Reds go down to Crusaders in Christchurch
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Loading...The St.George Queensland Reds were outclassed 38-5 in their Asteron Life Super Rugby clash with the Crusaders in Christchurch on Saturday night.
The Reds dominated possession for large chunks of the game but ultimately earned little reward in the six-tries-to-one loss.
Reds co-interim head coach Matt O’Connor said: “We made some mistakes early on, which made it difficult against such a clinical opposition. They’re an experienced side and that showed in the telling moments tonight.
“The effort was there, you can’t fault that, but we needed to be better when opportunities presented.”
The Reds ran into a red-hot Crusaders side which defended with power and seized their opportunities when presented.
For all their scheming and willingness to run the ball, the Reds just lacked the punch to create holes.
A double within the first eight minutes to winger Jone Macilai-Tori was an eerie sign of what might be on the cards.
Try as they did, Queensland’s ball runners failed to put a dent in the Crusaders’ line.
When Scott Barrett crossed for the hosts’ third try, the Reds needed a mighty second half to keep the Crusaders from running away with it.
It wasn’t to be, with Macilai-Tori crossing for his third to put the margin beyond Queensland’s reach.
There was still some fight from the Reds who held the ball for long periods in the second half.
Outside centre Campbell Magnay was the Reds’ sole try scorer when he regathered a Jake McIntyre chip kick and galloped 40m to the tryline.
The Reds’ next outing is on May 14 against the Hurricanes in Wellington.
“We’ve got another tough game next week and we have to be better than we were tonight. The attitude and effort are there – we’ll keep our heads up and we’ll keep going,” O’Connor said.
CRUSADERS 38 (Jone Macilai-Tori 3, Scott Barrett, Jordan Taufua, Codie Taylor tries; Richie Mo’unga 3, Marty McKenzie conversions) d St.GEORGE QUEENSLAND REDS 5 (Campbell Magnay try) at AMI Stadium in Christchurch.
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