The New South Wales Waratahs defeated arch-rivals the Queensland Reds 26-13 here on Saturday in a battle between the worst two teams in the Super 14 rugby competition.
The Waratahs scored two tries to one to outlast the visiting Queenslanders and almost certainly consign the Reds to the wooden spoon for the second year in a row.
But judging by the efforts of both teams, Australia’s chances of winning the World Cup later this year seem very slim at best with the two traditional powerhouses of Australian rugby struggling to do even the simplest things well.
Queensland captain John Roe could not find any positives to take from the match.
”It was a very important game for Queensland — the interstate rivalry is not a joke for us,” Roe said.
”We’re tremendously disappointed we lost that. We’ve just got to go home and work on it. We’ve got to fester [on that result] for the next 365 days now.”
During the first half the two sides showed the crowd of more than 25 000 just why they are last and second last in the Super 14 table.
In a half riddled with mistakes and poor execution in nearly every aspect of the game, neither outfit looked likely to score.
Queensland had 70% of possession in the first 40 minutes but did not once break the NSW line, with their ultra-conservative style of rugby not making any impression.
The Waratahs were almost as bad and it looked as though the only points in the half would come from the boots of NSW’s Peter Hewat, with three penalties, and Queensland’s Clinton Schifcofske, with two.
But two minutes before the break, NSW broke down the left side with centre Ben Jacobs pulled down by a desperate Andrew Walker only 10m out.
From the resulting ruck Waratahs scrumhalf Josh Valentine darted down the sideline to score in the corner.
Hewat converted to send the home side into the break leading 16-6.
The Waratahs went further ahead just after the break with another Hewat penalty but Queensland struck back when flyhalf Berrick Barnes put a delightful chip kick through, which Schifcofske collected before diving over under the posts.
The Reds began to play with greater purpose and the match was in the balance until 10 minutes before fulltime, when NSW replacement Wycliff Palu scooped up a loose Queensland lineout throw on the Reds’ 22 and put fellow flanker Beau Robinson over to seal the match. – Sapa-AFP