Look, mate, if you didn't see the final 20 minutes of this one, you missed a cracker. Queensland absolutely lit up Suncorp Stadium on Saturday night, storming home with some genuinely classy rugby to put away a Waratahs side that looked like they had the derby in their grasp.
Fair dinkum, for an hour this thing was a real slugfest. Both sides were trading kicks from the base of the ruck, neither team finding any rhythm or attacking spark worth talking about. The Waratahs had held a five-point lead twice in that final quarter, and you'd have been forgiven for thinking they might just edge it. Then the Reds decided to show us what they're actually capable of.
The moment of the match came in the 70th minute when the Reds attacked from deep in their own territory. Treyvon Pritchard passed wide to centre Isaac Henry, who ran across field then fed right winger Filipo Daugunu. That's the kind of orchestration that makes you fall in love with the game. Daugunu broke through the line, ran 40 metres up the middle of the field, and sent Henry flying over for a converted try next to the posts. Just brilliant stuff.
Fly-half Carter Gordon then made it two tries in the 75th minute, running against the grain and slicing through the Waratahs' defence to run 55 metres and score in the corner. The sideline conversion from fullback Jock Campbell gave the Reds a 26-17 lead with four minutes remaining. At that point, game over.
Here's the thing about the Waratahs: they had their moments. Max Jorgensen created a nice try for Harry Potter in the second half when the visitors chipped ahead and Potter won the race to the ball. They were competitive, they fought hard, but they couldn't execute when it counted. They even had what looked like a try to outside centre Triston Riley in the 78th minute, but replays showed the point of the ball grounded on the dead-ball line. Just not their night.
The Reds came into this match flying high. This was their third straight win in Super Rugby Pacific after victories over the Highlanders and ACT Brumbies in recent weeks. Captain Harry Wilson got them off to a good start with a try in the seventh minute after a bomb from Gordon bounced loose and Campbell gave short pass. But the Waratahs hit back quickly with Jamie Adamson burowing over from close range to level at 7-7 at halftime.
You've got to hand it to Queensland for the way they finished this one. In a match that genuinely lacked quality for 60 minutes, they suddenly found their groove and delivered some outstanding rugby when it mattered most. The Waratahs came here without openside flanker Charlie Gamble due to a late change, with Englishman Jamie Adamson filling in, but that's not an excuse for letting this one slip.
The Reds travel to Fiji next week to face the Drua, while the Waratahs return to Sydney to host the Auckland Blues. At the end of the day, Queensland has momentum on their side, and they showed on Saturday night why they've got to be taken seriously in this competition.