Reds end season on a high

The Queensland Reds finished their Tooheys New Super 14 season on a high, farewelling coach Jeff Miller and 134-game veteran Mark Connors with a 22-16 win over the Highlanders at Dairy Farmers Stadium in Townsville.

Connors celebrated his record-breaking appearance for the Reds with a dogged victory over the Highlanders, who had threatened to deny the Reds in the closing minutes but were held out by a side determined not to suffer yet another close defeat in 2006.

Captain John Roe paid tribute to the tenacity of his side and to the encouragement of the North Queensland crowd who witnessed the first Australian Super rugby game to be played outside a capital city.

The Reds scored three tries to the Highlanders' one, but were unable to shake off the visitors who ground their way back from 19-6 down to be 19-16 behind at the 65th minute and putting the Reds under severe pressure.

A Berrick Barnes penalty with three minutes to go eased the strain for the Reds who managed to hold on until the final whistle, despite giving their coach a final heart flutter by trying to run the ball out of trouble when a kick into touch would have ended the game.

Roe said it was a valuable lesson for the team for next year to win a close game against a tough team like the Highlanders, after having lost five games this season by seven points or less.

"We know we're better than our position on the table indicates," Roe said. "And the lesson is to win those tight games because the tight games are the ones that make the difference."

The Reds started the game determined to attack from the outset and their adventure was rewarded in the fourth minute when a Ben Tune half-break was followed by a Rodney Blake charge out wide, with the big prop slipping a neat ball to fullback Julian Huxley to charge to the line.

From the resulting ruck Barnes executed a pin-point kick wide to the right wing where lock Mitchell Chapman was waiting unopposed to touch down for the first try. Huxley converted to take the score to 7-5.

The Highlanders struck back with two Ben Blair penalties but with the score at 7-6 lost Hoani MacDonald to the sinbin for a professional foul in the Highlanders 22.

The Reds took full advantage of the forward imbalance with a series of driving mauls that led to a try to flanker David Croft, converted by Huxley to make the score 14-6 to the Reds.

The Reds were on attack again soon after when a loose ball popped out of a ruck and was snapped up by Roe, who chipped through and forced a five metre scrum to the Reds.

From a rehearsed move the ball went to centre Tune who got around his man on the outside to score a triumphant try in the 28th minute. Huxley's conversion attempt failed but the Reds still looked to be comfortably in charge at 19-6.

Blair posted a second penalty for the Highlanders to take the teams to the break with the Reds leading 19-9.

The game turned scrappy in the second half with both sides losing lineouts on their own throw and the Highlanders managing to do a better job of slowing or pilfering the Reds' ruck ball.

The Kiwis' determination finally paid off in the 65th minute when winger Ben Smith scored out wide after a movement that began with a clearing kick from the Highlanders 22 and turned to gold when a favourable bounce put them on full attack and enabled them to stretch the Reds' defence to breaking point for the first time for the night.

But they were unable to close the 19-16 gap any further and when Barnes succeeded with the second of his two penalty attempts with three minutes to go it was to be the final score for the night.

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