Queensland substitute Dom Shipperley’s 78th-minute try guided the Reds to a come from behind 24-21 Super Rugby victory over the Western Force at Perth’s nib Stadium on Saturday night.
The Force had seemed set for an upset win after David Pocock’s try in the 68th minute gave them a 21-17 lead.
But the Reds, battling to retain top spot on the table, stole a line-out in the 77th minute before Quade Cooper’s 20m cut-out pass allowed Shipperley to dive over.
It was a case of deja-vu for the brave Force, who were also left heartbroken in the season opener after the Reds came from behind late to snatch a 21-20 triumph.
Force inside centre Rory Sidey scored a brace of tries in the first half, but the Reds’ ability to score against the run of play proved the difference.
Queensland’s 12th win of the year keeps them in prime position to finish in top spot.
The Reds will get a home semi-final if they finish in the top two, and Queensland will host the decider if they finish on top of the table and win their semi-final.
One downside for Queensland was winger Rod Davies’ return lasting just 16 minutes after the 22-year-old speedster injured his right shoulder by landing awkwardly in a tackle.
Queensland were already without backline regulars Digby Ioane, Ben Lucas and Anthony Faingaa but overcame the heavy injury toll to post their first ever win in Perth.
The Force were dealt a blow of their own when skipper Nathan Sharpe rolled his ankle after a bad line-out landing, forcing him off in the 25th minute.
His absence was keenly felt in the second half as the Reds stole three crucial line-outs to help set up the win.
The Reds gave away four penalties in the opening five minutes and the ill-discipline cost them dearly, with James O’Connor nailing an early penalty and Sidey crossing in the seventh minute following a well-taken scrum.
But just as the home side looked set to build on their 8-0 lead, Cooper popped up for an opportunistic try, intercepting Sidey’s attempted pass to Nick Cummins before racing 70m to the tryline.
The Force hit back in the 21st minute when Sidey landed his second try but once again the Reds responded against the run of play, with Scott Higginbotham sneaking down the blindside for a crowd-silencing try.
A 34th-minute penalty to O’Connor gave the Force a 16-14 lead at half-time but the Reds re-took the advantage when Cooper nailed a 43rd-minute penalty.
Pocock’s try in the corner pushed the home side ahead once again but like so many times this season the Force were unable to hold on to the lead, with Queensland’s late push being rewarded.
Queensland coach Ewen McKenzie revealed after the game that winger Luke Morahan had torn a hamstring and would miss four weeks.
But McKenzie said Davies, who suffered a suspected jarred shoulder, remained a chance to take part in next week’s clash with the Chiefs.
McKenzie praised his side’s fighting spirit against the Force.
“They (the Force) got that try, so it was going to be hard work, but we knew that if we just hung on to the ball and treasured it … in the end it’s an 80-minute game and you’ve just got to keep persisting and we got our reward,” McKenzie said.
Force coach Richard Graham was a shattered man after the loss.
“Certainly the two soft tries late in the first half, the intercept and the ball out the other side of the tunnel, hurt us and kept them in the game,” Graham said.
“And ultimately that’s probably kept them close enough to put the nail in the coffin.”
AndyS
Guest
Agreed, as a last resort. But the better question might be why it wasn't a free-kick. Either Gill kicked the ball in the tunnel, or it had come out and he returned it to the scrum, right in front of Dickenson either way.
Hopefully Gold
Guest
Has anyone else wondered why Higginbotham's try counted on the weekend?? Last time I checked when the ball spits out of the tunnel it's a scrum reset, not play on? Stuey Dickinson was on the other side, so I can understand him missing it, but the touchy... come on! I wouldn't say it won them the game but it was pretty fortuitous for them
GRumblebum
Guest
To David Pocock & Kurtley Beale as Wallaby greats, one might consider - Quade Cooper, Will Genia, James O,Conner & Drew Mitchell. Ben Robinson is worth a thought in this category as well. Hope to see Mitchell back, better than ever next season.
Red Rooster
Guest
Just been watching the game again. I can't help feel that there is a Pocock law at the breakdown and then the rest. Gill did a great job at times but was penalised whereas Pocock and Hodgson rarely roll away and never release before contesting the ball - the RWC will be decided here so I guess we are in good shape but there seems to be a far bit is inconsistency - before you weigh in please watch the game again before you comment
johnny-boy
Guest
It will be barely a sliver of light by the end of the season it looks like FTS
Jerry
Guest
Correct, the official name is Supe Rugby, apparently.
Spencer
Guest
No such thing as Super 15, but hey, I'm being pedantic.
BlackWave
Guest
This ain't a pick up joint.
Buddha
Guest
You mean super 15.
Damo
Guest
In which direction sideline?
cookee
Guest
yep kicking out of hand is poor and ineffective .genia ,cooper need to organise their approach before kicking as it is a weakness.they have ability to adjust but need awareness not law of insanity.
allblackfan
Guest
Because the offence can be deemed so serious it bypasses the penalty stage, rightly or wrongly. Ask the Waratahs!!:-)
cookee
Guest
exactly oconnor milked it and officials saw thru it.oconnor should focus on his easy goalkicks because this lost force the game.imho.
cookee
Guest
FOK,yep hes good and you have to ask with all the "good"loosies at force ,sharpey and the kid why they are so low on the ladder ;so if its not the cattle or their supporters do we hide behind the "injuries"; surely not the coach(x wallies coach) i give up must have sundayitis
Spencer
Guest
Pocock is a bloody cheat. In the same category as Dickie McCaw. Thankfully he will be in a gold shirt during RWC. BTW- why not compare Pocock with McCaw and Smith. He chased Smith out of the Wallabies and he will soon end Dickies AB career!
RedsNut
Guest
Agreed
PeterK
Roar Guru
Agree, I think Pocock is already better than Smith at the breakdown which is the bread and butter of an opensiders play. I would also add Cooper as a legend in the making ie a potential Wallaby great.
PeterK
Roar Guru
I too hate midfield bombs but detest the box kick even more. I think the TN's and world cup will be more like 2007 with a lot more kicking, including midfield bombs. The reason being is the receiver is being taken out by a kick chaser who is only pretending to go for the ball and takes out the catcher and then another chaser gets the ball. Highlanders did this time and again against the Tahs and Pollock did not penalise it once. The Bulls use this as their favourite tactic. Refs must clamp down on this far harder. Reds injuries are at the worst possible time. Tahs looked a lot better with some quality players back. Still missing a lot though.
From the sideline
Guest
Please dont compare Pocock to Smith and McCaw. Pocock doesnl't compare so leave the comparisons out of the blog just watch each game and comment on that only. They all do great stuff and have stuffed up as well. There is daylight between them and him.
The Bush
Roar Guru
A win is a win, but Queensland are limping into the Super Finals in poor shape, marginally better than the Blues. You can have all the home finals you like, but if you can't put away two (2) sides who are propping up the wrong end of the table, you can forget about dealing with the heavyweights in the tournament. I appreciate that the Force haven't had the best luck during the tournament and probably deserve to be a spot or two (2) higher, but still... Morahan's injury is another ironic twist in Queensland's musical-chair-like outside back situation. Ioane out, Davies in, Lucas out, Morahan out, now Davies might be back in, Ioane might make a recovery etc, etc. A month for Morahan means he is for all purposes gone for the season as there is next week, the "bye" and then two (2) weeks of finals for the Reds (if they get past the first week). Gill played well and was much better than Cordias last week, but was simply not as rampant as D Pocock. Whilst Pocock was excellent, It was also good to see Pocock penalisted at least once last night for not releasing and not allowing the player to play the ball before stealing it. There was a huge number of steals last night compared to the "interpretation" of the rules last year (and supposedly this year). One gets the feeling that this World Cup is going to go down the path of the '07 World Cup and involve a huge amount of kicking. Genia and Cooper lost the kicking matchup to O'Connor. In fact the Reds were out-kicked across the field; Ben T put a shocker out that was taken back and didn't even clear far anyway, Cooper did at least one (1) horrible up-and-under (my most detested tactic) and put at least another down O'Connor's throat for a loss of territory. Kicking is fine when it's into space and finds touch (see the tactical kicking against the Stormers), but idiotic when it only results in turning over the ball for no territorial gain. David Smith reminded the Reds how dangerous counter-running is, something they were known for until recently. Other than the try, Higgers was quiet again, doing very little carrying and not particularly noticable at the breakdown either. The tight-five and Samo put in and showed that again the Reds forward pack is a generally well oiled machine. Ben T played well at inside in attack (couple of busts etc) but he and Chambers are inadequate in defence in the midfield, whilst Morahan and Shipperly are also average tacklers. Therefore, when thrown into the mix with Q Cooper (whose defence is improving), there is a lot of space out wide against the Reds and the Force were able to score a decent try out of this. I'll be down to Ballymore to get my finals tickets, and I'm goddamn excited, but my confidence has waned since the highs of back-to-back wins over the Blues and Crusaders.