Melbourne Reds on top of Super Rugby Championship table – Rugby news
Those who are reading would not believe but this is the fact that they are reading a few lines that are written after a decade, more precisely for the first time since 1999. What most will be wondering? Well! Here’s to cut your suspense, the lines are, “Reds
are at top of the Super Rugby Championship Table.”
Other than this rarest of achievements that certainly has already made place in the record books, Reds victory over the Stormers at Newlands Stadium have definitely improved/added few more records for them.
Saturday victory brought to Reds their first every sixth win in a row. Yes, it is true never before Reds have ever been able to winning six in a row. On few occasions, in fact to be precise on three occasions Reds were able to win five games in a row but
have not been able to improve it.
However, what a game we had and what a performance we witnessed from the Reds in order to record their sixth win in a row. A win that surely will be remembered in years to come as they defeated the unbeaten team of the Super XV i.e. the Stormers and that
too in the Stormers home ground. Besides the satisfaction from the on field performance and with the result of the game.
Reds would certainly enjoy the win, as it will give them a breather against all the off field press controversies and related stories who from the time they landed in cape town started to hurled different sort of stories and hold a media trial.
It is never easy to beat a good team in front of their home ground and it is become altogether a different story when you are looking to beat the unbeaten team of the tournament in their home ground.
For this to be achieved teams need to do something exceptional, that they have not showed up in previous years just like the Reds have done the other night against the Stormers.
Reds Captain James Horwill summed it up as, “the boys had talked the talked then walked the walk to beat the Stormers at their own game.” The main attraction of the night was to see the Reds performing exceptionally in all facets of the game.
In the first half of the game, their forwarded have really tested the Stormers defence line and frequently asked tough questions that most of the time were instinctive and innovative. During the second half, they defended as to give nothing away to the Stormers,
who of course did their best to score to get back into the game but Reds did not allow them to so. For Tim Horan, Reds defence was the best defence effort in five or six years.
Ewen McKenzie, Reds Head Coach has termed the win as the best win of the time since he started working with them (Reds) and is expecting the carry over effect in the future games.
He said, “It was tactical and it was physical and to come out of it with no injuries sets us up for a critical game at Suncorp Stadium against the Bulls on Saturday night.”
Reds now will be hosting the Bulls in their very own Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane. Reds could not have asked for a perfect venue to register their first ever sixth consecutive win. With a big victory in their bag, players full with confidence and a crowd at
their back who will roar at every movement in the game; Reds will be experiencing a different level of energy as they take on the field against the Bulls on coming Saturday April 16, 2011 at Suncorp Brisbane.
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