Reds set for top-two finish
Dom Shipperley scored a 78th minute try to snatch a 24-21 victory for the Queensland Reds over the Western Force
Last Updated: 11/06/11 4:06pm
Replacement winger Dom Shipperley scored a 78th minute try to snatch a 24-21 victory for the Queensland Reds over the Western Force.
The result moved the Reds to 62 points and all but guaranteed they will qualify in the top-two and have home advantage throughout the playoffs.
The Reds trailed going into the final two minutes but a try in the corner by Shipperley earned his side the much-needed win.
Queensland had to withstand relentless Force pressure for the first 30 minutes but Quade Cooper and Scott Higginbotham scored tries against the run of play to keep the Reds in it before Shipperley's try saw his side bounce back from last week's loss to the Brumbies.
But the win was soured by a shoulder injury to winger Rod Davies, who had missed the previous six games with a knee injury, which forced him from the field just 15 minutes into his return in a potentially big blow to a side already depleted by injuries.
Rory Sidey scored a pair of tries for the Force and David Pocock added one, while James O'Connor slotted two penalties, but it was not enough for the Perth side to win at home for just the second time this season.
The Force jumped out to an 8-0 lead through an O'Connor penalty goal and Sidey try from some ill-disciplined Queensland play.
But the Reds got back in the match when Cooper, who also slotted a penalty and three conversions, intercepted a loose pass and ran 75 metres to score the try, which he then converted from the corner.
Pressure
Sidey again took advantage of the Force's pressure with another try after 21 minutes, but the visitors responded quickly when the ball fell to Higginbotham from a scrum and he scored a try.
Another O'Connor penalty goal put the Force back in front just before half-time, but a Cooper penalty gave the Reds a one-point lead just after the break.
The Reds were putting on most of the pressure after half-time but the hosts held on and took the lead through Pocock's try with 13 minutes left, before Shipperley's five-pointer sealed Queensland's victory.
"We knew it would be tough, these debries always are," Reds captain James Horwill said. "We lacked a bit of finish there and gave away a lot of penalties. But I'm really happy we got the result in the end."
Meanwhile, Australia may have suffered a potential blow to their World Cup build-up after veteran lock Nathan Sharpe twisted his right ankle.
The Force captain, who has won 93 caps for the Wallabies and was a certainty for their World Cup squad, told Australian television he thought he had sustained ligament damage but would need a more comprehensive examination on Sunday.
