VIDEO: Regrets after Super snore
What was meant to be an exiting finish, turned out to be a bit of a damp squib.
The post-match reaction epitomised the drab nature of the game, after the Reds and Melbourne Rebels played out an 18-all draw in Australia’s historic first golden-point extra-time finish.
The two sides were booed off the park by sections of the crowd after neither was able to nail victory.
A last-minute try to Reds replacement Alex Mafi, followed by James O’Connor’s coolly slotted conversion after the siren, forced the Super Rugby AU contest into overtime on Friday.’
However, neither side managed to get the winning score and the finish was a bit of a snore – much like the rest of the match.
Reds fullback Bryce Hegarty narrowly missed a monster penalty goal effort from halfway on the stroke of “super time” half-time.
Reds coach Brad Thorn ‘uhmed’ and ‘ahed’ his way through the media briefing, struggling to articulate his feelings.
However, his opening exchange said it all: “A bit of a wet one really – sort of half happy, half not happy.”
Fittingly, Sydney’s Brookvale Oval, Manly’s NRL base, was the setting for the very Rugby League-like scoreline after Victoria’s second wave of coronavirus forced Melbourne’s ‘home” match to be played interstate.
Under-fire Rebels coach Dave Wessels was particularly disappointed after watching his side squander a 10-point lead with only five minutes remaining.
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“We should have had the game in the bag,” Wessels said.
“To have a lead like that and blow it in the last few minutes – credit to the Reds for fighting – but we didn’t control the ball at that point and that’s disappointing.”
Reds skipper Liam Wright was equally disappointed with the stalemate.
“It’s a weird result – not to get one in the end after 90 minutes of slogging each other,” Wright said.
“But the Rebels were really good.
“They took it to us the whole game and in the end, we couldn’t be separated.”
It was a match the Rebels threw away.
They went to the break 6-0 in front and had a 10 point lead with five minutes left before capitulating.
“We obviously let that one slip,” admitted Rebels captain Dane Haylett-Petty.
“I think we had control early and we didn’t take enough of our opportunities. It was a real tussle there at the end.”
It leaves them with a defeat and a draw from their two Super Rugby AU games so far after losing to the Brumbies last week, while the Reds remain unbeaten following their opening win against the Waratahs.
Friday’s match was supposed to be a home fixture for the Rebels, but they have been forced out of Melbourne indefinitely after a surge in coronavirus cases and it was played at Sydney’s Brookvale Oval – home to Rugby League team Manly.
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