Reds late surge beats Crusaders in final of Super Rugby 2011 - Second-half
The Queensland Reds beat the New Zealander derby, Crusaders, by 18-13 in the grand final of the Super Rugby championship 2011, in Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane. Will Genia’s try in the 68th minute of the match helped the Reds lift this year’s Super
Rugby crown before a 52,000 strong crowd. The sensational match ended the Crusaders hopes to lift the Super Rugby trophy an eigth time.
The Crusaders went into second-half in the lead. The could have further enhanced their lead before the end of first-half if Sonny Bill Williams had availed the chance to score a second try in the match. He was provided with another opportunity in the 46th
minute of the game but was blocked five metres away from the try line. However, he put the Reds under immense pressure at the scrum.
The Crusaders were awarded with a penalty kick because of the illegal tackling by Reds at scrum and Dan Carter committed no mistake to make it 10-6 in the 51st minute of the clash. Reds hit back very quickly as Digby Ioane scored first try of
the match for Reds and Cooper was accurate in cashing the follow up conversion shot.
The Reds again took a minor lead of 13-10 over the Crusaders in the 52nd minute and the local crowd was on their toes. The match was now in full swing and repeated attacks were made by the both sides.
The Crusaders looked like they were in a hurry to wipe out the Reds lead and Carter made it possible in the 57th minute of the match as Saia Faingaa was penalised near Reds try line. With 20 minutes left in the grand final, both the sides adopted
a defensive approach and tried to keep the ball in the opponents half. The Reds increased their strength at the scrum which depicted the pressure of match.
There came a sudden turn in the game as Will Genia stole a wonderful try for the Reds in the 68th minute of the match. He deceived the Crusaders from the 65 metre run and Sean Maitland could do nothing except chase him helplessly. However, Quade
Cooper ened up missing the conversion.
The Crusaders were making all possible efforts to create a miracle in the match. Meanwhile, Cooper missed another chance to add three points for the Reds in the 76th minute.
Crusaders skipper Richie McCaw made a serious attempt with two minutes remaining in the match but was tackled by the Reds. The final whistle from Bryce Lawrence shattered the dreams of Crusaders to become 8 time champions of Super Rugby and the Reds grabbed
a much deserved victory in the end.
Tags: