Reds inspired by Cooper
Quade Cooper led the way as the Reds beat the Chiefs 19-11 in Hamilton to claim top spot in the Super Rugby table.
Last Updated: 18/06/11 9:36am
Quade Cooper led the way as the Reds beat the Chiefs 19-11 at Waikato Stadium in Hamilton to claim top spot in the Super Rugby table.
Cooper, who landed a conversion and four penalty goals to take his season's tally to 211 points, dominated the Reds' attack with some controlled passing and deft kicking.
There was also an outstanding display in the loose by flanker Liam Gill, who dominated that area of play, gaining several crucial turnovers.
The Reds also managed to upset the Chiefs' lineout during the middle stages of the game, denying the home side several opportunities to build momentum.
The Chiefs withstood a first-quarter assault from the Reds to go to the break down 10-6.
The Reds struck at their first opportunity, five minutes into the game, after first five-eighths Cooper had kicked a penalty into the Chiefs right-hand corner. Winning the lineout through lock James Horwill, the Reds mounted a series of drives at the line and it was Gill who crossed for Cooper to add the conversion.
An instinctive reaction by Romana Graham in the 17th minute, as the Reds looked to benefit from a blindside break by half-back Will Genia, resulted in him being sin-binned for deliberately knocking down the ball while an advantage was being played. Cooper landed the penalty goal - his 201st point for the season.
Fortunately Graham's absence didn't prove too costly for the Chiefs on the scoreboard as their defence held out, albeit at the cost of an injury to wing Sitiveni Sivivatu who suffered a shoulder dislocation through a desperate tackle as he denied Reds' centre Ben Tapuai a try.
The Chiefs posted their first points, courtesy of a penalty goal in the 30th minute from first five-eighths Stephen Donald's boot. He added a second in the 35th minute.
Massive effort
Needing to make a strong start to the second half, the Chiefs conceded three successive penalties which Cooper converted into points for a 19-6 lead.
The Chiefs pack had two more drives at the line, being caught short on the first occasion, before number eight Fritz Lee lost control of the ball under the posts.
Three minutes later in the 77th minute, however, Lee got his side a consolation score as he went over following a set move from a scrum.
The win means the Reds have earned a week off before their home semi-final in a fortnight.
"To finish the season as number one is a massive effort," Reds skipper James Horwill said.
"It shows the consistency we've been building towards and I'm really proud of that. But the finals is a whole different ball game and we'll have a week off now to prepare well."
