team may regard this as the luckiest win of their careers, but they will feel happy that though they were well below their best, they did manage to smuggle the last-movement win.

Man of the Match: While Reds captain James Horwill was outstanding and Will Genia a handful for defenders, and Waratahs hero-of-the-day Wycliff Palu always formidable, the Man of the Match must be Quade Cooper. He showed impressive skill of hands and feet and the decision-making astuteness which could be the beginning of an excellent season for him.

The scorers:

For the Reds:

Tries: Braid, Horwill, Penalty try
Cons: Cooper 2
Pens: Cooper 2
DG: Cooper

For the Waratahs:

Tries: Sidey, Palu
Cons: Halangahu
Pens: Barnes 4, Halangahu
DG: Barnes

Yellow card: Dean Mumm (Waratahs, 76 - foul play, shoulder charge)

Teams:

Reds: 15 Peter Hynes, Digby 14 Ioane, 13 Morgan Turinui, 12 Anthony Faingaa, 11 Rod Davies, 10 Quade Cooper, 9 Will Genia, 8 Scott Higginbotham, 7 Daniel Braid, 6 James Horwill, 5 Van Humphries, 4 Adam Byrnes, 3 Laurie Weeks, 2 Sean Hardman, 1 Ben Daley.
Replacements: 16 Saia Faingaa, 17 James Slipper, 18 Ezra Taylor, 19 Andrew Shaw, 20 Richard Kingi, 21 Tim Walsh, 22 Will Chambers.

Waratahs: 15 Sosene Anesi, 14 Lachie Turner, 13 Tom Carter, 12 Kurtley Beale, 11 Drew Mitchell, 10 Berrick Barnes, 9 Luke Burgess, 8 Wycliff Palu, 7 Phil Waugh (captain), 6 Dean Mumm, 5 Cam Jowitt, 4 Will Caldwell, 3 Al Baxter, 2 Tatafu Polota-Nau, 1 Benn Robinson.
Replacements: 16 Damien Fitzpatrick, 17 Sekope Kepu, 18 Kane Douglas, 19 Ben Mowen, 20 Josh Holmes, 21 Daniel Halangahu, 22 Rory Sidey.

Referee: Craig Joubert (South Africa)
Assistant referees: Paul Marks (Australia), Stephen Hill (Australia)
TMO: Steve Leszczynski (Australia)

By Len Kaplan

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