Scores were locked 10-10 at half-time with a try apiece, NSW finally going ahead 16-13 with a beautifully placed drop goal in the 63rd minute. Coleman replaced his front row shortly after and within another few minutes replacement second-rower Ryan Smith scored to make the difference for Queensland.
The Waratahs’ inexperience told. Ben Donaldson’s drop goal showed a glimpse of the Larkham-esque playmaker within, but his decision to kick across field with the game in the balance and the minutes ticking down was the other side of the coin.
Sevens recruit Dylan Pietsch looked to have the try line in sight in the second half but inexplicably cut back inside and lost ground before the ball ended up in James Turner’s hands on the opposite side of the field.
A superb cover tackle by Josh Flook snuffed out the opportunity and some cheek from the centre, which boiled over into a sideline biff, said all that was needed about the battle-hardiness of both sides.
Tupou injured his back in training on Tuesday and aggravated it during the warm-up, forcing the Reds to take the field without a key attacking and set piece threat. Their doggedness in defence was a sight to behold, but an ankle injury to McDermott and the loss of back rower Angus Scott-Young will be points of concern for coach Brad Thorn after losing captain Liam Wright in round one.
Queensland had their first opportunity within two minutes when NSW prop Harry Johnson-Holmes was penalised for not releasing after a tackle on Harry Wilson. O’Connor slotted the kick to put the visitors up 3-0.
NSW had the chance to equalise two minutes later but Donaldson sent the ball just wide of the uprights.
Jed Holloway gets tossed upside down.Credit:Getty
The Waratahs were determined to shrug off the wet conditions and move the ball, Izaia Perese and Turner combining superbly down the left flank to test the Reds’ defences in wave after wave in the first 10 minutes.
Perese looked to have scored in the 12th minute after a superb tap back inside from Turner on the left wing, but the match officials ruled it held up thanks to the efforts of O’Connor and McDermott.
Skipper Jake Gordon turned down a shot at goal soon after, determined to test the visitors’ scrum without the super-human presence of the Tongan Thor. It didn’t backfire but they didn’t score either, remaining 3-0 down after almost 20 minutes despite having all the field position, possession and momentum.
It was Queensland who scored instead, Jordan Petaia taking a chip kick from O’Connor and grounding it in the 20th minute. O’Connor added the extras to extend his side 10-0.
Will Harris scored the first try for NSW, taking the ball from the back of a scrum five metres out from the Queensland line. He had McDermott to thank after the haflback knocked the ball out of Harris’s hands as the No.8 looked the other way for numbers on his right. Harris scooped up the pill and loped around the outside to score in the 25th minute. Donaldson converted to make it 10-3 to the visitors and levelled the scores a short time later.
The Reds’ fortunes went from bad to worse, losing captain and Test halfback Tate McDermott to what appeared to be an ankle injury just before the break.
O’Connor broke an early second-half deadlock with a penalty goal to make it 13-10 in the 47th minute, an opportunity handed to him by some careless defence from NSW second-rower Geoff Cridge.
The NSW scrum won dominance to give Donaldson a shot from 40 metres out. The five-eighth struck it well to level at 13-13 and doubled down with the field goal 10 minutes later to put his side in the lead for the first time.
It was a short-lived sensation, Smith burrowing over after 10 phases to put the Reds up 20-16 after O’Connor’s conversion.
Reds dampen Waratahs’ spirits with reality check at rain-sodden Leichhardt
Source: Philippines Alive
