Brad Thorn speaks in wake of pulsating final

Reds boss Brad Thorn has heaped praise on his charges after their last-gasp victory over the Brumbies in front of a packed stadium in Brisbane, giving the former the title of 2021 Super Rugby AU champions. 

"We had a mindset to come in and win and I'm really proud of these young men, they got the job done," said Thorn. 

"It took until plus 80 minutes as it has with these two teams for a couple of years now and the thing I'll say is: How good for rugby? 

"What was it, 42,000 people there to see that sort of epic game where it went right down to the wire at the end. 

"If you remember, a year ago it was doom and gloom, the game's in trouble and then you see that and people love their rugby and it's a credit to both teams. 

"They [the players] trusted each other. I sat up there and my stomach was turning inside out, I was trying to trust up there. 

"They did their job, they got it done and in those big moments at the end you just saw the guys flourish. When they lean towards that it's an exciting thing. They didn't shy away."