A late try from replacement Kieran Hardy spared Wales’ blushes as they snatched a dramatic 36-35 victory over a second-string Reds side in Brisbane on Friday night.
The Reds, shorn of their Wallabies who face Georgia on Saturday, were on the verge of claiming a famous win until a 79th minute try from scrum-half Hardy broke their hearts.
Archie Griffin, Regan Grace, Rio Dyer, Christ Tshiunza and Nick Tompkins also went over for a relieved Wales outfit, while Sam Costelow added three conversions off the tee.
For an impressive Reds outfit, hooker Richie Asiata grabbed a hat-trick of tries while wing Mac Grealy went over twice, with James O’Connor firing over five conversions.
Wales captain Cory Hill withdrew from the game, with the Welsh Rugby Union saying his absence was due to “personal reasons”.
He was named skipper for the game on Wednesday by head coach Gatland, when Hill told reporters that he regretted an incident that happened three years ago and publicly apologised.
Hill, 32, was named among a group of individuals that damaged a woman’s house in May 2021. He was not charged by police and he apologised at the time through a representative.
Scrum-half Gareth Davies took over as Wales skipper, with Exeter forward Dafydd Jenkins replacing Hill in the second-row.
Wales made a bright start and they were ahead after six minutes when Bath tighthead Griffin claimed a try, with Costelow’s conversion attempt hitting the post.
But poor discipline began to surface from the visitors, and the Reds took advantage, setting up an attacking position that led to Asiata touching down and O’Connor converting.
It was an early warning for Wales, yet they hit back impressively and regained the lead through Grace after he collected Dyer’s pass.
Costelow converted from the touchline, and Wales led 12-7 after a lively opening quarter full of attacking intent from both teams.
There was no let-up in the scoring, and Dyer was next to pounce after he collected a pinpoint cross-kick from Costelow, before the fly-half’s conversion opened up a 12-point advantage.
The Reds thought they had narrowed the gap immediately following a slick move, but O’Connor lost control of the ball before touching down and Wales escaped.
Asiata then claimed his second try ― O’Connor converted ― after Wales hooker Evan Lloyd was yellow-carded, but Tshiunza claimed a fourth Welsh touchdown on the stroke of half-time for a 24-14 interval lead.
Tompkins crossed for a try just six minutes into the second period, putting Wales firmly in the driving seat, yet Asiata’s hat-trick score underlined that they could not switch off.
And further evidence of that came on the hour-mark as Grealy rounded off a sharp move, with O’Connor’s conversion meaning Wales had conceded 14 unanswered points in eight minutes.
Grealy then finished a stunning length-of-the-field move, with O’Connor maintaining his 100 per cent conversion strike-rate and leaving Wales desperately requiring some inspiration that ultimately came from Hardy.
The teams
Reds: 15 Jock Campbell (c), 14 Floyd Aubrey, 13 Tim Ryan, 12 Dre Pakeho, 11 Mac Grealy, 10 James O’Connor, 9 Louis Werchon, 8 Joe Brial, 7 John Bryant, 6 Seru Uru, 5 Ryan Smith, 4 Connor Vest, 3 Jeffery Toomaga-Allen, 2 Richie Asiata, 1 Sef Fa’agase
Replacements: 17 Matt Gibbon, 18 Massimo De Lutiis, 19 Josh Canham, 20 Connor Anderson, 21 Will Cartwright, 22 Mason Gordon, 23 Lachie Anderson
Wales: 15 Cameron Winnett, 14 Rio Dyer, 13 Nick Tompkins, 12 Eddie James, 11 Regan Grace, 10 Sam Costelow, 9 Gareth Davies (c), 8 Mackenzie Martin, 7 Taine Plumtree, 6 Christ Tshiunza, 5 Dafydd Jenkins, 4 Matthew Screech, 3 Archie Griffin, 2 Evan Lloyd, 1 Kemsley Mathias
Replacements: 16 Efan Daniel, 17 Corey Domachowski, 18 Harri O’Connor, 19 Dewi Lake, 20 Tommy Reffell, 21 Kieran Hardy, 22 Ben Thomas, 23 Mason Grady
Referee: Damon Murphy
No comments:
Post a Comment