Kahu blunder punts Broncos0:42
Rugby League: Jordan Kahu costs the Brisbane Broncos severly after taking too long to convert in their final against the Roosters
Connor Watson scores for the Roosters against the Broncos on day 2 of the Auckland Nines at Eden Park, New Zealand. pic Mark Evans
THE Roosters sprung an upset on the heavily favoured Broncos in their quarter-final clash but there was far more to the 15-14 victory than meets the eye.
For starters, the Roosters led 15-0 at the break after dominating the first half. Tries from Connor Watson, who has really shined throughout the tournament, and a long-range effort from Chris Smith were the highlights.
After the break the Broncos finally clicked into gear, first with Jordan Kahu touching down in the corner (and banging over the conversion) before Mitchell Cronin finished a stunning team effort next to the posts.
Smith scored a brilliant, long-range try.Source:News Corp Australia
A last-gasp attack in the final moments resulted in Sam Lavea powering his way through four defenders to slam the ball down next to the posts.
All Kahu needed to do was pot over the easy drop kick and Brisbane would have a fabulous comeback victory.
The conversions haven’t exactly been a feature of the weekend, but Kahu has been superb, knocking over a couple of kicks from way out near the chalk.
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But in the crucial moment, the Broncos faltered. Matt Gillett picked up the ball, looked around for a little bit and by the time he gave the ball to Kahu the conversion shot clock was entering single digits.
Kahu, unaware of the time limit, went through his usual routine and duly kicked the ball between the posts.
However, the siren sounded just before he let the kick go and the conversion was not counted.
A final Brisbane attack came to nothing and the Roosters had an unlikely win in one of the most bizarre Nines matches ever.
