Australia’s Queensland Reds finished off another under-par Super 14 rugby season with a dour 22-16 win over New Zealand’s Otago Highlanders in Townsville on Friday.
The Reds chalked up their fourth win in 13 matches to send coach Jeff Miller out on a winning note as former Wallabies’ coach Eddie Jones prepares to take over at the helm in the once-powerful Australian province next season.
Queensland scored three tries to one and led 19-9 at half-time.
The Reds pinched the game with three tries in the first half, two coming while lock Hoani MacDonald was yellow-carded for 10 minutes for intentionally knocking the ball down in a ruck.
Queensland had to weather a second-half comeback by the Highlanders, who got to 19-16 with 16 minutes left through, their only try by winger Ben Smith.
But replacement goal-kicker Berrick Barnes landed a penalty goal with three minutes left to secure victory for the Reds.
Queensland’s tries came from flanker Mitchell Chapman off a Barnes’s high kick to an unguarded corner, flanker David Croft in a pushover and centre Ben Tune off a decoy backline move.
Otago’s former All Black hooker Anton Oliver rated Queensland’s scrum the best his Highlanders had encountered of the four Australian franchises, raising the hopes of Tongan-born prop Rodney ”Rodzilla” Blake of making the Wallaby squad for this season’s home internationals.
Otago finished the season with six wins and seven defeats. — AFP
