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Latham injury adds further misery to Reds loss
AAP | Sunday, 06 April 2008
Latham injury adds further misery to Reds loss - Rugby news & coverage - Stuff.co.nz
Queensland could be without fullback Chris Latham for the rest of the Super 14 season after the Reds star suffered a knee injury in his side's 14-29 loss to the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein this morning (NZ time).
Latham limped off in the 22nd minute of Queensland's third and final match on their South African tour with an initial diagnosis putting the fullback's time on the sidelines between 4-6 weeks.
A six-week stint would have Latham miss the rest of the season with Queensland, who remain 10th after their fifth loss in eight games, having just five games remaining following next weekend's bye.
Halfback Sam Cordingley was also forced off early in the game with a calf injury, but could be fit to play in the Reds next game in two weeks time, at home to the Western Force.
Reds medical staff were to examine both Cordingley and Latham again later today.
The win was the Cheetahs first for the season with the match effectively settled inside the first 25 minutes, with the Reds trailing 17-0 and both Latham and Cordingley forced off.
Down 0-24 early in the second half, the Reds got within 10 points in the final few minutes as they finally built sustained pressure and notched two converted tries to replacement back Brando Va'aulu.
Even before the injuries, the listless and mistake riddled Reds looked flat in the third and final match of their South African campaign.
Converted tries to lock and skipper Ross Duncan and impressive centre Meyer Bosman established a 14-0 lead after 10 minutes for the Cheetahs, who had been restricted to six bonus points in their seven previous games following several close losses.
Duncan crashed over between back rowers John Roe and Leroy Houston following a scrum, after winger Clinton Schifcofske was forced to carry a Bosman kick across his own line.
Bosman's try followed a good counter-attack and was awarded after the television match official checked whether the powerful centre had grounded the ball properly.
Five-eight Jacques-Louis Potgieter, who kicked both conversions, added a 25-metre field goal to swell the Cheetahs advantage to 17 points after 21 minutes.
Barnstorming back rower Duanne Vermuelen compounded Queensland's woes four minutes after the break, when he rounded off a sweeping move by fending off lock Van Humphries to cross for the Cheetahs third try, which Potgieter converted to make the score 24-0.
Va'aulu got Queensland on the board in the 55th minute, when he juggled a pass from first five-eighth Quade Cooper before beating two defenders and wriggling over the line.
Just after the hour, Springboks prop CJ van der Linde was sin-binned by referee Bryce Lawrence after having previously been warned for illegal use of the shoulder in the cleanout.
The deficit was slashed to 10 points in the 67th minute after Va'aulu again beat two defenders to reward the Reds for some good ball retention and support play.
Centre JW Jonker secured a try scoring bonus point for the Cheetahs in the last few seconds when they regained possession after Reds back Peter Hynes fumbled a kick.
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