Wellington, April 30 (Reuters) - Flyhalf Aaron Cruden found his kicking boots when it counted to slot a last-gasp penalty goal and hand the Wellington Hurricanes a dramatic 28-26 upset victory over the Queensland Reds on Saturday.
The Hurricanes stunned the Reds with four first-half tries to take a 22-5 lead at the break but were reeled in through the brilliance of Quade Cooper on a clear night in Wellington.
Trailing 26-25, the Hurricanes were awarded a penalty almost directly in front of the posts in the last minute after Reds prop Guy Shepherdson was judged offside.
Cruden, who had missed three conversions and a penalty kick in a mostly forgettable night in front of the posts, steered the ball over to help the Hurricanes notch their third win of a disappointing season.
"To pull that off and get a kick like that is pretty special ... Obviously we're pretty pleased with that," said Hurricanes skipper Andrew Hore, who celebrated his 100th match for the New Zealand Super rugby side.
"To play the top side of the table and top them over is pretty special and hopefully (will) put a few smiles on the faces and get a few more people out here next Friday."
The heart-breaking loss will rekindle bad memories for the Reds, whose playoffs hopes were dashed by the Hurricanes in Wellington last season.
Saturday's defeat may see the Queensland side topple out of the southern hemisphere competition's top three, depending on other results in the weekend's matches.
The Reds imposed themselves on the game in less than two minutes, mounting an assault on the try-line that ended with number eight Scott Higginbotham crashing over after receiving a sharp pass from a ruck.
The move proved the only highlight of a largely dismal half, however, as the Hurricanes hit back 10 minutes later through winger Alapati Leiua, who roared down the right wing to spark a drive that ended with flanker Faifile Levave crossing at the right corner.
The try turned the match on its head, sparking a sustained attack on the Reds' line that wielded three more tries in a dominant seven-minute burst to leave the visitors reeling.
Cruden failed to convert Leiua's try and hoofed a penalty kick wide but made amends minutes later when he threw a dummy that bamboozled Reds scrumhalf Will Genia and cantered over the line in the 27th minute.
Fullback Andre Taylor jogged over at the left corner two minutes later after a smart chain of passes cut the Reds' defence to shreds.
Another lightning-quick recycled ball put Neemia Tialata over five minutes later in the same corner, the prop ploughing Genia into the turf to secure the Hurricanes' fourth try and a bonus point six minutes from halftime.
Smashed at the breakdown, the Reds staggered to the break trailing 22-5 and would have been further behind but for Cruden's inaccuracy, the flyhalf missing three out of four conversions.
Reds flyhalf Cooper sparked the Reds' fightback, brilliantly combining with Luke Morahan to put the winger over the try-line twice.
The mercurial Wallaby landed a deft kick on the chest of the running Morahan, who streamed over at the right corner three minutes after the break.
Cooper then flicked a look-away pass to release Morahan at midfield and the jet-heeled winger sprinted away from a clutch of defenders before ducking back inside to plant the ball left of the posts in the 64th minute.
Cooper missed the conversion but slotted his third penalty of the half to put the Reds in front by a point with eight minutes left.
The Reds appeared destined to extend their undefeated run to eight matches but Morahan coughed up possession after knocking the ball forward, allowing the Hurricanes to mount a final bid for victory that Cruden capped off in style.
The Hurricanes stunned the Reds with four first-half tries to take a 22-5 lead at the break but were reeled in through the brilliance of Quade Cooper on a clear night in Wellington.
Trailing 26-25, the Hurricanes were awarded a penalty almost directly in front of the posts in the last minute after Reds prop Guy Shepherdson was judged offside.
Cruden, who had missed three conversions and a penalty kick in a mostly forgettable night in front of the posts, steered the ball over to help the Hurricanes notch their third win of a disappointing season.
"To pull that off and get a kick like that is pretty special ... Obviously we're pretty pleased with that," said Hurricanes skipper Andrew Hore, who celebrated his 100th match for the New Zealand Super rugby side.
"To play the top side of the table and top them over is pretty special and hopefully (will) put a few smiles on the faces and get a few more people out here next Friday."
The heart-breaking loss will rekindle bad memories for the Reds, whose playoffs hopes were dashed by the Hurricanes in Wellington last season.
Saturday's defeat may see the Queensland side topple out of the southern hemisphere competition's top three, depending on other results in the weekend's matches.
The Reds imposed themselves on the game in less than two minutes, mounting an assault on the try-line that ended with number eight Scott Higginbotham crashing over after receiving a sharp pass from a ruck.
The move proved the only highlight of a largely dismal half, however, as the Hurricanes hit back 10 minutes later through winger Alapati Leiua, who roared down the right wing to spark a drive that ended with flanker Faifile Levave crossing at the right corner.
The try turned the match on its head, sparking a sustained attack on the Reds' line that wielded three more tries in a dominant seven-minute burst to leave the visitors reeling.
Cruden failed to convert Leiua's try and hoofed a penalty kick wide but made amends minutes later when he threw a dummy that bamboozled Reds scrumhalf Will Genia and cantered over the line in the 27th minute.
Fullback Andre Taylor jogged over at the left corner two minutes later after a smart chain of passes cut the Reds' defence to shreds.
Another lightning-quick recycled ball put Neemia Tialata over five minutes later in the same corner, the prop ploughing Genia into the turf to secure the Hurricanes' fourth try and a bonus point six minutes from halftime.
Smashed at the breakdown, the Reds staggered to the break trailing 22-5 and would have been further behind but for Cruden's inaccuracy, the flyhalf missing three out of four conversions.
Reds flyhalf Cooper sparked the Reds' fightback, brilliantly combining with Luke Morahan to put the winger over the try-line twice.
The mercurial Wallaby landed a deft kick on the chest of the running Morahan, who streamed over at the right corner three minutes after the break.
Cooper then flicked a look-away pass to release Morahan at midfield and the jet-heeled winger sprinted away from a clutch of defenders before ducking back inside to plant the ball left of the posts in the 64th minute.
Cooper missed the conversion but slotted his third penalty of the half to put the Reds in front by a point with eight minutes left.
The Reds appeared destined to extend their undefeated run to eight matches but Morahan coughed up possession after knocking the ball forward, allowing the Hurricanes to mount a final bid for victory that Cruden capped off in style.
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