Reds deny Moana Pasifika farewell home win after late try

Moana Pasifika have been denied a fitting home farewell in Super Rugby, giving up the lead in the closing minutes to the Reds after a brilliant second-half comeback.

Trailing 26-7 shortly after halftime at North Harbour Stadium, Moana Pasifika surged back to take a 31-26 advantage with three minutes to play.

However, Reds fullback Jock Campbell broke free to tie the game up and a close-range Ben Volavola conversion secured victory.

Moana Pasifika did a remarkable job to get back into the match after conceding three first-half tries, with Reds winger Tim Ryan crossing twice, that left them 21-7 down at the break. A Treyvon Pritchard try shortly after halftime made it a 19-point lead.

But in eight short minutes, Moana Pasifika were out in front.

Semisi Tupou Ta’eiloa crossed over in the 50th minute to get Moana Pasifika back in the match, followed by a penalty try that led to Joe Brial being yellow-carded.

Moana Pasifika winger Israel Leota tied the game with a try before a Patrick Pellegrini conversion made it 28-26.

The Reds looked to retake the lead with 17 minutes to play but the TMO judged a knock on in the lead-up.

William Havili then extended the home side’s lead to five points with a penalty in the 77th minute before Campbell found space from a scrum backline move to break the hearts of Moana Pasifika fans.

Moana Pasifika finish their season, and most likely their time in Super Rugby Pacific, with their final regular season game against the Brumbies in Canberra next Saturday.

The win, meanwhile, secured a playoff spot for the Reds, putting them six points clear of the Waratahs in seventh. They can finish as high as fourth with a bonus point win over the Fijian Drua on Friday.