Australian Rugby: Hewat Punishes Queensland

Peter Hewat capped his phenominal rise this season from virtual obscurity with 22 points to take the New South Wales Waratahs into the Super 12 semi-finals with a 27-8 victory over Queensland Reds at the Aussie Stadium in Sydney yesterday.

In his first Super 12 season the wing, who has emerged via Inverell, Brisbane's Nudgee College and Manly, scored a try and kicked five penalties plus a conversion to add to a try by the replacement prop Gareth Hardy as the Waratahs beat their Australian rivals for the first time in the 10-year history of the competition.

"I played probably five seasons in Queensland in Brisbane club footy and they didn't give me an opportunity," said Hewat, who during the build-up to the game had been identified by the Reds as the Waratahs' weakest link. "There was plenty of chat during the week, but we silenced them on the scoreboard."

The win extended their lead at the top of the standings to five points with only next week's home match against Auckland to come.

Hewat had turned down a lucrative offer on Thursday from Perth, who have signed the Test forwards Brendan Cannon and Nathan Sharpe for next season's extended Super 14 competition. Last month Hewat bettered Matt Burke's Waratah scoring record with 34 points against South Africa's Northern Bulls.

The fly-half Julian Huxley scored all Queensland's points with a late try and a first-half penalty in a dour match which none the less gave the Waratahs the double satisfaction of a guaranteed home semi-final in two weeks' time as well as ending Queensland's slim chances of making the play-offs. "It wasn't always pretty but it was important to win," said their captain and scrum-half Chris Whitaker.

Hewat kicked three penalties inside the first 22 minutes but Huxley's penalty was the only other score of the first half. Hewat added two more penalties after the restart before finally breaking Queensland's stubborn resistance by pouncing on the ball after the Reds wing Drew Mitchell dropped a crossfield kick by Mat Rogers.

Queensland's try came eight minutes from time when Huxley finished off a spectacular 70-metre move by diving over in the corner but the Waratahs responded with Hardy's last-minute try, his first in Super 12.

The Wellington Hurricanes all but assured themselves of a play-off spot after beating their New Zealand North Island rivals Auckland 22-10, also ending 10 years without a win against the Blues. However the Hurricanes need to beat Canterbury Crusaders in the final-round meeting of the second and third teams next weekend to make sure of a semi-final place.