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Match Review: Western Force & Queensland Reds
It was far from the game it promised to be but the Queensland Reds have scored a first up win in a tight 21-20 win at Suncorp Stadium. Over 26,000 fans packed out the stadium in the hopes of a repeat of the sensational attacking performance the Reds served up to the Force in 2010. The Force came out firing, however, and the Reds will consider themselves lucky to have come away with the win.
As it Happened
The match started ominously with Queensland putting early pressure on the Force line after a bungled restart. While the Reds looked good early on attack, Quade Cooper could only bring away 3 points in a penalty for the Reds.
From the kick-off the Force finally found themselves and were equally threatening in attack. The next 15 minutes were all Force as quick ball had the Reds under constant pressure. While not crossing the line, the Force racked up 3 penalties from the boot of O'Connor to lead the Reds 9-3.
Some bad handling by Cameron Shepherd gifted the Reds a scrum in the Force's 22 and, after a drinks break, Cooper kicked another 3 points from an ensuing penalty. On the 25 minute mark a gift from the gods saw Will Chambers bomb a guaranteed try, fumbling the ball over the tryline.
After this reprieve, the Force went hot on attack again. Cam Shepherd crossed the line from a well worked scrum move only to have be held up by a determined James Horwill. Some fireworks erupted just on the stroke of half time seeing Brett Sheehan proving his worth in earning Rocketman Rod Davies a yellow sticker and giving the Force 3 points. (Half time score Force 12 - Reds 6).
The Force failed to make the most of their man advantage with play slowing down and a lot of kicking for territory. In the ten minutes that Davies was off the Reds narrow the gap with yet another Cooper penalty. Cooper missed another in the 53rd minute before James O'Connor extended the Force's lead with a penalty. It was a penalty-bonanza up to this point but the Reds finally posted a try in the 62nd minute to Saia Faingaa.
A crafty line-out move saw a short throw returned to the hooker who slid over the line. Cooper missed the conversion and the Force held onto a 1 point advantage. Things then took a disastrous turn with Matt Hodgson sent to the bin for repeated breakdown infringements. However just when it looked like the Reds would run away with it, James O'Connor scored a runaway try after a Cooper pass hit Anthony Faingaa in the shoulder. The crucial conversion was missed and left the Force only 6 points ahead.
With 5 minutes left to go the Reds rumbled over the line with a try to reserve hooker James Hanson; Cooper slotting the conversion for a one point lead. With just three minutes left everything was not over for the Force, however the boys couldn't find the composure to get themselves into a position to win. James O'Connor kicked the restart directly into touch and moments later a turn-over saw an opportunity out wide but Mitch Inman fumbled the pass and with it went the last hopes of a Force victory.
The Wash-Up
It is hard not to feel a bit heart-broken after the one. The Force had it all over the Reds for most of the game and the only place they didn't win it was on the scoreboard. The Force looked like they wanted it more and definitely played like Wallabies spots were up for grabs.
The Force had a bit of an edge in the scrum while the line-out was fairly even. This despite the monster pack fielded by the Reds. This was a pretty pleasing aspect of the game particularly as the set-piece struggled in the Waratahs trial. The lost line-out that lead to Hanson's try was painful. It showed how essential a fit Nathan Sharpe is, as he was in the blood bin for that line-out.
It was at the breakdown where the Force owned the Reds. Aggressive tackling from the Force backrow and pressure at the breakdown stalled the Red's momentum and nullified the star-studded Red's backline. Ben McCalman's tackling was fantastic and both Pocock and Hodgson were a constant menace. If the quartet can work that kind of magic week in week out in the competition we should get a few wins to make up for the one we missed out on tonight.
The main area to improve for our next game in Perth against the Sharks is our attack and our finishing. Too many opportunities were wasted against the Reds and the team definitely needs to be more clinical in putting the sword to the opposition. That our only try was scored from a 90 metre solo breakaway effort is telling this is a weakness for the Force. In our defence the humid Brisbane conditions produced a slippery ball along with it being the first game of the season and the first time guys like Gene Fairbanks and David Smith have played a competition game for the Force. But we won't win against the Sharks unless we clean up that area of our game. One promising aspect of our attack was that the O'Connor experiment at 10 definitely seemed to work well. He was a bright spark all game and worked well with the quick ball that the backrow were providing.
Man of the Match
Almost all of the Reds seemed out of sorts. All of the razzle-dazzle promised before the match never really eventuated with the Red's forwards unable to build a platform and the backs unable to make something out of nothing. Probably the only Reds player who will be happy with his performance will be Saia Faingaa, whose try brought the Reds back into the match. But even he has played better.
A lot of Force players really impressed in today's game. Gene Fairbanks was a real surprise and showed amazing committment. James O'Connor was another stand-out, accounting for all 20 of the Force's points and adding zip to our attack. Nathan Charles stood out when he came on with remarkable acceleration for a hooker. Sharpie was also tremendous. But at the end of the day, it was the combination of McCalman, Pocock, Hodgson and Brown that caused the Reds the most problems. For his strong ball carries and fierce tackling I'm giving this weeks MOTM at Ben McCalman.
Force Game Score:
The team worked hard and tackled hard. We narrowly lost a game where the Reds were red hot favourites. We scrummed well and our line-out operated quite well with exception to the brief period Sharpie spent off. Where we really let ourselves down was with our ball handling. Handling errors were constantly letting the Reds off the hook with numerous try-scoring chances going to waste. It certainly wasn't a bad effort, though. Much better than we have been in previous season openers. B+
FORCE MAKE A POINT IN OPENING GAME
The Emirates Western Force earned a bonus point in their opening 2011 Super Rugby clash but saw three others disappear after going down in a one point thriller against the Queensland Reds at Suncorp Stadium.
A late converted try to Reds replacement hooker James Hanson gave the home side a slender lead with five minutes remaining and they were able to hang on to deny the Emirates Western Force a victory their performance deserved.
Young gun James O’Connor was one of the standouts, winning the pivotal flyhalf duel against Reds playmaker Quade Cooper, while the defensive effort from the Emirates Western Force was also a significant plus to come from the game.
The visitors continually denied the Reds the space they enjoyed so much last season and effectively quelled the creativity of the Queenslanders for the majority of the match, inspired by a superb display from the much-vaunted Emirates Western Force back-row.
The opening half saw the Perth side force a string of errors from the Reds and they were punished by a deadly goal-kicking display from O’Connor who also bagged a spectacular 90-metre try.
Roared on by a healthy and expectant home crowd, the Reds predictably came flying out of the blocks and drew first blood on 4 minutes as Ben Whittaker was rather harshly penalised for a high shot on Ed Quirk and Quade Cooper slotted home the penalty.
Undeterred, however, the Force managed to restore parity from their first meaningful attack of the game as Saia Faingaa was pinged for being off his feet at a ruck, with O’Connor converting the penalty before adding another three points moments later after the hosts strayed off-side in midfield.
With the Emirates Western Force all-international back row looking especially dynamic at the breakdown, the WA side continued to take the sting out of the quick-starting hosts and their pressure forced another penalty which the unerring O’Connor again landed to stretch the lead to 9-3 shortly before midway.
A fascinating clash of styles was starting to unfold, with the Reds keen to slow the game down and work through the phases, while the Force looked to maintain a high tempo and keep things loose in a bid to unsettle their less mobile opponents.
A clever grubber kick from Cooper created the best try-scoring opportunity of the game to date as Will Chambers charged down the ball only to somehow spill it when a clear try beckoned, much to the disbelief of his team-mates and the crowd alike.
O’Connor’s direction at 10 was impressive and a clever inside pass allowed Cameron Shepherd to make a vital bust that eventually resulted in another penalty right in front of the posts. While three certain points were on offer the visitors opted to take the scrum instead and it so nearly paid handsome dividends as quick hands in the backline allowed Shepherd to cross the line wide out on the left, only for Reds’ skipper James Horwill to desperately prevent the full-back from grounding the ball.
Refusing to commit numbers to the ruck unless absolutely essential, the Emirates Western Force continued to frustrate the home side and their confrontational, high-pressure defensive work yielded another three-point opportunity on 38 minutes, but O’Connor was unable to maintain his 100% start to the new season as his 51 metre effort sailed narrowly wide of the posts.
Both sides seemed ready to escape the heat and head for the sheds at that point, but there was still some drama to come in the last minute of the half as home winger Rod Davies received a yellow card following a touchline altercation and O’Connor further punished the Reds’ indiscipline by successfully slotting the resulting penalty.
Half-time: Queensland Reds 6-12 Emirates Western Force
Just as they had at the start of the first, the Reds drew first blood at the start of the second-half, the boot of Cooper cutting the deficit to three points and then indulged in a little bit of gamesmanship in disrupting and delaying several scrums in order to run the clock down before Davies was released from his stint in the bin.
Restored to their full complement of 15, Ewen McKenzie’s men finally began to show more intent going forward and with just three points separating the two sides, the tension began to grow.
Free-flowing back moves from either side were proving few and far between, but the West Aussies did manage to conjure one up on 55 minutes with Shepherd, Mitch Inman and David Smith all heavily involved and when the Reds transgressed close to the try-line O’Connor stepped up to kick his side out to a 15-9 lead.
The game then became an arm wrestle with neither side able to wrest the advantage from the other, although a rare defensive lapse from the visitors allowed the Reds to bag the first try of the game through the unlikely source of Saia Faingaa.
A dummy line-out move caught the Force napping and the burly hooker gleefully barrelled his way up the blind-side before sliding over in the corner. Cooper was unable to add the extras, but the Queenslanders were handed a significant advantage moments later when Matt Hodgson became the second player to be sent to the sin bin for infringements at the ruck.
Down to 14 men and with the home side scenting blood, the visitors needed a hero and O’Connor stepped up to fill that role.
The Reds were poised to add a second try on 68 minutes as Cooper looked to exploit an overlap just 20 metres from the Force line, but his pass struck Anthony Faingaa’s hip rather than his hands, broke loose and sat up kindly for O’Connor. Pinning his ears back, the youngster showed searing pace to race 90 metres and score a wonderful try.
Possibly affected by his exertions, O’Connor failed to land the conversion, leaving the score poised at 14-20 with only ten minutes remaining.
The Reds needed to find something and some fine work from their pack culminated in Hanson burrowing over the line from close range and with Cooper landing the conversion the Reds snatched the lead for the first time since the opening minutes.
Despite their best efforts, the West Australian’s were unable to find the points they richly deserved but could walk away from the game with their heads held high and looking forward to a home clash in a fortnight against the Sharks (March, 5).
2011 Super Rugby – Week 1
Sunday, 20 February 2011 at Suncorp Stadium
Queensland Reds 21 (Tries: Saia Faingaa, James Hanson; Conv: Quade Cooper 1; Pen: Cooper 3)
Emirates Western Force 20 (Tries: James O’Connor; Penalties: O’Connor 5)
Crowd: 26,060
Milestones: Emirates Western Force debut – Gene Fairbanks, David Smith, Alfie Mafi, Rory Sidey
By the Clock
4th min penalty successful for the Reds to Quade Cooper 3-0
8th min penalty successful for the Emirates Western Force to James O’Connor 3-3
11th min penalty successful for the Emirates Western Force to James O’Connor 3-6
17th min penalty successful for the Emirates Western Force to James O’Connor 3-9
24th min penalty successful for the Reds to Quade Cooper 6-9
40th min Rod Davies receives yellow card for the Reds
40th min penalty successful for the Emirates Western Force to James O’Connor 6-12
Half-time Queensland Reds 6-12 Western Emirates Western Force
46th min penalty successful for the Reds to Quade Cooper 9-12
47th min Nathan Charles replaces Ben Whittaker for the Emirates Western Force
47th min Kieran Longbottom replaces Tim Fairbrother for the Emirates Western Force
56 min penalty successful for the Emirates Western Force to James O’Connor – 9-15
59 min James Stannard replaces Brett Sheehan for the Emirates Western Force
64 min Saia Faingaa scores a try for the Reds 14-15
67 min Matt Hodgson receives a yellow card for the Emirates Western Force
68 min James O’Connor scores a try for the Emirates Western Force 14-20
75 min James Hanson scores a try for the Reds 19-20
76 min Quade Cooper scores a conversion for the Reds 21-20
79 min Rory Sidey replaces Mitch Inman for the Emirates Western Force
Full-time Queensland Reds 21-20 Western Emirates Western Force