University and their highly rivaled South’s team ended the match on Saturday with a 22 -point draw in what was a textbook close encounter in Round 12 of Queensland Premier Rugby.
With the St.George Queensland Reds set to fight for their finals position that evening, the match provided a great warm up for the rugby fans.
The Souths side was eager to make up for the 11-point loss they faced during their last encounter with Uni and in turn the home squad were looking to regain their victory.
Both teams started with some strong defence making it almost impossible for either side to gain any notable momentum.
Souths winger Dominic Lespierre finally broke through the wall of Uni players for a possible try scoring opportunity, but the eager home side was determined to keep their rivals at bay.
It soon became obvious that neither team were going to give up the glory without a fight.
Finally, Uni began progressing slowly towards the opposition try line.
In a team effort, they mauled Lydall Fidow over the line to put the first points on the scoreboard.
In true competitive spirit, the Souths team answered back with a try of their own, from Alex Casey soon after.
With confidence on their side, an impressive run from Souths Mafileo Kefu, resulted in another quick try through lock Matt Bennett.
Clouds were brewing, quite literally, and it seemed Uni were in some trouble.
The continuing strong offensive play from Souths meant that even the slightest lack in defence from the Uni squad was proving detrimental to the home team.
But the race wasn’t over yet, Uni player Adam Preocanin, finally broke through Souths defence to get their second try of the game.
The momentum continued from the home side with another solid team play, which sent Curtis Browning over the line to bringing the score line to 15-14 in their favour before halftime.
With this seesaw pattern continuing, the colourful crowds were in for an entertaining second half.
An early penalty in the second half gave the lead back to the determined Souths team.
With both teams refusing to give an inch, the play was stalemated with neither team gaining any sort of ground.
Some impressive teamwork from the Souths side ended the deadlock play to give them another try and a 7-point lead.
With minutes left in the game, Uni still had a chance.
Things looked promising when David Burns made a number of notable breaks that saw the well-gelled team gain back some momentum.
In the final moment before the whistle, Lydall Fidow put the ball over the try line to even up the score at the full-time whistle.
South’s coach, Ken Wills, had mixed feelings about the performance.
“The boys worked hard, but we came away with a draw which is disappointing.”
Mick Heenan, Uni coach, was pleased his boys were able to stay in the game.
“It wasn’t our best performance, coming out of a break.”
“In the end, I think we did well to get three competition points.”
By Lauren Marer