Brisbane City claim Andy Purcell Cup in Queensland derby

Brisbane City have reclaimed the Andy Purcell Cup after beating Queensland Country 39-24 in their Round 5 National Rugby Championship clash at Sci-Fleet Stadium in Toowong.

The home side ran in five-tries-to-four to record their third-straight victory and stay in touch with the competition’s top four with just two rounds of the regular season remaining.

Brisbane City Head Coach Mick Heenan described the win as their finest this year.

“Country is such a good side and we’ve got a lot of respect for how they’ve been playing and their players as well, so certainly that’s the best we’ve played and defended all season,” said Heenan.

“The spirit and the fight that we showed was outstanding.

“We needed to win to keep our season alive and we’ve got to keep winning and we can’t take anything for granted, so we have to keep at it, keep persisting and keep fighting,” Heenan added.

Queensland Country Head Coach Rob Seib remained positive in defeat and paid respect to Brisbane City’s performance.

“Credit to City, they played well and slowed down our ruck speed which limited our opportunities in attack,” said Seib.

“They made the most of their opportunities and capitalised when they had possession.

“The positive is we have an opportunity next week to turn things around against the Rays on the Gold Coast.

“We have two regular season matches remaining and we need to regroup and ensure we’re ready for the challenges ahead of we want to contest finals.”

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