Reds rule over Crusaders
Queensland Reds have been crowned Super Rugby champions after edging out Crusaders 18-13 at Suncorp Stadium.
Last Updated: 09/07/11 1:35pm
![Queensland Reds celebrate a thrilling victory on home soil](https://uatimg.skysports.com/11/07/660x350/Will-Genia-and-Digby-Ioane-celebrating-for-Re_2619870.jpg?20110709121009)
Queensland Reds have been crowned Super Rugby champions after edging out Crusaders 18-13 in a thrilling final at Suncorp Stadium.
The Australian franchise claimed their first title thanks to a moment of individual brilliance from scrum-half Will Genia, who jinked his way to a match-winning try with 10 minutes remaining.
Crusaders, who were vying for their eighth championship, had previously led through Dan Carter's 13-point haul, however it took something special from Genia to deny them.
After 30 scoreless minutes, the match burst into life just before half-time.
Sublime
Quade Cooper put the first points on the board courtesy of a long-range penalty, however the Crusaders quickly hit back through a sublime individual score from Carter.
The New Zealand fly-half attacked a flat Reds defence, pierced it with an inch-perfect grubber kick, before collecting himself and cruising under the posts.
His own conversion extended the lead to 7-3, although another Cooper penalty reduced the gap to a mere one point at the interval.
Crusaders thought they had scored their second try moments after the restart, however a trip to the TMO confirmed that Brad Thorn had been held up on the try-line.
Carter eased some of the Crusaders' disappointment with a penalty moments later, but Queensland then produced their best attacking move of the game to retake the lead.
Cooper fed a rampaging Digby Ioane, who hit the line at pace to beat Sonny Bill Williams and Tom Marshall and touch down behind the uprights.
Cooper's conversion put the Reds 13-10 ahead, albeit with Carter swiftly levelling the scores after Richie McCaw landed a huge hit on Beau Robinson to earn a penalty.
Pressure
The moment of the match, though, came with 69 minutes on the clock when Super Rugby player of the year Genia scored what turned out to be the title-winning score.
The Reds scrum-half picked up the ball inside his own half with seemingly nowhere to turn, yet seemingly set off on a mazy run which kept on going and going before he eventually fended off Sean Maitland to get over.
Cooper, clearly feeling the pressure, missed the ensuing conversion, as well as a late penalty, to keep Crusaders in the hunt with time ticking away.
The New Zealanders threw everything they had at Queensland in the dying stages but couldn't find a way through, meaning the Reds became the first Australian winners of the competition since the ACT Brumbies in 2004.