As round one of the 2010 Super 14 got underway this weekend, old foes the Queensland Reds and the New South Wales Waratahs battled it out in Brisbane for bragging rights in this traditional cross state derby.
The match ended in heartbreak for one of the sides right at the death, so if you want to avoid the spoiler, stop reading now and skip straight to the video to watch events unfold for yourself.
The Reds looked to have the game sealed up as they led 28-23 with three tries to one and little time left, but big Wycliff Palu charged in under the posts to break the hearts of Queensland players and fans alike.
Daniel Halangahu slotted the easy conversion to take the 30-28 win and leave the Reds wondering how they managed to throw away all the good work theyd done until that point.
Losing captain James Horwill was absolutely devastated, saying he was “shattered”, pretty much summing up the feeling in the side that were considered underdogs going into this season.
It was a high-tempo, free flowing game that contained plenty to talk about. Dean Mumm has been suspended since the match, and Will Caldwell made an accusation of biting, aimed at Adam Byrnes, who in tern mentioned eye gouging.
Caldwell left the match with 26 stitches to his head, a cut finger, and a disciplinary hearing following the tussle with Byrnes. Sufficent evidence wasnt found though, so both players were cleared of any wrong doings.
”I think everyone saw it was a pretty tough encounter out there, but that’s sort of thing you probably like to expect in a NSW-Queensland match. I was certainly in the thick of it with a bit of claret out of the head, but I think most of that actually came from friendly fire,” he said.
Eventful right till the end, it was definitely one of the games of round 1, and a classic in the two sides’ long history. Enjoy.
Time:
06:20
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