Queensland have lost a helter-skelter battle against the Hurricanes in the final match of Super Round in Melbourne, going down in extra time 38-33 to give the Kiwis a hard-earned victory over their Australian rivals.
With the score 33-33 at the end of full-time, reserve prop Pasilio Tosi barrelled across the line six minutes into extra time to secure the win.
It was well-deserved after the Hurricanes played 20 minutes of the second half with 14 men after All Blacks centre Jordie Barrett was given a red card for a high tackle.
It meant two New Zealand teams beat their Australian counterparts after the ACT Brumbies were thrashed by the Chiefs 46-12 earlier on Sunday.
The Waratahs flew the flag, shocking the reigning champion Crusaders on Saturday while Melbourne won an all-Australian affair on Friday night over the Western Force, as all 12 Super Rugby Pacific teams squared off at AAMI Park.
In an enthralling encounter, Queensland and the Hurricanes went toe-to-toe from the opening whistle, with the score 19-19 at halftime.
Playing his 100th Super match, Barrett got a yellow card in the 57th minute for a shot on Reds fullback Jordan Petaia, who was also forced off from the head knock, with the Television Match Official then upgrading it to red.
The Reds looked to have hit the front a minute later, with Peni Ravai charging over the line but replays showed the replacement prop had knocked on.
Both sides continued to press for the winning points but desperate defence kept the match tied up.
The Hurricanes’ points came through six tries, with two tries each to All Blacks halfback Cam Roigard and fullback Ruben Love, while the Reds shared the spoils, with five players getting over the line.
Queensland’s next challenge is the unbeaten Chiefs. Not only is Petaia in doubt, the Reds could be without first-choice prop Alex Hodgman (shoulder) and centre Hunter Paisami (concussion).