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The Reds battled to a hard-fought 23-5 win over the Rebels in their Super Rugby Pacific clash on Saturday in less than ideal conditions that had a huge impact on the quality of rugby played.
While both teams announced starting lineups that promised a lot of running rugby, the match did not turn out that way as worsening weather made handling, and therefore running with the ball, very difficult.
It got worse as the match wore on too, which presented a huge advantage to whichever team was able to get out in front early on.
As it turned out, on this occasion, it was the Reds.
After a nervy opening period during which neither side was willing to take too many risks, the Reds eventually broke through in the 13th minute.
The forwards earned it with a series of short bursts around the ruck to steadily advance and keep the defence off-balance until Taniela Tupou was able to power over in the corner with an immense leg drive through the tackle of Cabous Eloff.
James O'Connor kicked the extras to make it 7-0.
However, Tupou went from hero to villain in the 23rd minute when shown a yellow card for repeated infringements at the breakdown.
O'Connor kicked a penalty in the 33rd minute to extend the lead before the Rebels hit back in a big way three minutes later.
After setting up a lineout right on the Reds line, the visitors grabbed the ball and set up an unstoppable driving maul to push Brad Wilkin over.
The missed conversion and another O'Connor penalty shortly before halftime gave the Reds a 13-5 lead.
The home side struck again 10 minutes after the break following a sustained period of pressure with Harry Wilson somehow sticking his arm and the ball through a mess of defenders to dot down just on the line.
The weather started to get bad at this point and the home side became experts at spoiling the ball at the breakdown.
The combination made it almost impossible for the Rebels to build up any sustained period of possession or pressure.
Ultimately, as bodies tired and things opened up at the end, the Reds snuck in one more try via a clever cross-field kick by Josh Flook, which was gathered up by Jock Campbell, who finished with ease.
Another missed conversion by O'Connor left the final score at 23-5 to the Reds.
Scorers
Reds
Tries: Taniela Tupou, Harry Wilson, Jock Campbell
Conversions: James O'Connor
Penalties: James O'Connor (2)
Yellow cards: Taniela Tupou
Rebels
Tries: Brad Wilkin
