Queensland rugby about to surge
Another pulsating weekend in super rugby saw the Reds face-off against the Brumbies
The match of the round in the Southern Hemisphere, the Reds v The Brumbies, drew a crowd of 20,000 plus to Suncorp stadium in Brisbane.
The winner of this contest would more than likely host the Super rugby AU, Grand final; this could be the Grand final on May 8th.
To date the Reds have played like a team that doesn’t get hypnotised by the scoreboard, they just continue to play. There is no desperation in their play. The Brumbies however have shown some fragility, with prominent players going missing when opponents rally and improve their performance. In fact, the Brumbies were lucky to escape with a win the previous week against the winless Waratahs.
So, when the Brumbies raced into a 12-0 lead early in the first half, no one considered a conclusion. The Reds eased their way back into the game and at half time trailed 6-15. The Reds without the penetrative Hunter Paisami in mid-field continued to wear the Brumbies down and true to form, Brumbies players who ran hard in the first half, went missing. The resilient Reds kept grinding away. In James O’Connor, (probably the Wallaby 10) they have a mercurial leader, he has the courage to attempt the unorthodox, and his goal kicking percentage is high. He inevitably kicked the winning penalty. The Reds winning 24-22.
Brumbies coach Dan McKellar has much to consider. He has the playing talent, but is there a mental flaw?
Across the ditch the Highlanders played the resurgent Chiefs. Highlanders fuelled by an away win at the Crusaders, started as favourites, the Chiefs without All Black captain Sam Cane.
Played at a fierce pace the scoring was first one way then the other. Shannon Frizzell, surely the All-Black No 6, was prominent throughout for the Highlanders.
Damien McKenzie, the mercurial Chiefs full back proved a constant threat, but not with the boot. Until the game finished 23 all and moved into golden point extra time. 10 minutes of extra time; the first team to score, the winner.
Unsurprisingly McKenzie kicked the winning penalty from 50 meters, well he would, wouldn’t he!