Center David Horowitz yesterday scored a try in the final minute to cap a second-half fightback to give the New South Wales Waratahs a thrilling 32-25 win over the Rebels in Melbourne.
The Waratahs trailed 25-6 at halftime, but squeezed home on the back of four second-half tries to deny the Rebels a prized victory over their better-resourced Australian rivals.
The Waratahs looked to be heading for their fourth successive loss to heap further pressure on coach Daryl Gibson before their stirring comeback.
“To come back from 25-6 down and the position we were, being 1-3, it was a pretty crucial win for us,” Gibson said. “I’m thrilled for the boys, because it will give them a great deal of confidence and show them that when we hold the ball and don’t make errors and mistakes, we can be a very good football team.”
Wallaby flyhalf Bernard Foley, back in the side after missing five weeks with post-concussion symptoms, led the way for the Waratahs with three conversions and two penalties.
The Waratahs finally found some playing fluency after the interval, with 21-year-old lock Ned Hanigan scoring to put his side back in the contest.
The margin was further reduced when Reece Robinson beat fellow rugby league convert Marika Koroibete to score in the corner.
With all the rugby being played in the Rebels half, the Waratahs reaped the rewards in the 77th minute when they elected to take a scrum 10m out rather than a penalty, with Michael Wells scoring.
Horowitz then darted through a gap and sealed the Waratahs’ second win of the season.
In Christchurch, the Crusaders maintained their unbeaten start to the Super Rugby season, defeating Perth-based Western Force 45-17 to open the tournament’s fifth round.
After leading 28-17 at halftime, the Crusaders struggled to drive home their advantage in the second half and their winning margin was only inflated by two tries in the final 10 minutes.
The Force, who have been competitive, but have won only one of their first four matches, put pressure on the Crusaders, especially at scrums in the early part of the second half.
However, they were unable to capitalize on a period of intense pressure early in the second spell and the Crusaders were able to re-establish control and post a convincing victory.
Rain late in the match made ball-handling difficult and the game lost most of its structure after halftime.
The Crusaders took the lead in the match after only five minutes with a try by former Wallabies winger Digby Ioane, converted by flyhalf Mitchell Hunt.
After a penalty by Jono Lance for the Force, the Crusaders extended their lead with a try by All Blacks flanker Matt Todd after another strong run by Ioane.
Todd then made an uncharacteristic error, throwing a pass that was intercepted by Alex Newsome, who ran more than 50m to score for the Force, cutting the lead to 14-10.
Hard-working flanker Scott Barrett scored for the Crusaders to make the lead 21-10 and lock Luke Romano plunged on a loose ball over the Force line for a 28-10 lead. The Force hit back with a try before halftime by Chance Peni.
Hooker Codie Taylor opened the second half with a try that put the Crusaders ahead 22-17, and late tries by David Havili and Ben Funnell made the margin convincing.
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