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Queensland Reds needed another perfect kicking performance from flyhalf Mike Harris to overcome Western Force 35-20 in a scrappy encounter in Brisbane on Saturday.
The Reds scored first-half tries through Ben Tapuai and Radike Samo in greasy conditions at Lang Park but it was the 25 points from a flawless display of place-kicking from Harris, who has yet to miss a kick in Super Rugby, that proved the difference.
“I'm pleased to win but not pleased with how we got it,” Reds and Wallabies captain James Horwill said in a televised interview. “Ball control was poor again and to allow them the soft tries that we did is just not good enough.”
The Force's tries came at the start of the second half from David Pocock and James Stannard but the Perth-based outfit never looked like having the cutting edge to convert pressure into enough points to threaten the upset.
Reds winger Tapuai cantered down the sideline breaking tackles for the first try after 20 minutes and number eight Samo added the second 16 minutes later with a 40-metre intercept that had echoes of his try for Australia against New Zealand last year.
All the while Harris, standing in for the injured Quade Cooper, kept kicking points from all parts of the field and the Reds went in for halftime 23-6 up.
Two tries in five minutes in the third quarter of the match brought the Force back into the contest, however.
Captain Pocock led the way with his charge over opposite number seven Beau Robinson to score under the posts before a slick sidestep from Stannard sealed a brilliant solo effort and the flyhalf converted both to narrow the lead to 26-20.
Harris extended the Reds' lead by another three points with a superbly executed kick from the right touchline just before the hour mark and concluded the scoring with two more in the last quarter.
Harris has now made 16 kicks from 16 attempts in the first two matches of the season
Reuters.