The last play of the game summed up the Highlanders season – close... but not close enough!  It was an ambitious 55m penalty attempt from fullback Israel Dagg that fell short of the posts in the 80th minute that gave the Reds a 2 point win in Brisbane tonight.

In a game of that produced contrasting halves of rugby for both teams, the Red made a final surge in the last 5 minutes of the game to score the match-winning try.

The Reds held what appeared to be an unbeatable lead at halftime of 24 points to 3, however the words spoken at halftime by the Highlanders Coach Glenn Moore added the impetuous needed for the Highlanders to score 24 unanswered points to turn the game on its head 27-24 with 14 minutes remaining on the clock.  Tries were traded by bother teams, until the decisive moment  came in the 77 minute when replacement Poutasi Luafutu crashed over for his second try of the night.

Reds 38 (D Iaone 1 Try, R Samo 1 Try, P Hynes 1 Try, P Luafutu 2 Tries, Q Cooper 1 Try. Q Cooper 4 Con) Beat the Highlanders 36 (I Dagg 1 Try, C King 1 Try, F Vainikolo 2 Tries, J Rutledge 1 Try.  Dagg 4 Con, 1 Pen)