BRISBANE: Wallaby flyhalf Quade Cooper landed an 80th-minute penalty to give the Queensland Reds a 17-16 win over the Canterbury Crusaders in Super 15 rugby Sunday. The Crusaders took a 16-14 lead with a penalty by Cooper's All Blacks opposite Dan Carter seven minutes before fulltime, but Cooper redeemed a mediocre goal-kicking performance by striking the winning penalty seconds from the final siren. Cooper finished with three goals from six attempts while Carter landed four from five in a gripping contest between international rivals, set to meet again in the World Cup in New Zealand later this year. The last-minute goal forced the fifth lead change in a match played before an Australian-record rugby union attendance of 48,301. Queensland beats Canterbury In New Zealand, the Queensland Reds gave the strongest statement of the strength of their title challenge in rugby's Super 15 when it beat seven-time champion Canterbury 17-16 in the tournament's 15th round Sunday. The win put the Reds four points clear at the top of the championship table with three rounds remaining. Wallabies flyhalf Quade Cooper kicked a penalty in the final minute of the match to give the Reds their second straight win over the Crusaders and their 12th straight win at home, milestones achieved in front of an Australian-record Super rugby crowd of 48,301.
