A Close Encounter of the Force Kind

The Reds needed to win last night to regain their final’s momentum, and win they did 24-21.

However, it was only in the 78th minute that this hard-fought victory was achieved after a QC-engineered try to Dom Shipperley.

The Reds would be disappointed with this effort. For the second time in two weeks they’ve struggled against a side near the bottom of the table.

However, like their last minute win against the Crusaders recently they had the wherewithal and patience to build for the crucial and match-winning final play.

The problem with the Reds lately is that they’ve been relying too much on Cooper for the Carlos Spencer-type creativity and cut-out pass spectacular, and not enough on a forward effort that needs to set the platform before you can come up with these winning plays.

I think the Reds are getting themselves into a comfort zone that could only end in tears. You need field position, phase play and go-forward before you razzle-dazzle, not the other way round.

This three-tries-all encounter was a little reminiscent of ‘the third kind’. The Force completely dominated possession early in the first half, scoring two tries to boot but the Reds countered with two of their own, effectively against the run of play to stay in the hunt. It was like the force was with them.

To some extent the SandGropers could only blame themselves. The early dominance and field position should have been coverted into points (H/T score 16-14 Possession = Force 53% Reds 47%). Missed kicks by James O’Connor came back to haunt them in the second half.

The first try came from a penalty in front of the posts (7 min). Sharpie elected to take a scrum instead of a kick, which clearly showed their intent. O’Connor at first receiver drew Genia in defence, plus a Dellit dummy run allowed Sidey to dot down.

The Reds hit back when, completely against the run of play, Cooper intercepted a Sidey cut-out pass when the Force was on attack. He ran 65m to score in the corner with Stannard in hot pursuit. He converted his own try from the sideline.

Next up the Force put pressure on the Reds by forcing a charge down and some poor passing options. After a series of phases off this pressure, Sidey scored his second meat pie. JO’C missed the conversion again.

The Reds seemed a little shell-shocked. Unfortunately, Sharpie went off with an ankle injury and was replaced by Ben McCalman. This didn’t facilitate a noticeable deterioration in Force play but I think it might of had an effect in the long term.

Next up, a Force scrum just out from their 25m line was botched as the ball spat out the blind side. Higginbotham picked up and ran to score in the corner. Cooper converted another from the sideline. He sure had his kicking boots on last night.

During the half JO’C did manage to succeed with a couple of penalty kicks. David Pocock, and to a lesser extent Matt Hodgson, were giving young Reds No 7 Liam Gill a lesson in breakdown play. Both were superb. But that’s not to say that young Gill didn’t look out of place, either?

In the second stanza the Reds came to life and slowly clawed their way back, as champion teams do. Cooper kicked a penalty (41 min) straight after the break to take the lead for the first time 17-16. With more possession they started to gain some momentum and turned it around (Possession 2nd half = Reds 56% Force 44%).

It was the Reds that now had field possession but they had difficulty breaking through. It took another 20 minutes or so to score but surprisingly it was the Force who dotted down (67 min) with Bam Pocock diving over in the corner. They were leading 21-17, after another unsuccessful conversion attempt.

The Reds were then playing catchup football and it didn’t look like they were going to pull it off until their maturity took over. Cooper’s huge cut-out pass to Shipperley on the wing was like a guided missile. And he kicked the sideline conversion to boot.

What is it about playing some of these lower ranked sides. Do they pull you down to their level? I guess these teams are able play with gay abandon, as they really have nothing to lose. Maybe they can also smell some vulnerability, especially when they put defensive pressure on the Reds.

But let’s not downplay the Force, they were simply magnificient and look a notch or two above their current table placing. As said before, David Pocock was outstanding at the breakdown, forcing turnovers at will. He took over the captaincy after Sharpie left the field and looked totally at home.

Apart from him, I thought the major players from either side were Cooper and O’Connor. Quade had the ball on a string but did overplay it at times. He’s a risk-taker and it doesn’t always come off but, what the hell, at least it’s an exciting ride.

JO’C wasn’t quite that involved from fullback in the early stages of the game but came into his own as it progressed. Defensively he saved their bacon a couple of times with his skill-level, and on attack was always a danger especially when he slotted in at first receiver. Australian rugby is well served by these two guys.

Others of note for the Reds were Genia, centres Tapuai and Chambers, Horwill, Daley and the impact from the bench was noticeable (Wallace-Harrison in particular). Debutant Jono Lance looked very much at home.

For the Force, Sidey had his best game to date, Dellit continues to impress and the forward unit in particular didn’t disappoint. It was a mistake in my view to leave Swanepoel out. His quality of service at scrumhalf has been impeccible.

This was a cracking game, full of excitement and the most entertaining Australian match of the round.

The Reds are still on track for a home semi-final and remain at the top of the table. Next week is going to be a major challenge with a difficult last round match-up with the Chiefs in Hamilton.

The Reds wing injury crisis continues. Both Rod Davies and Luke Morahan went off injured during the match.

Injury Update: Morahan four weeks (hamstring), Davies at least one week (shoulder), Ioane a possibility of a return next week.

Citing Update: James O’Connor has been suspended for a week for a dangerous tackle on, of all people, Big Kev.

Reds 24 (Tries Cooper, Higginbotham, Shipperley, Con Cooper 3, Pen Cooper 1) Force 21 (Tries Sidey 2, Pocock, Pen O’Connor 2).