In the end they fell just short, but Brad Thorn’s baby Queensland Reds won’t have lost any admirers despite going down 36-31 to the Highlanders at Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin.
Leading 31-29 late in the match after two second half tries overturn a 12-point deficit, flanker Dillion Hunt scored out wide to see the home side take the lead in the 74th minute.
The Reds had one last chance to steal the game at the death after winning a penalty with a minute to go, but a loose carry from Ruan Smith on the Highlanders’ 10 metre line saw the home side clear their half and boot the ball deep into opposition territory.
A lost lineout on their own 22 metre line then rubbed salt into the wound, as veteran playmaker Marty Banks booted the ball into the stands to end the match.
It was a shattering blow for the Reds, who have had little to cheer about since lifting the trophy in 2011.
The defeat made all the more difficult for Izack Rodda, whose father passed away earlier in the week and opted to play the match despite his personal loss.
It was Rodda, too, that gave the Reds hope of a remarkable victory, after finishing off a freakish try which started deep in their own half from a turnover and after a series of kicks and offloads saw the Test lock scored next to the posts.
More to come.
