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Brisbane - Wallaby scrumhalf Will Genia scored a 65-metre try to clinch the Reds their first Super Rugby title and break the hearts of the travel-weary Crusaders in Brisbane on Saturday.
Genia's solo try broke a deadlock to give the Reds a 18-13 victory over the seven-time champions and become the first Australian champions since the Brumbies in 2004.
The Crusaders looked as if they would land their eighth Super Rugby crown in their 10th final before the Reds hit back inside the final 15 minutes to send a record 52 113 crowd into raptures.
The Crusaders had notched up more than 100 000 kilometres (62 000 miles) during their indomitable run to the final after the deadly Christchurch earthquake rendered their home ground unplayable in February.
The Reds were hosting their first Super Rugby final after finishing top of the standings, rising phoenix-like from six seasons up to 2009 wallowing in the bottom three.
It was Reds' third consecutive victory over the Crusaders, who had dominated the Queenslanders for 11 seasons before Ewen McKenzie's men pulled off a 41-20 upset in Brisbane last year.
McKenzie won a Super Rugby title at the third attempt after missing out with the Waratahs in in 2005 and 2008, both times to the Crusaders.
The Reds scored two tries to one with Wallaby flyhalf Quade Cooper landing a conversion and two penalties from five attempts to finish this season's Super 15 leading scorer with 228 points.
Dan Carter scored all of the Crusaders points with a try, a conversion and two penalties.
The Crusaders dominated the opening 40 minutes through their forwards and forced the Reds onto the back foot.
Cooper kicked the Reds to an early 3-0 lead after opposite number Carter was penalised for going over the ball in a ruck after 32 fiercely-contested minutes.
But it was All Black flyhalf Carter who got one over his Wallaby counterpart minutes later when he kicked ahead and regathered close to the line and beat off Cooper's attempt to run around to put the ball down closer to the uprights.
Carter converted for a 7-3 lead but Cooper kicked the Reds to within a point of the Crusaders when he was tripped by Brad Thorn as he chased his high kick with minutes left in the half.
Thorn was over the try-line six minutes after the resumption but was ruled by the video referee to have not grounded the ball beneath a pile of players.
But Carter's penalty goal after the Reds scrum was penalised for collapsing pushed the Crusaders out to a 10-6 lead minutes later.
The Reds hit the front 13-10 after 51 minutes when winger Digby Ioane beat two tackles to score a converted after being set up by Will Genia and Cooper.
Carter levelled with a penalty goal five minutes later as both teams entered the final desperate quarter of the match.
The Crusaders threatened to break through but Will Genia scored a 65m solo try out of nothing with Cooper looming in support to retrieve the lead for the Reds with 12 minutes left.
Teams:
Reds:
15 Jono Lance, 14 Rod Davies, 13 Anthony Faingaa, 12 Ben Tapuai, 11 Digby Ioane, 10 Quade Cooper, 9 Will Genia, 8 Radike Samo, 7 Beau Robinson, 6 Scott Higginbotham, 5 James Horwill (captain), 4 Rob Simmons, 3 Greg Holmes, 2 Saia Faingaa, 1 Ben Daley
Substitutes: 16 James Hanson, 17 Guy Shepherdson, 18 Adam Wallace-Harrison, 19 Jake Schatz, 20 Liam Gill, 21 Ian Prior, 22 Will Chambers
Crusaders:
15 Tom Marshall, 14 Sean Maitland, 13 Robbie Fruean, 12 Sonny Bill Williams, 11 Zac Guildford, 10 Dan Carter, 9 Andy Ellis, 8 Kieran Read, 7 Richie McCaw (captain), 6 George Whitelock, 5 Sam Whitelock, 4 Brad Thorn, 3 Owen Franks, 2 Corey Flynn, 1 Wyatt Crockett
Substitutes: 16 Quentin MacDonald, 17 Ben Franks, 18 Luke Romano, 19 Matt Todd, 20 Kahn Fotuali'i, 21 Matt Berquist, 22 Ryan Crotty
Genia's solo try broke a deadlock to give the Reds a 18-13 victory over the seven-time champions and become the first Australian champions since the Brumbies in 2004.
The Crusaders looked as if they would land their eighth Super Rugby crown in their 10th final before the Reds hit back inside the final 15 minutes to send a record 52 113 crowd into raptures.
The Crusaders had notched up more than 100 000 kilometres (62 000 miles) during their indomitable run to the final after the deadly Christchurch earthquake rendered their home ground unplayable in February.
The Reds were hosting their first Super Rugby final after finishing top of the standings, rising phoenix-like from six seasons up to 2009 wallowing in the bottom three.
It was Reds' third consecutive victory over the Crusaders, who had dominated the Queenslanders for 11 seasons before Ewen McKenzie's men pulled off a 41-20 upset in Brisbane last year.
McKenzie won a Super Rugby title at the third attempt after missing out with the Waratahs in in 2005 and 2008, both times to the Crusaders.
The Reds scored two tries to one with Wallaby flyhalf Quade Cooper landing a conversion and two penalties from five attempts to finish this season's Super 15 leading scorer with 228 points.
Dan Carter scored all of the Crusaders points with a try, a conversion and two penalties.
The Crusaders dominated the opening 40 minutes through their forwards and forced the Reds onto the back foot.
Cooper kicked the Reds to an early 3-0 lead after opposite number Carter was penalised for going over the ball in a ruck after 32 fiercely-contested minutes.
But it was All Black flyhalf Carter who got one over his Wallaby counterpart minutes later when he kicked ahead and regathered close to the line and beat off Cooper's attempt to run around to put the ball down closer to the uprights.
Carter converted for a 7-3 lead but Cooper kicked the Reds to within a point of the Crusaders when he was tripped by Brad Thorn as he chased his high kick with minutes left in the half.
Thorn was over the try-line six minutes after the resumption but was ruled by the video referee to have not grounded the ball beneath a pile of players.
But Carter's penalty goal after the Reds scrum was penalised for collapsing pushed the Crusaders out to a 10-6 lead minutes later.
The Reds hit the front 13-10 after 51 minutes when winger Digby Ioane beat two tackles to score a converted after being set up by Will Genia and Cooper.
Carter levelled with a penalty goal five minutes later as both teams entered the final desperate quarter of the match.
The Crusaders threatened to break through but Will Genia scored a 65m solo try out of nothing with Cooper looming in support to retrieve the lead for the Reds with 12 minutes left.
Teams:
Reds:
15 Jono Lance, 14 Rod Davies, 13 Anthony Faingaa, 12 Ben Tapuai, 11 Digby Ioane, 10 Quade Cooper, 9 Will Genia, 8 Radike Samo, 7 Beau Robinson, 6 Scott Higginbotham, 5 James Horwill (captain), 4 Rob Simmons, 3 Greg Holmes, 2 Saia Faingaa, 1 Ben Daley
Substitutes: 16 James Hanson, 17 Guy Shepherdson, 18 Adam Wallace-Harrison, 19 Jake Schatz, 20 Liam Gill, 21 Ian Prior, 22 Will Chambers
Crusaders:
15 Tom Marshall, 14 Sean Maitland, 13 Robbie Fruean, 12 Sonny Bill Williams, 11 Zac Guildford, 10 Dan Carter, 9 Andy Ellis, 8 Kieran Read, 7 Richie McCaw (captain), 6 George Whitelock, 5 Sam Whitelock, 4 Brad Thorn, 3 Owen Franks, 2 Corey Flynn, 1 Wyatt Crockett
Substitutes: 16 Quentin MacDonald, 17 Ben Franks, 18 Luke Romano, 19 Matt Todd, 20 Kahn Fotuali'i, 21 Matt Berquist, 22 Ryan Crotty
