Queensland Reds 21
Western Force 20
An off-key Queensland Reds shelved the razzle-dazzle to get out of jail and pip the Western Force with a thrilling 21-20 Super 15 rugby victory in blazing heat at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane yesterday.
It took a 75th-minute pick-and-drive try from the Reds' massive pack, scored by replacement hooker James Hanson, to finally grab the lead and prevent a huge first-round upset by the energetic Force.
In a man-of-the-match display, Force whiz-kid James O'Connor deserved bragging rights over best mate Quade Cooper in their playmaking battle, but it was the Wallabies' five-eighth who ultimately won the match.
Cooper missed three other second-half kicks at goal but slotted the one that mattered, converting Hanson's try to put his side in the lead. The match-winning try came with the Force down to 14 men while Matt Hodgson was in the sin-bin.
Just five minutes earlier, the Force appeared to have pulled off an amazing upset when O'Connor scored a solo 90m runaway try, punishing a terrible error by Cooper.
With Queensland attacking the Force line, Cooper passed into the back of Anthony Faingaa and it rebounded into the path of O'Connor who toed ahead, regathered and outsprinted the cover defence.
In one of his rare lapses on the day, the test winger, pitched into No 10 because of an injury to Willie Ripia, failed to kick the conversion, opening the door for the home side.
Queensland looked sluggish in the sweltering conditions and never went close to hitting the entertaining heights of last year.
Their pack lacked the energy of the Force forwards, whose workaholic back-row won the battle at the breakdown.
Wallabies duo David Pocock and Nathan Sharpe stood tall up front.
Both sides wasted first-half opportunities but none close to the try butchered by Will Chambers in the 25th minute when he spilt a perfect Cooper grubber over the line.
It was an act that epitomised the error-riddled half that finished with Reds winger Rod Davies sin-binned for punching Brett Sheehan, allowing O'Connor to slot his fourth three-pointer from the sideline for a 12-6 lead.
The goalkickers continued to trade penalty goals for the Force to lead 15-9 midway through the second half.
When it looked like it was not going to be the Reds' day, hooker Saia Faingaa combined with Scott Higginbotham for a canny short lineout to race 20m to the corner.
In the dying minutes, it was Hanson and Cooper who ensured Queensland opened their campaign with a win.
- AAP
