All Blacks flyhalf Carlos Spencer scored one try and set-up another on Friday to lift the Auckland Blues to an 18-15 win over the Queensland Reds in a Super 12 rugby match at Eden Park.
The Reds, who hadn’t beaten the Blues at Auckland in the competition’s 10-year history, led against the run of play within 10 minutes of fulltime before Spencer turned the match.
Spencer created and scored the Blues’ first try in the 71st minute to give them the lead for the first time in the match, then set up a try for centre Luke McAlister two minutes later to give the Blues a tense victory.
The Blues enjoyed a 75 percent territorial advantage in the first half but found themselves down 3-0 at halftime as a penalty to Reds flyhalf Elton Flatley provided the only points.
Auckland maintained huge advantages of ground and possession in the second half but couldn’t break the Reds resolute defense and found themselves 10-3 down when Wallabies winger Wendell Sailor scored the game’s first try.
McAlister then found his range and dragged the Blues back into the match with consecutive penalties — his first successes from six attempts — and Spencer scored the try that gave the Blues their first lead.
Spencer handled three times in the scoring movement, making the initial break, taking a return pass from his captain Xavier Rush then looming into play again to score a try McAlister was unable to convert.
Queensland muffed the consequent kickoff and, from a scrum on halfway, Spencer made an incisive burst which broke open the Reds defence and made space for McAlister’s try.
The Reds hit back with a try to flanker Daniel Heenan after superb leadup work from Wallabies winger Ben Tune, who came off the bench to play his first Super 12 match in almost two years due to injury.
Flatley missed the conversion and time ran out before Queensland could further threaten Auckland’s brittle lead.
”We didn’t look after our ball well enough tonight, we didn’t kick our goals and though we dominated territory we took a long time to get over their line,” Rush said.
”Having said that, I’m pretty happy with my guys. They kept their composure and we took our opportunities when they came in the second half to put points on the board.
”We didn’t win by much but we got the points and at this stage of the season points are crucial.”
Queensland rallied well to lead against the run of play with Sailor’s try. But its defence finally cracked under pressure, allowing Spencer to steal the match.
”It was a tough night out there,” Flatley said. ”It was a bit scrappy and I guess we had opportunities to win but we didn’t take them.”
Scores
Auckland 18 (Carlos Spencer, Luke McAlister tries; McAlister 2 penalties, conversion) def. Queensland Reds 15 (Wendell Sailor, Daniel Heenan tries; Elton Flatley conversion, penalty). – Sapa-AP