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Drew Mitchell of the Waratahs grimaces in pain following a serious ankle injury, during the Super Rugby Union match between the Queensland Reds and the Waratahs at Suncorp Stadium Brisbane, Australia, Saturday, April 23, 2011. Queensland defeated the Waratahs 19-15. (AAP Image/ Patrick Hamilton).
Giant Queensland number 8 Scott Higginbotham must be cited, and punted, for deliberately taking out Waratahs winger Drew Mitchell in their Super Rugby clash at Suncorp last night.
Mitchell was on-side following through a kick from half-back Luke Burgess, with Higginbotham far enough away to have plenty of time to get out of Mitchell’s way.
Instead, he lined Mitchell up, sunk his shoulder into the Waratah, who fell awkwardly writhing in agony with a dislocated ankle, and fractured leg.
Mitchell’s Super 15 campaign is over, and there’s a serious doubt the play-maker will be fit for the Rugby World Cup – a disaster for the Wallabies.
But it was a disaster for the Waratahs as well, changing the whole dynamics of the side from the 18th minute
Out-of-form benchman Daniel Halangahu came on as fly-half, fly-half Kurtley Beale moved to full-back, and full-back Lachie Turner went onto the wing.
The Waratah backline lost its rhythm, and structure, with 62 minutes left on the clock.
Not to be denied, two minutes after the Mitchell incident Higginbotham was deliberately off-side in a loose ruck, as Waratahs captain Phil Waugh came in to clean him out.
Higginbotham grabbed Waugh by the collar, and threw him to the ground, no ball in sight. The Queenslander knew he’d done the wrong thing by glancing at referee Steve Walsh, who wasn’t interested.
There have been calls for the potential Wallaby World Cup pack to show more venom, but Higginbotham was way way over the top, and deserves a holiday.
What Higginbotham did to Mitchell was totally inexcusable, and unacceptable.
In the end, the Reds won an absorbing 80-minute arm-wrestle 19-15 to shoot 11 points clear of the Waratahs on the Australian conference table, ending a seven-year drought over the men-in-blue.
And they earned it, the hard way.
The Waratahs led 9-3 at quarter time, but the Reds were in command 16-9 at the break, thanks to a magnificent solo try from the quicksilver Quade Cooper 60 metres out, somehow slipping between Tom Kingston, and Ryan Cross, with Beale no chance head-on – it was a game-breaker.
The second half was another change in dynamics with Ian Smith replacing injured referee Walsh, suffering from a calf strain.
The game didn’t deserve this switch, with Smith a pedantic scrum organiser, resets his specialty – making both packs edgy, and the 36,000-plus crowd annoyed.
The telling period was the 20-minute Waratah domination late in the second half, camped deep in the Reds’ quarter, that netted just three points.
How the Reds survived was a credit to their forwards who dug in with so much resolve, it must have seemed an eternity.
But it didn’t say much for the Waratahs, down 12-16, the constant pick-and-go, pick-and-go, was as predictable, as it was fruitless.
And when Waugh was replaced in the 65th minute, which was questionable under the circumstances, David Mumm took over the captaincy and made the same decision blunder as he did against the Blues, by kicking for goal at the 72nd-minute mark, when the Reds were seriously under the pump.
A converted try would have given the Waratahs victory – 15-16 wasn’t worth all the energy wasted in endless scrums.
So the spoils deservedly go to the Reds with a late penalty, and a look at the scoreline suggests the long-awaited head-to-head between Quade Cooper, and Kurtley Beale, eventuated.
They scored all their respective team’s points – Cooper a converted try, three penalties from four attempts, and a drop goal – Beale five penalties from five.
But the clash lasted for just 18 minutes, Scott Higginbotham illegally saw to that.