[Source: Super Rugby Pacific/Facebook]
An 82nd-minute try from Blues halfback Sam Nock has delivered the Queensland Reds a heartbreaking Super Rugby Pacific loss at Suncorp Stadium.
The Reds looked on track for the biggest win of their season after a stunning hat-trick from 20-year-old winger Tim Ryan on his starting debut put them 31-20 clear on Saturday night.
But the powerful Blues somehow found an answer, scoring three tries in the match’s last 13 minutes – including one deep into additional time – to sink their rivals 41-34.
Nock was backing up perfectly to find the winning points after winger Caleb Clarke initially broke the line, countering a Reds’ drive where they looked intent on finding the winning points.
The visitors had only tied the scores on 75 minutes through bench prop Kurt Eklund, with dynamic No.8 Hoskins Sotutu sparking their late rally six minutes earlier.
It was the Blues’ sixth straight win to sit one point behind the ladder-leading Hurricanes, although the Reds delivered another reminder their best rugby can challenge the competition’s best.
The late drama overshadowed a breakout game from Junior Wallaby Ryan with his pure speed creating his second and third tries.
He classily capped a scrum set-play for a 24-20 lead, before carving up defender after defender from a standing start to complete his hat-trick and put them 31-20 clear.
He’d earlier grabbed their first lead of the contest after an audacious chip-and-chase from centre Hunter Paisami allowed him to be put away.
Alarm bells were ringing early when the Blues powered over twice in the first 19 minutes, with only three missed kicks at goal from five-eighth Harry Plummer keeping the score at 10-0.
The Reds found the try they desperately needed after a lengthy stint on the Blues’ line, with prop Jeff Toomaga-Allen finally breaking through to get them back to 10-7.
The Queensland scrum was comfortably outgunned by the Blues’ hulking pack, to the point they both lost scrums and gave away a penalty when the visitors packed one less player due to a yellow card.
Winger Suliasu Vunivalu’s second-half try made up for a lazy put-down that cost him the match’s opening points.
He did the hard part, climbing high to gather a bomb above his Blues opponent before using his strength to spin and find the line, only to botch the easy try despite no pressure from defenders.
