'Buy of the season' stars in controversial thriller

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Tim Horan hailed Vaiolini Ekuasi arsenic "the bargain of the season" arsenic the marauding No.8 sparked the Melbourne Rebels to an upset 40-34 upset triumph against the Queensland Reds connected Saturday night.

The 21-year-old from Auckland played 1 Super Rugby Pacific crippled for the Blues past twelvemonth earlier moving to Australia successful hunt of much regular playing time.

Ekuasi had been awesome disconnected the seat successful 2023 but an wounded to Richard Hardwick gave him the accidental to commencement astatine AAMI Park.

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'Buy of the season' scores archetypal Rebels try

He didn't fto it slip, scoring his archetypal Rebels effort late successful the archetypal fractional with an eye-catching blend of athleticism and power.

"I reckon it's the bargain of the season," Wallabies fable Horan said connected Nine and Stan Sport.

"He tin play this kid. He's lone got 1 play present (on contract) with the Rebels and I reckon they volition beryllium chatting to him connected Monday morning... what a crippled he's had."

Commentator Sean Maloney concurred.

"If I'm Nick Stiles, the wide manager down here, I'm saying, 'Hey, well, however astir a mates more?' He was immense successful that crippled against the Waratahs (in circular three) erstwhile helium came disconnected the seat and conscionable blew the crippled apart," Maloney said.

"A New Zealand 20s representative, has evidently picked up plentifulness down immoderate of those freaks with the Blues, (Dalton) Papalii and the remainder of them. My goodness."

Commentators shred nary effort call

Both teams had precocious tries scrubbed retired successful a seesawing, entertaining game.

Rebels substitute Daniel Maiava's runaway effort was denied aft officials decided Brad Wilkin's portion of Harry Wilson was a sound on.

Then, Reds halfback Tate McDermott scooted implicit successful the country to acceptable up James O'Connor for a sideline conversion to perchance triumph the match.

But referee Graham Cooper and TMO Brett Cronan agreed that Reds fastener Ryan Smith had illegally held Josh Kemeny and denied him the accidental to marque a tackle connected McDermott.

"It doesn't halt him from getting there," Drew Mitchell said successful commentary.

"He had already made his determination to spell unfastened side."

Fellow erstwhile Wallaby Morgan Turinui went adjacent harder astatine the officials.

"I conscionable deliberation that refereeing determination isn't up to Super Rugby Pacific standard," Turinui said.

"I deliberation Brett Cronan's got it wrong. I deliberation they've talked Cooper into it. When helium says it's a wide clasp back, it's not. When they accidental it denies the accidental to marque a tackle that was ne'er going to beryllium made, it's wrong. They've got that wrong."

But arsenic Turinui noted, the improved Rebels were astir apt the amended squad crossed the 80 minutes and deserved their win.

And Rebels manager Kevin Foote was close successful his appraisal that the McDermott nary effort telephone was "harsh" connected the Reds but it balanced retired the earlier Maiava decision.

The Rebels took a 26-14 halftime pb aft they recovered from a dilatory commencement and some sides traded points until precocious into the crippled erstwhile Melbourne's Angelo Smith crossed the enactment with 13 minutes to go.

The Reds and Rebels present some person 2-3 records with Queensland sitting 1 spot up successful sixth by virtuousness of an other bonus point.

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