← Previous Post
Next Post →

Reds hang on to beat Brumbies

Brumby Jack May 27, 2012 47

No GravatarThe Queensland Reds have hung on for close fought 13-12 win over the Brumbies in Canberra tonight.

The game came down to the very last second when referee Steve Walsh awarded a penalty to the Brumbies with fly half Zack Holmes stepping up despite suffering cramp in the lead up but his shot narrowly missed to the left.

The Reds started the game the better of the sides and after conceding an early penalty for Digby Ioane mistiming his jump in a contest for a high ball on Henry Speight, they surprised the Brumbies when fullback Luke Morahan fielded a bomb in his own half, broke free from the defence and collected his own chip and chase kick to score what would be the only try of the night.

The Reds continued dominating the opening exchanges but the game was unable to gain any real flow due to the amount of penalties both teams were conceding, especially when in attack.

The breakdown was where the majority of the penalties occured and it was pretty much a dogs breakfast with players lying all over the place and making it difficult for referee Steve Walsh to stay off the whistle. Walsh was also penalising both sides at scrum time for engagement infringements.

It was a tough match for Walsh containing both sides with numerous chats with the respective captains about players telling him how to do his job and other niggly rubbish, and by 25 minutes had already blown for 11 penalties.

The Brumbies were finally on the scoreboard in the 28th minute with a penalty goal to Zack Holmes but were lucky not to be behind by more with only 28% of possession at this point.

But as most derby matches can be, it turned into a kick fest which the crowd weren’t too happy about . The breakdown situation also had a bit to do with this as it appeared both teams weren’t wanting to concede the penalty when in possession and the Reds came out on top in the kicking battle.

With five minutes in the half reamining Holmes added another penalty to make it 7-6 to the Reds, but the visitors responded with their own to Mike Harris right on half time to stretch their lead back to 4 points.

The second half opened with the Brumbies holding the ball for a five minute period and they got their reward with another penalty to Holmes.

Unfortuantely for the Reds, skipper James Horwill suffered a hamstring at this point and was replaced with Will Genia taking over the reins for the remainder of the match.

The Reds didn’t appear too concerned at their lead being whittled away by penalties and started attacking the Brumbies with quick front foot ball helping their cause and hit back with another penalty to Harris after Brumbies captain Ben Mowen took out Genia at the back of the ruck.

The shrill of Walsh’s whistle struck again and this time the Brumbies were the recipients and Holmes landed his fourth penalty of the night to cut the Reds lead to 1.

The same pattern continued with the Brumbies being penalised again after a strong rolling maul. The Reds discipline at the breakdown and the involvement of Beau Robinson and Liam Gill was helping them get on top in this area.

AS the clock wound down the Reds had a great attacking opportunity on the Brumbies line but after some sneaky handy work in the scrum that went unnoticed by Walsh the Brumbies survived.

The Reds then had another scrum five metres out but botched the scrum and the Brumbies kicked the ball down field to push for what would have been an unlikely victory.

The Reds have one injury concern with Horwill’s hamstring injury with Ewen McKenzie suggesting that his involvement in the early Tests would be unlikely but not giving a timeframe on his absence.

The Reds victory tonight cuts the Brumbies lead in the Australian Conference to 5 points and with the bye next weekend could reduce that margin even further with the Brumbies taking on the Rebels in Melbourne.

Reds 13 – Morahan try; Harris con, 2 pens def Brumbies 12 – Holmes 4 pens

TAGS »
POSTED IN » ACT Brumbies, Queensland Reds, Super Rugby
About the author: Brumby Jack View all posts by
A Canberra born and bred Rugby tragic brought up on a diet of Canberra Kookaburra and ACT Brumbies Rugby. It was a choice between politics and Rugby, with Rugby the obvious winner.

Related »

Waratahs Lineout Woes

Waratahs Lineout Woes

Tassie Rugby Round 2

Tassie Rugby Round 2

Review: Crusaders v. Rebels – A gutsy loss…is still a loss.

Review: Crusaders v. Rebels – A gutsy loss…is still a loss.

Queensland Premier Rugby Round 4

Queensland Premier Rugby Round 4

Discussion »

  • Aussie werewolf in London

    Higginbotham is the most overrated ineffectual innocuous useless back rower since the game went professional.

    • Dave

      Well thats obviously wrong. Do you remember Mumm played a lot of 6 one season?!

      • aussie werewolf in london

        Well that’s wrong. How could Mumm be over rated when he was never rated highly in the first place.

        • Gavin

          I would say his 33 wallabies caps would make him massively overrated for a guy who is at best a poor super rugby player.

        • aussie werewolf in london

          I think you’ll find his 33 caps were more an issue of a lack of depth in our lock department than a distinct high rating.

          I don’t wish to come out as a ‘Mumm fan’ but I think a ‘poor super rugby player’ is a little harsh. He has basically played every game for the past 6 years, so in terms of longevity that’s fairly remarkable plus he’s had his good games and good moments and helped the Tahs make finals so dare I say he’s had a good super rugby career. He is certainly never been test standard I agree.

          But the issue I have is higginbotham and the tilt for his no 1 blindside flanker rating by many. Tonight he literally did fucking nothing yet again. I’d be a fan if he even tried to get involved but he just goes missing when the tough yards are needed. Give me Dennis, Mowen, Hodgson, Mccalman, Brown, Schatz, Robinson, Jones… anyone before him. Atleast they have a go.

        • murph

          Helps if your dad is on the ARU board

    • The Super Unreal Mega Expert

      I didn’t realise this was a blog solely about Higginbotham…

      • hannibal

        Ha! love it. Can anyone explain to me why Higginbotham evokes such love from Qld’ers and such venom from others? I cant think of another player where oppinions are so split?

  • aussie werewolf in london

    Oh and I forgot to say I hope Horwill’s injury is not too serious despite that I’ve been critical of him recently. No one wants to see any players injured and so I hope it looked worse on tele than what it is.

    • Joker

      I think what he was trying to say was “we get it, you hate higgers no matter what he does. Can you shut up about it now?”
      I don’t know what your problem is, I think he had a pretty great game. He was everywhere, including in tight doing the hard stuff that some people claim he avoids.

      That wasn’t a pretty win, but we’ll take it.

    • RJ

      Higgers – best 6 in oz. Don’t let journalists fool you. His work rare is nowhere near as low as bob dwyer wants you to think. Formulate your own opinion

      • aussie werewolf in london

        yes his amazing work rate of 3 tackles and 1 run plus his ability to almost get to breakdowns is extremely helpful to the other 7 forwards that do all the work.

        • Bobby

          What game were you watching. And are you 6 years old or just a Lamb Chop?

        • commonasmud

          Hmmm, not sure where you got your stats from but try 17 tackles, 4 runs (incl. 2 pick & drives) and 3 rucks/mauls in what was a fairly scrappy game. Kimlin (his direct opposite) had 11, 5 and 4.

          In a much more open game Dave Dennis had 9, 5 & 4, and Brussow (a pretty handy 6 by anyone’s standards) had 12, 6 & 4.

          I can keep going – if you look at the stats for other 6′s across the round, Thomson produced his usual 22, 3 & 5. Hodgson ran for more metres, and Luatua from the Blues was a stand-out with 11 rucks/mauls, but I certainly wouldn’t hold him up as a beacon of 6 play.

          Across the tournament, Mowen, Thomson & Brussow are probably the standouts from a workrate and efficiency point of view, but the chasing pack aren’t far behind. (as an aside, if I was an ABs selector I’d find a way to get Read & Vito in the same backrow ahead of Thomson because they offer just that bit more, with Thomson off the bench)

          Where was I – did I forget to mention Higgers only trails Thomson as leading No 6 for lineouts, both on own throw and against?

          Apart from that, you’re right on the money – Higgers is useless, brings nothing by comparison to his rivals, and should be summarily executed and his name forever erased from Wallaby records.

        • The Other Dave

          Oh look, another realist. Classic.

        • aussie werewolf in london

          i hadnt checked stats i was just going off what i observed. i have checked now and depending on the website he either made 13 or 17 tackles which either way is okay but the 11metres he made from either 3 or 4 runs and the amazing no of 3 rucks is not good enough in such a big match. compare this with Palu who made 15 carries for 101m and hit 11 rucks thats more like it. even better when you consider palu did is usual of being subbed for the last 20min and Higginbotham played the whole 80min.

          Forget him as a no 6. He does not have the workrate. He is not a no 6 hence he now plays at no 8. He is a running no 8 but clearly the second best in the country. 3rd if you count on Auelua getting more game time.

        • commonasmud

          You are being too selective with your stats – Hodgo was the best performed 6 for the round in terms of metres run, but that was only 40 odd metres, and that was prob a bit of a ‘break out’ by his standards. All others were around the 10-20m mark.

          You do make one good point – when he is good, Cliffy Palu is VERY good (although how much was the ball in play in that game by comparison to the stodge-fest in Canberra!). By far and away the best no.8 in this country. Higgers is not an 8, just a stop-gap.

          Sure, Higgers definately plays it a bit ‘looser’ by comparison to the Owen Finegan type of 6 (although he too was accused of being a seagull), and there’s no doubt he doesn’t have the workrate of an Adam Thomson. But Thomson won’t even be first choice for the ABs. With an pig like Pocock in there rooting around for truffles, and big Cliffy (and Sharpey) trucking it up one-off the ruck, why wouldn’t you play someone a who can run a decent line wider out?

          Anyway, he ran at 6 at training camp yesterday, and I don’t see anyone else in the squad displacing him, so I’m afraid you better get your head around it. (perhaps a small placard to obscure your view of him on the big screen?)

  • redman

    we have hard road home….

  • First time / Long time

    We’ll take the win but not much of a spectacle…..
    If we had lost that one it would have been as bad as watching the waratahs.

    Why is it that in Australian derby games everyone seems to shut up shop but in most of the NZ derbies they seem to be a lot more free flowing.

    • Robson

      No, not a good spectacle at all, in fact a damn slur on Australian rugby and the strategies both teams stuck so slavishly to was always going to result in a stroke of luck deciding the final outcome.

      Yep the result went the way of the Reds, but the style of their win leaves a bunch of questions unanswered; one of which is do they have the confidence in their running game to compete with a team that does have that confidence.

      I would say emphatically “NO”.

      Although I’m mildly pleased (more like relieved) that the Reds ground their way through this one there is just no way either the Reds or the Brumbies are going to survive with those tactics at finals time against either the Crusaders or the Chiefs or for that matter the Highlanders.

      This was the closest thing I’ve seen to the 1950′s AB style of ten man rugby which flourished because of the Kiwi frenzy to win at all costs. Bloody dreadful stuff – both then and last night.

      • JezaCBHS

        I think it may be because of the fact that inter conference are games in Australia are perceived to be win at all costs. Which makes sense when you look at the table; unless you qualify as first you are going to struggle to qualify for the finals.

      • Brax

        I recall people saying the same thing last year after Qld/ACT matches. Unfortunatley it’s the nature of the beast in the Aussie conference & I didn’t expect the game to be any different that it panned out. Reds win last two in Canberra after never winning there before and take possession of the McQueen Cup. I’m happy with that.

      • Mr Red

        @ Robson. Short memory you have. The Reds did beat the Chiefs and nearly knocked off the Crus so your point is hardly hypothetical.

        • Robson

          Mr Red, you are only as good as your last game.

  • BDA

    Steve “Whistle Happy” Walsh didn’t help matters.

    In the end i don’t think you can criticise the Reds for kicking away all their ball. they defended well and stuck to the game plan. i think they are probably our best chance of an Aussie team making an impact in the finals

    • http://BigFella Big Fella

      What was it with Walsh’s attitude?
      It was still relatively early in the game and he was already aggravated by a couple of players talking too much.
      At his best he actually comes across as one of the few referees who enjoy good rugby.
      Last night he was cranky and his tone in speaking to the respective captains about their chatty offenders was obnoxious.

      • The Other Dave

        Possibly because his chatty offenders were being of particular nuisance?

      • Saulih

        In the US, the broadcast continues during the ad breaks – even to hearing the small talk between commentators as they ready for the return after the domestic ad break. A couple comments were interesting – they called Walsh a ‘show pony’, and indicated that all the talk he was doing was giving an invitation to players to chat back to him. The commentators should be informed that they can still be heard during that time.

        • Bobby

          Saulih we heard that here too mate.

        • The Other Dave

          The commentators call the ref a showpony, yet their ‘colour’ commentry is mid brown – utter bullshit. Even the Kiwi commentators are less jingoistic.

  • http://BigFella Big Fella

    What a let down as a game and surely disappointing for all involved as well as rugby fans.
    One team seem frightened and the other scared to take any risks or try anything.
    Other observations;
    - Cooper didn’t help his back line mates with a gun shy, hesitant performance where avoided contact by either running across field or aimlessly kicking possession away. He’s going to need more time to regain his confidence and eventually his arrogance that makes him special.
    - Slipper can’t play tight head at international level based on his struggles in this match. I would pick him as a test loose head though.
    - Nick White needs to mature in a hurry. If he gets put off by the scragging he received on and off the ball last night,then just wait for what the Welsh,Kiwi and SA forwards will hit him with.
    - Horwill was playing good strong ‘on ball’ rugby before injured. It was the tightest he’s played for sometime.
    - Higginbotham was missing in action far too often when it mattered most. I’m a huge fan of his athleticism,speed and running skills but last night’s game simulated a Test match in style and he didn’t contribute enough.
    - Good battle between Gill and Hooper with not much between them.
    - Mowen & Genia both led their teams well in a frustrating match.

    • PaulFromACT

      The referee had a narrow interpretation of how a game of rugby should be played. He wanted textbook contests at the ruck and if they did not meet the textbook standard he blew the penalty.

      After halftime both coaches would stupid for not basing their gameplan around milking penalties. In my opinion the referee had too much say on the game.

    • Bay35Pablo

      Ironic given most Aussie players rate Walsh as the best ref around.

    • commonasmud

      surely Alexander actually sitting on Gill, after Gill had grabbed his leg from the bottom of the ruck, would have to typify the lofty standards this game reached!!

    • Brax

      I think you might have to take another look at the game Big Fella. While Cooper still has a way to go form wise I recall him taking the ball into the tackle on at least three occasions & he made three very good front on tackles, one of which could be described as a try saver.

  • Linus

    I don’t think Walsh had his best game, but the the intent to disrupt the breakdown by both sides was aweful. That brought out Walsh’s bad side, he loves to get an open game and neither side was prepared to let it happen. Both were happy to turn it into a dog fight, they got what they wanted and came down to a penalty kick. Just what you’d expect.

    • Pedro

      I agree, the rucks in this game were just messy. Both sides are to blame, the ref came across as a tool but that wasn’t the major contributing factor.

  • Gallagher

    Palmer beat Slipper
    Higgers beat Mowen
    Hooper tied with Gill?
    Genia beat White
    Quade tied with Holmes?
    Morahan beat Mogg

  • johnny-boy

    Whoo Doggy. We’re back alright !. I enjoyed the game for it’s must win final like nervousness. And the Brumbies and Jake White cracked first. Anybody who thinks Jake White should be Wallaby coach before McKenzie is just a comical Reds/Link hater. They say White is performing miracles with a bunch of no names and the Reds have all the Wallaby stars. Er they weren’t stars until McKenzie got there and McKenzie has actually won a Super XV title and Jake White has no chance, with his negative game plans. He is doing a very good job of getting them to play good solid structured determined give no quarter rugby but it’s limitations were shown up on Saturday.
    I thought Steve Walsh had a very good game. The players from both sides were trying to push their luck over the limit in the first part of the game and Walsh did very well to bring them back in to line as best he could. These derbys can be delightfully bitter. The Saffa Mark Lawrence has been reffing really well lately, keeping in mind no ref is ever prefect. It’s a bloody tough gig although that twit from NZ should be put out to pasture. It’s hard to understand how Palmer is rated such a gun prop. He couldn’t hack it after 55 mins. I do like the competitivenss of Nic White and Mowen is priceless to that Brumbies team. Although he was perhaps unwise to let Holmes take the final kick after his cramping. Pat McCabe was his usual ordinariness. Might make a good centre or backup to KB. Couldn’t see anything special in Tomane. A poor mans Hosea Gear ? As far as the Reds go Holmes was great, Faaigna was frustrating and I was very surprised he wasnt replaced by Hanson. AHW stepped in Horwills boots and the team didnt miss a beat. Cooper is still finding his feet. It’s funny how the first game back goes great then the second game is absolute s…….. It gets better after that. Impressed to see Harris hitting the ball at speed – and catching it. I didn’t think he had it in him. Will serve him well when he eventually finds his spot at fullback. Digby can’t be far away from some big games. You can’t keep the best there is down for too long. Probably just as the Reds are peaking in to the finals. They’re are leaving their run very late but better late than never. There’ll be some pretty nervous teams ahead of them. None more so than the Brumbies. :). Anybody who thinks the points will go to a plan is a fool and has already forgotten the Rebels beat the Crusaders and is not considering the effect of the tests, when the team backup players could well be crucial. And the Reds backups are the best. McKenzie knows this value .
    And Shipperley, you’ve been using that shimmy over and over ever since you scored against the Tahs. Everybody knows it, everybody can see it coming. It’s very predictable. You need some variation ! Try just using your power, size and strength to bust thru every last tackle. You might surprise yourself.

    • Pedro

      It was a pretty dire match Johnny. I’m surprised you conclude that Jake White is a bad coach for the tactics employed when McKenzie’s Reds were doing precisely the same. Further to that point this (as well as the other Reds game) was the worst performance by the Brums all season, they aren’t coached to play negative rugby. They have score six more tries than the Reds, despite playing one less game.

      The reds deserved to win, but I wouldn’t get too carried away, there was very little for either team to be impressed by. From the perspective of a fan of Australian rugby, this was a good result for the outside chance that we will get two teams into the top 6. Bear in mind though that the reds will still be behind the Brums after next week.

      • johnny-boy

        I didn’t say Jake White was a bad coach Pedro. In fact as I said earlier in the season I rate him as the best coach in the southern hemisphere, after Ewen McKenzie. All last year all we ever heard was the Reds can’t do this, the Reds can’t do that, the Reds will never be any good, the Reds’ lucky run is over……. we love that shit and love proving people wrong. I’ve got a feeling coming on. Re reading above I meant Jake White was doing a very good job etc. if that wasnt clear

        • Pedro

          Still, the reds are below the brumbies on the table, they have a negative points difference and even with the bye next week they’ll still be below the brums. That is, even if the brumbies lose and get no bonus points the reds are playing catch up just to get to the top of the conference.

          I think the Brumbies may be nervous, but I can’t imagine they’ll be more nervous than the reds, particularly if they get a decent win over the Rebels next week.

  • Bobby

    The result went the way it should have. If the Brumbies won that game after the Wallace Harrison ‘knock-on’ and the hand in the ruck the right victor would have been robbed. I don’t think the reffing was too poor I think discipline was well down from both teams but the touchies were fn useless. AGAIN.

  • Jimbo81

    the title of this article is wrong. It should say: Dominant Reds overcome Brumbies in spite of Steve Walshe hijacking the game.

    Opening Paragraph should be:

    Steve Walshe has been stood down following a horrific performance as referee, blowing 11 penalties in the first half alone. In what promised to be a high-scoring top of the table clash between the defending champions and the current top of the Australian conference Brumbies, on a dry pitch in Canberra at near capacity stadium, the Reds made it three in a row against the Brumbies.

    Brumbies Coach jake white admits his team failed to kick the winning penalty shot, after playing for the penalty the entire game, “We’re not about tries. We’re about kicking all game long until we get a penalty in front of the posts, and taking the points.”

    The Reds victory was marred by the loss of James Horwell with an injury that could see the Wallaby skipper miss out on the first two Internationals against Scotland and Wales, and because the Brumbies were rewarded for their negative, referee-subsidised play by a bonus point which maintains the Brumbies lead of five points in the Australian Conference.

    In a draw where the Brumbies don’t play the Stormers or the Crusaders, the Brumbies enjoy a five point buffer that is unlikely to be diminished as they now face opposition outside the top ten teams for the remainder of the season.

    etc etc

    Reds did no hanging on accept on the scoreboard – the game was well and truly dominated by Queensland – their final two penalties in a row were farcical – it was very nearly a try under the posts for a final score of 20 to 9 – and if Quade hadn’t thrown the forward pass……..

    • RJ

      Mate im as one eyed red supporter as the next, but Steve Walsh was not against us. We actually did just play the worst we have played all season (excluding force and bulls match). We did not hold onto the ball and take our opportunities. I think we were the better team on the night, but only just, and the scoreboard is reflective of how terrible both teams were. I know it was frustrating, and as a massive fan we can never blame our boys because…well they’re our heroes, but this time it was just a poor performance.

    • Pedro

      I agree with RJ, for whatever reason both teams just played ill-disciplined negative rugby. While Walsh is a hard character to like, I don’t feel any referee could have done better and I certainly don’t feel he favoured one team.

  • hannibal

    I hear what everyone says about not being a spectacle but we have to face facts that it was a win at all costs game for both sides given the conference structure. Kinda reminded me of the world cup semi’s and finals in its kicking and niggly stuff.

    Funny though. Thats actually how the Tahs play every week. Boom tish!

    “We can’t go through a game playing with gay abandon,” – Alan Gaffney.

Close