The Queensland Reds have snapped a 25-year drought in Christchurch, holding on to beat the Crusaders 33-28 on Saturday afternoon.
With the scores locked at 21-all midway through the second half, Harry Wilson charged down David Havili’s attempted clearing kicking away and picked up the scraps to score after 61 minutes.
Then Super Rugby rookie Tim Ryan continued his stellar start to his career by scoring his second try as he stormed onto a clever kick behind the Crusaders’ defence to give the Reds a 33-21 lead.
All Blacks flyer Sevu Reece hit back in the 74th minute to give the home crowd some late hope, but some last-ditched defence saw Les Kiss’ men seal a memorable win across the ditch.
“It’s massive,” Reds captain Liam Wright described the win.
“The boys really banded together after a season full of close losses like that. We knew if we could take it to them early, they would come back at points.
“Jeez, we did a great job to hold on, some big moments there by key players which is what we spoke about during the week. Just owning our moments. It’s a great feeling and a great tour to change it.”
Harry Wilson celebrates scoring the defining try against the Crusaders in the second half at Apollo Projects Stadium on May 4, 2024 in Christchurch. (Photo by Kai Schwoerer/Getty Images)
The victory was the Reds’ second upset over New Zealand opposition – and third win in total – this year, having knocked over the Chiefs and Highlanders at home. It also came off the back of their heartbreaking defeat to the Blues last week in Brisbane.
Wright, who has been a constant source of leadership for the Reds over the past six years, said the Reds had been taught some tough lessons in recent weeks about how to close out a win.
“We knew the physicality was a big part, that’s what you need playing away from home: physicality and set-piece,” he said.
“Our scrum really stood up against a good pack, as we saw at the end.
“And then just owning those individual moments. We had a real task focus on just doing our job and closing those small margins and trusting each other.”
The Reds’ forward pack set the tone for the victory, with their scrum managing to keep the Crusaders’ formidable front-row duo of George Bower and Fletcher Newell largely at bay.
Lock Ryan Smith, Wright and Wilson did their hopes of Wallabies call ups under Joe Schmidt no harm, while Fraser McReight was exceptional on his return to the side after missing the past two matches due to suspension.
Smith (20), Wright (21)and McReight (20) each made more than 20 tackles, while hooker Matt Faessler (19), lock Angus Blyth (17) and Wilson (15) were also busy in defence.
No more was their defence called on than during the final stages of the match, as the Crusaders failed to break the line for more than a dozen phases when trapped around the half-way mark.
Fly-half Lawson Creighton also enjoyed his best match in a Reds jersey, filling the shoes nicely of Tom Lynagh (hamstring) to vindicate Kiss’ decision to start the playmaker.
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Earlier, the Reds brought a clever short kicking game that continually turned the Crusaders around.
After losing Ethan Blackadder pre-game and hooker Brodie McAlister and captain Scott Barrett early in the match, the Crusaders’ fluency in attack once again struggled.
Their plans of bursting out of the blocks weren’t helped either by a little knock-on from Barrett in the tackle, which denied the Crusaders an early try. It came after David Havili cut out five defenders to send his teammate in. But it counted for nothing when the Television Match Official interjected.
After Havili’s magic ball was denied the points it deserved, it took until the midway point of the first half for the first points to be registered as Fraser McReight scored.
But it didn’t take long for the Reds’ second try, as Kalani Thomas started an attacking raid down the short side and it ended with Ryan scoring a phenomenal try on the other side of the field.
Ryan got the five-pointer but his wing-partner Mac Grealy played a huge role in the attacking movement.
Eventually the Crusaders hit back on the stroke of half-time as Dallas McLeod scored. This time Leigh Halfpenny, the brilliant Welsh international playing his debut Super Rugby match for the Crusaders after a pre-season injury, banged over the conversion after missing an early penalty.
But the Crusaders’ hopes of building on their momentum ended quickly, as the Reds scored through Jeffery Toomaga-Allen just minutes into the second half to open up a 21-7 lead.
The match turned quickly when the Crusaders scored two converted tries in four minutes as Corey Kellow and Quinten Strange crossed.
After turning down a shot at goals, the Reds looked like they had blown the chance to get back in front when they turned over possession twice in quick succession on the Crusaders’ line.
Step up Wilson, who charged down Havili to swing the match back into the Reds’ favour after 61 minutes.
Ryan once again showed his ability to find the tryline by scoring to extend the Reds’ lead.
Although the Crusaders responded through Reece, once again their skill execution let them down at the crucial moment.
“They just came at our breakdown in the first half and they were into the game from there,” Havili said.
“A couple of sloppy moments at the end where we couldn’t quite execute and we let them back into the game.
“They came to play tonight. You came sleep on the Reds, they’re a quality team with a great forward pack.”
Tim Ryan celebrates scoring his second try against the Crusaders at Apollo Projects Stadium on May 4, 2024 in Christchurch. (Photo by Kai Schwoerer/Getty Images)
The win saw the Reds leapfrog the Rebels (24), who they will host next week, into fifth spot on 27 points.
Meanwhile, the loss was Rob Penney’s eighth of the season, with the Crusaders’ hopes of making the finals copping a blow.
It means next week’s visit to Dunedin in the battle of the South Island is vitally important, with the Highlanders three spots clear of the Crusaders (13) in seventh on 19 points after their win over Moana Pasifika (14) in Tonga earlier on Saturday.
ThugbyFan
Roar Guru
Luke, am a bit late to see you comment of the Crusaders' #8 cheap shot to Jock's head, but OFC there was no citing. It would appear the citing committee for this match was the three blind mice. So tell me, who are the good folks who determine if a bit of nastiness that was missed by everyone should be looked at and possibly charged? The SANZAAR committee running the show seems to be a riddle within a riddle and their inconsistancy is bewildering. I just accept that these "wise" folks can find all sorts of "extenuating circumstances" when they don't want to see anything.
Mungbean74
Roar Rookie
Wow! Very surprising. Cheers for that info.
Brendan NH Fan
Roar Rookie
It's not the backs which is the problem with the tahs. 7s is all about backs play, it's defending as a team and working on setpiece that Tahs need help in. If Kiss has been a success then Friend has done more than Kiss did at getting teams playing like the Reds are now.
Brendan NH Fan
Roar Rookie
With Connacht Friend had a small pack but were built on speed of the pack rather than brute force. They didnt have to blow players out of the ruck but were technically good.
Gepetto
Roar Rookie
Ricky2.0, Can he play 7's?
K.F.T.D.
Roar Rookie
I think - I cant stand it, was in ‘Singing in the Rain” with Gene Kelly.
AgainAgain
Roar Rookie
Firstly, thanks for accepting my apology so graciously. I also worked for a company and they told me to go find a guy named Isaac in one of the welding bays. I couldn’t locate his bay by looking up his name and then I realised they were butchering the name Aisake. The a is not pronounced like a in apple but ah and ke the e is not silent. They had been calling him Isaac for years and because he never corrected them they continued on. Another one was Phuong Hoang in an accounting firm. I had to practice that but it was important as he was a work colleague and a great young kid. I rang reception and pronounced his name correctly and they didn’t understand so I butchered it to Fong Hung and they knew it straight away.
tsuru
Roar Rookie
Thanks for the apology. My favourite memory of inability to deal with unfamiliar names came when I was a school teacher. I had a Korean kid whose first names were Kwang Ho. The assistant principal called him John because he couldn’t “pronounce“ Kwang Ho.
AgainAgain
Roar Rookie
Totall agree, it’s not just Pacific Island names. I see it at work a lot too with Asian names and as you say some Italian names. And I don’t like it any more when NZ commentators mispronounce them. It is just laziness. When I worked in South Auckland I learnt the pronunciation of pacific island names. When I came to Australia I had to make a conscious effort with Asian names, which on several occasions meant I had to practice enunciating them. It is not always easy, but if I am going in front of the camera I am going to go through the team sheet and make sure I can pronounce each name and any that I may not be so good on I will practice saying a few times rather than embarrass myself or disrespect the person and family who’s name I can’t be bothered pronouncing. As to the other point about mixed up names. Commentators call one player a different player all the time. I don’t see why they do that.. they are better of saying the red 5 and quickly look up the team sheet. In fact the New Zealand commentators like Nisbit are the worst. So, apologies if it came across as me thinking you were minimising mispronouncing people’s names. And I also missed your humourus take on it (which is amusing) so thanks for the reply.
Todd
Roar Rookie
They were underdogs, but mainly on reputation. There was clearly an opportunity to make some money backing the Reds for those who watch the game closely. Like a fool I identified the opportunity but didn't implement ...
tsuru
Roar Rookie
AgaiAgain, so I assume it was you who made the comment about pronunciation of PI names. I have no idea why you jumped to the conclusion that I disagree with that comment. For the record I totally agree with it. And it’s not confined to PI names either. Someone here recently complained about the pronunciation of David Porecki’s name. Now, as for the accusation of a “childish tit-for-tat” and “are you seven?” - well, no, I’m actually 77 and I find myself smiling more and more these days when I see people being human and imperfect; smiling with them not against them - thinking “that could have been me making that mistake.”
Spraggy
Roar Rookie
Val yeah agree, Merhtens Wilson Read and $BW are the worst culprits. We need more Justin Marshalls and Mils Muliainas who are more humble and give credit where credit is due to the opposition.
Spraggy
Roar Rookie
Saders at the Bottom of the table with the Tahs.
Far Queue mate
Roar Rookie
AAA can play both sides.
Gasher
Roar Rookie
Maybe Kalani could teach Jake Gordon how to be a team player.
jimmy jones
Roar Rookie
unbecoming, or more of the usual
jimmy jones
Roar Rookie
well hushed over by the kiwi commentators
Muzzo
Roar Rookie
TBH Murdoch & his one eyed media outlets should be thrown out of Australia. Does anyone remember the Super League garbage in the mid 90's that didn't go down to well? Ffs the blokes a traitor, who should be in jail, not Julian Assange, who told the truth that we should all know about. Even now our gutless politicians are to weak to pursue this with the Yanks & Poms. Murdoch might be Australian born, but has since thrown away his Australian citizenship, to become a Yank citizen, all in the name of the mighty dollar.
Muzzo
Roar Rookie
So true AA, as i've mentioned many times before, the way virtually ALL Australian, so called ' commentators ' are so ignorant to their approach of bad pronouncing of names. Even Tim Horan, who's been there for years, still constantly just throws the name out there, & that along with Morgan Turunui who should know better, in his pronouncing of PI names, both Melanesian & Polynesian, being of Polynesian descent himself.
mused6
Roar Rookie
Tight five increase in work rate a big difference this year. We are getting more out of our bigger bodies at the ruck. Smith, Blyth and Toomunga Allen were very good. Liam Wright is having a great season. Ryan is a decent defender, which frees up Campbell at the back a bit more. They went straight after SV side when he came on, just like the blues did last week. With little possession overall our kicking game was good, with jock and creighton leading the way.