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SYDNEY - A try to wing Todd Byrne 40 seconds from fulltime enabled the New Zealand Warriors to snatch a remarkable 18-16 National Rugby League (NRL) victory against South Sydney here today.
Byrne latched on to an accurate grubber kick from five-eighth Michael Witt in the right-hand corner to spark jubilant scenes at Telstra Stadium.
The Warriors scored two tries in the last three minutes after they looked gone at 8-16 down.
Fullback Wade McKinnon gave them hope when he raced 50m to score in the 77th minute after a neat offload from Warriors captain Steve Price, their standout performer.
It was the Warriors' first away win of the season after losses to Melbourne and Manly, and cemented their place in the top four.
It also continued their dominance over Souths, and it marked their 12th consecutive win against the Rabbitohs.
The Warriors earlier had two seemingly legitimate first-half tries denied by video referee Chris Ward under the contentious obstruction rule which would have given them a 20-0 lead in the 22nd minute.
Instead the Warriors led just 8-4 at halftime.
A 90m intercept try from Warriors halfback Grant Rovelli rocked Souths in the ninth minute.
Centre Tony Martin converted, and added a penalty in the 17th minute to make it 8-0.
Five-eighth Michael Witt slipped Dean Widders' tackle to score in the 14th minute but Ward ruled that dummy runner Micheal Luck had obstructed Widders.
Eight minutes later Nathan Fien dived over under the crossbar from a great Price offload, but prop Sam Rapira was ruled to have caused interference.
Souths stormed back with little halfback Joe Williams cleverly directing play, and he put former Kiwis veteran Nigel Vagana over in the corner 11 minutes before the break.
The hosts reclaimed the lead in the 62nd minute through another intercept, from winger Nathan Merritt, who snatched a Witt pass 85m out and raced away.
Two minutes earlier, Merritt was denied a try by Ward, who ruled Souths' Jeremy Smith offside from a Williams grubber.
Souths had the roll on and they appeared to seal the match 11 minutes from fulltime through another New Zealander, David Fa'alogo, who regathered a David Peachey bomb in the in-goal area.
- NZPA
