Berrick Barnes scored a try among 16 points as the Queensland Reds beat the Auckland Blues 31-24 on Saturday in a Super 14 rugby match interrupted for 50 minutes by a floodlight failure.
Lights at one end of Auckland’s North Harbour Stadium failed two minutes 53 seconds into Saturday’s match after a fault at a local substation. Players tried to continue but were forced four minutes, 35 seconds into the match to leave the field, remaining in their dressing rooms for 50 minutes until power was restored.
The Reds coped best with the disruption, scoring two tries to lead 17-5 at halftime and two more in the second half to go ahead 31-5 before clinching their first win in New Zealand in 14 years in Super 12 or 14 rugby.
Fullback Mark McLinden had a hand in all of Queensland’s tries as they claimed a four-try bonus point which damaged the Blues’ claim to a semifinal place. The Blues started the round in sixth
place on the championship table and took two points for their four tries and a loss by seven points or less.
The Reds were already ahead 3-0, through a Barnes penalty in the second minute, when the floodlight failure chased the players from the field.
Queensland quickly captured the initiative in the match, when play resumed with tries after 29 minutes to Barnes and after 36 minutes to Queensland captain James Horwill. McLinden had a hand in both.
Queensland headed into the break with a 17-0 advantage but a try to All Blacks centre Isaia Toeva in first-half stoppage time reduced Queensland’s lead to 17-5 at the break.
Wallabies centre Digby Ioane scored six minutes into the second half, as Queensland turned to face a stiff breeze, and replacement winger Anthony Fainga’a scored after 49 minutes to give the Reds a
31-5 lead.
Queensland made good use of a strong wind in the second half but defied the breeze in the first part of the second spell to build an insurmountable advantage.
Auckland achieved some continuity in the final quarter and scored tries to replacement Peter Saili, lock Kurtis Haiu and flyhalf Jimmy Gopperth but were unable to bridge the gap. – Sapa-AP