Hurricanes hoodoo bites Reds in costly Super loss
Murray Wenzel |
Costly moments have haunted the Queensland Reds for a second straight week after they coughed up fourth spot and extended their Hurricanes hoodoo to 10 games and 12 years.
The Reds were beaten 31-27 on Friday night at Suncorp Stadium as the Hurricanes jumped from fifth to fourth – one point clear of the hosts – with one Super Rugby Pacific regular-season game to play.
Backrower Du’Plessis Kirifi was immovable at the breakdown for the Hurricanes, helping ensure the Reds (7-6) lost for the fourth time in their last six games after leading the competition less than two months ago.
Hurricanes halfback Cam Roigard’s chip and regather to score was quickly followed by centre Billy Proctor’s try in a five-minute period before halftime that proved decisive.
Knock-ons from Harry Wilson, who was otherwise superb in an 80-minute shift in his return from a fractured arm, and Hunter Paisami were costly when the Reds led by one point late in the second half.
Reds coach Les Kiss was frustrated by some officiating but more concerned with his side after they had leaked tries in a similar fashion in a 10-point loss to the ACT Brumbies last week.
“You have to be real; there’s moments we can control better,” he said.
“A bit of luck, a call here or there could have helped us. But we have to find a solution.
“We don’t need that storyline going any further. We’ll knuckle down.”
A fourth place finish is significant, given the highest-ranked loser after week one of the new six-team finals series will still go through to the semi-final.
The Reds collected a bonus point in the loss, but will need to beat Fijian Drua in Brisbane next week and have other results go their way to regain a top-four berth.
Hurricanes No.10 Ruben Love scored in the first minute when a deflected grubber fell into his path, only for the Reds to reply through Tate McDermott two minutes later.
A pair of successful Tom Lynagh penalty kicks – incredibly the first attempted by the Reds all season – looked to have steadied the hosts.
But three tries in 10 minutes – including two in the shadows of halftime – gave the Hurricanes an 11-point buffer at the break.
The Reds came out of the gates well, with Jock Campbell busting through to set up McDermott’s second try and make it a six-point game.
Queensland then went ahead by one after going 20 phases off their own try-line for a brilliant try, finished when Joe Brial carried three men over the line.
But they missed their chance to ice the contest and Fehi Fineanganofo (two tries) made no mistake when the Hurricanes got theirs with 15 minutes to play.
Kirifi came to the fore, disrupting another surging Reds charge when he won a penalty at the breakdown to kill off Queensland’s last-gasp effort.
“When the games are tight we’re going to find a way,” Kirifi said.
“We dig deep and push through. It wasn’t perfect, but job done.”
AAP
