The Queensland Reds have been left to rue a lacklustre first half as a spirited comeback effort felt short against the Crusaders in Christchurch.
After conceding three unanswered tries in the first half, the Reds scored two of their own in the second half but it proved to be a case of too little, too late as the Crusaders ran out 28-15 winners in slippery conditions.
It was a brutal start to the contest for the Queenslanders, who lost hooker Matt Faessler in the fifth minute after he suffered a head injury while attempting to tackle Cullen Grace.
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Faessler dropped down low in his attempt to tackle the on-rushing Grace, but his action resulted in his head colliding with Grace’s hip, leaving him flattened.
The play was stopped shortly after the incident as Faessler was tended to by the Reds’ medical staff, before he was taken off the field for a HIA, one that would rule him out for the remainder of the contest.
Tries to Fergus Burke (13th minute), Will Jordan (16′) and Brodie McAllister (37′) gave the Crusaders a commanding half-time lead before Richie Asiata struck the first blow of the second half with a 57th minute try of his own.
Tom Christie scored the match-sealing try in the 72nd minute, rendering Harry Wilson’s try three minutes later a mere consolation as the Crusaders held on for a scratchy win.
The Reds were without Wallabies star James O’Connor, and the void left by the veteran was clear in the first half, with skipper Tate McDermott lamenting the missed opportunity.
“We came out a little bit shellshocked and if we’re giving any team, particularly the Crusaders, a 21-point head-start it’s obviously not ideal,” he said after the match.
“Really proud of how we managed to claw our way back into it and we’ll take that forward moving forward.
“It was just as simple as holding the ball. When we stuck together as a team, we worked hard and we put phases on phases together, we looked really good. It’s just about doing that for longer periods of time.
“Once we fixed our kicking game, we applied pressure and held the ball and looked really good.”
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Reds coach Brad Thorn also lamented his side’s lack of composure during the disjointed first-half.
“The guys showed plenty of fight, but we’ve got to be smarter,” he said.
“We’ve got some work to do. The guys were out there competing hard and that’s what I ask for.”
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