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It was a simple statement yet it summed up the Bob Templeton Cup match between NSW Waratahs and Queensland Reds on Friday night at Leichhardt Oval.
Coming off the field at half-time following a frenetic, physical and surprisingly skilful first 40 minutes, a sodden and steaming Waratahs hooker Dave Porecki told TV man Sean Maloney: “It’s a proper rugby match, isn’t it.”
It wasn’t a question. And it certainly was. It was a proper derby game, too. It was passionate, physical, niggly.
Defence was ascendant, but only just. It was all men could do to hang on.
In the end it was hard to separate the teams. But Queensland’s defensive effort and commitment, and ability to take their chances, saw them beat NSW 20-16.
If anything, the Waratahs – who didn’t win a game in 2021 and played this one without their champion flanker, Michael Hooper – were the better team against last year’s local premiers.
In terms of possession and territory, NSW had the numbers. They ran and ran, and Queensland threw themselves at mobile bodies.
“We were lucky,” Reds No.10 James O’Connor said afterwards. “They were very good, NSW. They were very physical.”
Yet Queensland’s defensive commitment, effort and heart held firm against multiple barrages.
It was that sort of game – physical and fast, and surprisingly so given the monsoonal rain that had drenched Sydney in the previous 72 hours.
It was as if expectation of a damp squib had amped up the good stuff.
It was like the dud stuff was forgiven, was the normal. Any ‘play’ appreciated.
Jed Holloway. (Photo by Mark Evans/Getty Images)
“It’s the best interstate game I’ve seen in a long time,” Michael Chieka enthused.
Even the number of people strewn across the hill in raincoats seemed pretty good, given the airborne sea.
Everyone was entertained, anyway.
Consider the 48th minute, a microcosm of the match: the Waratahs went right, multiple men in motion, a run-around fed the fullback who hit a hole who drew for the winger who made a hot-footed run that went several ways.
The ball went out the back, through the hands, forwards and backs before a harbour bridge pass found the other winger tearing for the corner before he was rumbled over the line inches from the corner post.
And there followed a fight. And just about everyone got involved.
And we knew: it is on. This is what 10-all in a derby game looks like.
With 20 minutes to go, a well-struck, 35-metre field goal by Ben Donaldson – who had an up and down game – gave NSW a 16-13 lead.
Queensland replacement lock Ryan Smith then bashed over from centimetres after his teammates had tried the same route nine times.
O’Connor’s conversion from in front made it 20-16 his side’s way.
His opposite number, Donaldson, went off. In the micro-story of young bull versus old, O’Connor got the points.
Queensland were flying out of the line but NSW were good enough to throw it wide.
Izaia Perese, who had a stormer in the first half, threw a peach of a pass wide, floating, under pressure, to winger Dylan Pietsch.
James Turner was strong and did little things right. He was relatively safe under the high ball, and the Tahs came and came again.
Several waves of high-skilled wet weather rugby, long floating passes, Turner and Perese involved. The latter crashed over but O’Connor and Tate McDermott held him up.
Tate McDermott speaks to the ref during the Round 2 Tahs-Reds derby (Photo by Jeremy Ng/Getty Images)
There was a fine screaming run down the right by Perese after he’d hit and spun out of Filipo Daugunu’s flying attempt to cut him in half.
In the 27th minute O’Connor ran a super-skinny blind and somehow fed Daugunu who hared down the left. The Waratahs took the ball at the breakdown and advanced the same distance back the other way.
Then: sublime skill from O’Connor – a pin-point bunted punt to a flying Jordan Petaia saw the Reds cross the stripe for a fine five-pointer.
It was their first bit of pressure in the Tahs’ D-Zone and the experienced fly-half made it count.
The Waratahs turned down a gimme three points for a scrum. The lack of Taniela Tupou a factor.
Earlier, If you’d tuned into the Stan Sport coverage in the short minutes to kick-off, you’d have seen the news: Tupou in the Queensland huddle in his underpants.
We were told he’d done his back in the warm-up. At half-time Tupou told us he’d been in doubt since Tuesday.
Regardless, the Tahs took the scrum. It didn’t come off. So they took a shot from 35m out which Donaldson hooked badly.
The second time they went for the scrum: pay dirt. No.8 Will Harris picked up the ball McDermott made him drop and crashed over to score.
The Waratahs stole a lineout and Angus Bell made a hard charge from the back. With a head of steam he ripped off half a goose step and charged into the fray like a charging rhino, dynamic, nimble on his feet. Top stuff.
McDermott was penalised for not letting go – there was no-one behind him after the Tahs had stuffed the Reds scrum.
This time Jake Gordon didn’t turn down the three points in front.
McDermott went off the field with what looked an ankle injury, not to return.
Yet with their captain off and their best player in his gym shorts, Queensland held on for a deserved victory.
And yes – it was a proper game of rugby.