The Queensland Reds routed the NSW Waratahs 14-46 after another dominant display in the Round Six Super Rugby AU clash at Stadium Australia, Sydney.
The Reds scored seven tries in another bruising bonus-point win to remain undefeated and go back on top of the Super Rugby AU.
Queensland moves three points ahead of the Brumbies after five matches. New South Wales remains winless and rooted to the bottom of the Super Rugby AU log.
This was as straight-forward a 32-point win can be, especially considering the Reds did not get out of third gear at the famous Sydney stadium.
Brad Thorn’s hungry charges ended an eight-year barren spell in Sydney, going back to 2013. Instead, it was the Tahs who ate, as the home team dined out on another forty-burger defeat.
The visiting pack destroyed their hosts, scrumming and mauling an uninterested home team, while the backs ran the NSW backline ragged. It really could have been more but for some poor handling.
The Waratahs did not enter the Reds’ 22 until 32-minute such was the dominance and one-sidedness of this so-called contest.
They win back-to-back away Super Rugby matches against New South Wales for the first time since 2013, which is incidentally, the last time the Reds won any two consecutive away games.
Alex Mafi, Queensland’s top try-scorer, bagged a second-half hat-trick to increase his tally to six tries for the season as the rampant Reds’ pack bulldozed their opponents.
As ever, the omnipresent hooker was at the heart of everything, making an impact off the bench that must have made Rob Penney squirm in the coaches’ box.
Waratahs frustrate lackluster Reds, but the visitors soon find their mojo
Tate McDermott, Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, Filipo Daugunu, Taniela Tupou also scored for the table-toppers. Will Harris scored the Tahs’ only try, 14 minutes into the second half as the hosts succumbed meekly.
Will Harrison kicked three first-half penalties but the hosts trailed by 11 at the break.
McDermott, Salakaia-Loto, and Daugunu crossed in the first half as the Reds scored 17 unanswered points in half-an-hour after the Tahs led 6-0.
Super Rugby AU Round 6 Video Highlights: Waratahs vs Reds at Stadium Australia, Sydney
McDermott scored a brilliant solo try from the base of the scrum. The halfback broke infield, stepped inside two defenders, and carried to others over the whitewash.
James O’Connor added the extras before he converted Salakaia-Loto’s 29th-minute try to double the visitor’s score.
The blunt Tahs only entered the opposition’s 22 after 31 minutes and 30 seconds, and unsurprisingly, they left with nothing.
An O’Connor penalty meant the Reds had scored 17 unanswered points in half-an-hour.
Harrison added another penalty to stop the rot, but Daugunu’s try, on the stroke of halftime, was a body blow.
Queensland increase the tempo as wrecking machine Mafi takes over the game
Izaia Perese thought he had scored soon after the interval, but the centre had knocked-on diving over the line. Several decent chances came and went but it was the opposition who pounced.
Seven minutes later, Tupou goose-stepped his way past Carlo Tizzano on the touchline to increase his team’s lead.
Harris scored to reduce the deficit to 13 points after 54 minutes thanks to some silky play by Lalakai Foketi.
Sadly for the hosts, five points were all they could muster in the second stanza; instead, they wilted under the weight of Queensland’s pack’s pressure.
Mafi, who came on early after the restart, took over, touching down three times in 16 minutes – Brandon Paenga-Amosa must be filthy.
Bryce Hegarty converted Mafi’s first try just after the hour as the Reds made it 14-34. The hooker soon had another after Hugh Sinclair’s yellow card for illegally collapsing the maul.
Both tries came from devastating driving mauls.
Zane Nonggorr went to the bin; however, the Waratahs could not get over the line; instead, with the clock ticking down, Mafi barged his way over for his treble.
Final Score: NSW Waratahs 14 (9) Queensland Reds 46 (22)
Scorers
Waratahs
Tries – Harris
Pen – Harrison (3)
Con –
Drop –
Cards – Sinclair (Yellow, 67′)
Reds
Tries – McDermott, Salakaia-Loto, Daugunu, Tupou, Mafi (3)
Pen – O’Connor
Con – O’Connor (2), Hegarty (2)
Drop –
Cards – Nonggorr (Yellow, 72′)
Match Officials
Referee: Graham Cooper
Assistant Ref 1: Jordan way
Assistant Ref 2: Amy Perrett
TMO: James Leckie
Teams
NSW Waratahs
15 Jack Maddocks, 14 Alex Newsome (captain), 13 Lalakai Foketi, 12 Izaia Perese, 11 James Ramm, 10 Will Harrison, 9 Jack Grant, 8 Will Harris, 7 Carlo Tizzano, 6 Hugh Sinclair, 5 Sam Caird, 4 Sam Wykes, 3 Tetera Faulkner, 2 David Porecki, 1 Harry Johnson-Holmes
Replacements: 16 Tom Horton, 17 Angus Bell, 18 Darcy Breen, 19 Jeremy Williams, 20 Max Douglas, 21 Henry Robertson, 22 Tane Edmed, 23 Mark Nawaqanitawase
Queensland Reds
15 Jock Campbell, 14 Suliasi Vunivalu, 13 Jordan Petaia, 12 Hunter Paisami, 11 Filipo Daugunu, 10 James O’Connor (captain), 9 Tate McDermott, 8 Seru Uru, 7 Fraser McReight, 6 Angus Scott-Young, 5 Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, 4 Ryan Smith, 3 Taniela Tupou, 2 Brandon Paenga-Amosa, 1 Dane Zander
Replacements: 16 Alex Mafi, 17 Richie Asiata, 18 Zane Nonggorr, 19 Harry Wilson, 20 Sam Wallis, 21 Kalani Thomas, 22 Hamish Stewart, 23 Bryce Hegarty
