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Tight ... Will Genia can't escape the Brumbies defence. Source: Darren England / News Limited
The Brumbies withstood a fierce Queensland attacking onslaught for a gutsy 19-19 draw in a fiery and brutal Super Rugby showdown on Saturday night.
Queensland scored three tries to one at Suncorp Stadium but the Brumbies reclaimed the Rod Macqueen Cup as Christian Lealiifano scored all their points in an impressive audition for a Wallabies jersey.
| 3 Tries 1 |
|---|
| Jake Schatz 14' | Christian Lealiifano 24' |
| Rod Davies 50' | |
| Liam Gill 76' | |
| 2 Conversions 1 |
|---|
| Quade Cooper 16' | Christian Lealiifano 26' |
| Quade Cooper 76' | |
| 0 Penalties 4 |
|---|
| Christian Lealiifano 5' |
| Christian Lealiifano 10' |
| Christian Lealiifano 53' |
| Christian Lealiifano 59' |
Brumbies fullback Jesse Mogg was also a star, laying the foundations for Lealiifano's first-half try and also saving three Reds five-pointers with last-ditch tackles in the corner.
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But it was the Brumbies nigh-on-impregnable defence which was the major factor in the result, holding out Queensland for sustained periods and twice when they were down to 14 men.
Brumbies coach Jake White likened his side's defensive effort to that of his 2007 World Cup-winning South African outfit.
"You're never happy with a draw but considering we played 20 minutes with 14 men and they had so many cracks at out line, when you see a defensive effort like that you have to be proud,'' he said.
Leading 19-12, the visitors spent most of the closing stages on their own line as they kept coming up with desperate tackles but also infringing at the ruck and off-side.
In the end, Will Genia put Liam Gill over and Quade Cooper converted to tie the scores to set up a tense final four minutes which finished in anti-climax.
While Brumbies skipper Ben Mowen praised his side's desperation, Reds captain James Horwill was disappointed.
"You're going out of your way to play with a positive mindset and try to play rugby and there was some cynical stuff (by the Brumbies),'' Horwill said.
"But that's the reality of it and we knew it was going to come. They try to slow the ball down - they're good at it - but we should have been better.
"When they were down to 14 men we should have taken some more opportunities.''
Horwill admitted he would probably think again about taking three points on offer for penalty goals late in the game instead of going for tries but felt his side had the upper hand and momentum.
Re-live the pulsating clash between the Reds and the Brumbies with our Super Rugby Match Centre, featuring video highlights.
The draw means the pace-setting Brumbies move to 35 points at the top of the table, with the Reds remaining second on the standings on 33.
The much-hyped No.7 battle between George Smith and Gill also finished in a stalemate as both were among the best players for their teams.
There was little between the teams in the first half as the Reds created more chances but the Brumbies were better at reaping points from their opportunities to lead 13-7 at the break.
Twice, electric winger Rod Davies went inches from scoring following Digby Ioane busts while Queensland also failed to score a point despite immense pressure when Lealiifano was sin-binned for a professional foul.
The Reds attempted to play with width and adventure from the outset, and looked dangerous, but it was the Brumbies who jumped to a 6-0 lead after 10 minutes through two penalties to Lealiifano.
It a tale of the set pieces, the Brumbies scrum was largely dominant while the Queensland lineout ruled the roost and they scored their opening try through Jake Schatz at the back of a 11-man driving maul.
The Brumbies regained the lead when Lealiifano crossed in the 24th minute but he was yellow-carded for a professional foul on his own line soon after.
Cooper also impressed again and threw a perfect cut-out pass for Davies to finally score after the break for a 13-12 scoreline.
When Matt Toomua was replaced with a neck injury early in the second half, Lealiifano slipped into five-eighth and continued his goalkicking strike rate, booting two more penalties to finish with five from five.
McKenzie was particularly upset by a soft, technical penalty referee Glen Jackson awarded to the Brumbies for a Reds screen from the restart after Davies' try which gave the visitors an easy three points.
"I was massively disappointed - I think that will be the only time you see that penalty this year,'' he said of the decision, before also claiming the Brumbies did the same thing only minutes later and went unpunished.
"I was pleased we went out there to play, we scored three tries and got over the line a number of times without reward, and were unlucky with the Daley try ... but what can you do?''
