The Queensland Reds women's team booked a coveted home semi-final with today’s comprehensive 47-10 victory over the Western Force at Ballymore Stadium.
The second-placed Reds will be back at the same venue next Sunday at 1:05pm (Qld time) to face the Fijian Drua in a sudden-death semi-final in SMARTECH Super Rugby Women’s.
Reserved grandstand tickets at just $10 (adults) and $5 (Juniors 6-17 Years) went on sale straight after full-time. General admission at $5 (adults) and free (Juniors) are also available. Gate pricing is $5 extra per ticket.
Reds prop Eva Karpani had a field day with a hat-trick of tries and a string of powerful charges to go with a strong scrummaging effort.
Flanker Zoe Hanna, a late call-up to the starting side in place of injured co-captain Jemma Bemrose, had an outstanding afternoon.
If she wasn’t cutting down Force runners in defence, she was swooping on a loose ball or positioning herself perfectly in support for a strong run.
“We play our best footy when at home so it was absolutely in our minds to, firstly, win and, secondly, be at Ballymore for a semi,” co-captain Karpani said.
“It wasn’t just a job for backs or forwards today, the whole 23 had to step up physically to win this and we did.”
The Reds had romped to a 42-10 lead when Wallaroos prop Eva Karpani galloped 20m for her second try just 45 seconds into the second half.
The bumping linebreak by flyhalf Lori Cramer in the lead-up was typical of the physical and direct mindset that elevated the more urgent Reds all afternoon.
The K-Train was running a full service today. She was unstoppable when she stormed 40m into the clear late in the first half to get the enthusiastic crowd yelling.
For Karpani’s hat-trick try, she powered over after hooker Tiarna Molloy and winger Caitlin Urwin had worked a smart front-of-the-lineout play to advance.
Before the Queenslanders ponder the Drua match, they need to spend a moment to appreciate how far they have come in 12 months.
Last season was a crashlanding when the five-time grand finalists finished last in a six-team competition and missed the finals for the first time.
The rebuild has been methodical, well-planned, not without speedbumps and always full of spirit as fitness, skills, cohesion and confidence have grown.
One of those speedbumps was a 41-12 loss to the same Force side on the same field six weeks ago in a trial.
The Reds knew they had to lift in physicality and defensive heat to beat the bigger Force side and it was on display today.
Standout centre Shalom Sauaso ran over the top of Force halfback Mio Yamanaka to set up a good early position.
Lock Veneta Teutau finished off the raid with a powerful pick-and-go try as the start of her big afternoon. She smashed Force fullback Sheree Hume in her tracks with the biggest tackle of the early stages to set the scene.
Cramer played shrewdly at flyhalf. It was a kick for territory and winger Urwin’s fine chasing defence that pinned the Force deep in their territory.
When Molloy scored off a rolling maul, it was 14-3 after 15 minutes. It was 21-3 after 20 minutes when Hanna scored when the Reds ruthlessly capitalised on a Sauaso steal.
The Force produced a sustained raid, their best of the match, for winger Adi Vani Buleki’s try. It was a hint of a rally but 21-10 after 28 minutes was as close as they got.
Force centre Cecilia Smith, who captained the Reds last year, gave due credit.
“The Reds outworked us and their fitness in the Queensland heat came into play,” Smith said.
“Shalom is excelling. The Reds rely on her ball-carries for their go-forward. She’s a really good kid.”
Reds coach Andrew Fraser applauded the side’s defence to keep the Force tryless for the final 52 minutes.
“We’re proud of that performance. We’re showing our potential but I’m not saying that’s our best performance…because that’s still ahead,” Fraser said.
QUEENSLAND REDS 47
Tries: Eva Karpani 3, Veneta Teutau, Tiarna Molloy, Zoe Hanna, Shalom Sauaso
Conversions: Lori Cramer 6
Defeated
WESTERN FORCE 10
Tries: Adi Vani Buleki
Conversion: Nicole Ledington
Penalty Goal: Nicole Ledington
Half-time: Reds 35-Force 10
Venue: Ballymore Stadium
