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Fraser McReight

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Rugby News Australia: All Blacks see off late escape to retain the Bledisloe Cup by three points following an excellent Wallabies 2nd half fight at Accor Stadium

by Sports Benches

What a close game it was to bring out Bledisloe Cup I this afternoon from the grandstand at Accor Stadium where the All Blacks got away with a few early tries while the Wallabies benefitted from a series of handling opposition errors where a win was almost possible but not enough time towards the end unfortunately. 

The ABs led the Wallabies by 14 points (14-28) at half-time and the Wallabies made most of these unanswered points later on other than the opposition extra lone penalty goal. The final score was 28-31 as the ABs still get to keep the Bledisloe Cup yet again for the 22nd consecutive time going into the 2nd game that will mark the final round of the 2024 Rugby Championship at Eden Park next Saturday in Auckland, although the overall crown will most likely go to the Springboks off the back of their unbeaten 2024 run.

If there’s one person out there who can unlock these gates while adding some conversion kicking swagger, then it’s Damian McKenzie in the All Blacks No.10 shirt. We’ve seen the best of him as always on the counter-attack with a brilliant quick passage of play that reflected the ABs brilliant start and overall first half performance. He could’ve done any better if it wasn’t for these no tries & these poorly timed fumbles but it’s up for everyone else to help him out as if DMac is playing in a Final again (been there more often over the past two years with the Chiefs but still runners-up) next weekend. Although he had some great memories in Wellington though like that semi-finals win a few months ago over the ladder-leading Hurricanes & sure he’ll do his best to produce another A+ grade run there once again (Sky Stadium) but this time at International level.

Next one up is Sevu Reece over in the starting All Blacks wide flank at 14 where he’s been crashing & running at Wallabies defenders for the most part. He’s the one who the ABs benefitted on the short side areas much like Caleb Clarke on the left wing. He can also read off at the right time like these intercepts as well as his sound defending, having made a name of himself plenty of times before & is still here at the Crusaders. Maybe the ABs need him as their only hope too, even though things haven’t been that great at times like we saw today and that two-week Boks tour lately. But safe to say that he & DMac can hoist the Bledisloe for now.

And oh so close for the Wallabies after a near 2nd half resurgence where they could’ve won if it wasn’t for those referee & TMO roulette games. Hard to choose between Tom (Wright) at 15, Fraser (McReight) on the openside 7 or even Tate McDermott at reserve half-back No.9 but Fraser did the heavy lifting though with physical power and pace. He knows what the ABs can’t do which was giving the ball away & Fraser translated it with tries that really threw the opposition under pressure. Imagine if he was playing in a Super Rugby semi-final? (Add Tom and James Slipper in there with Fraser together if you like) He would put any NZ in a tough contest no doubt. But a bad start unfortunately has put the Wallabies in all sorts of trouble as they will go into a match they haven’t won for a long time in NZ territory. Sure, another spiritual performance is always needed like we saw in the 2nd 40 here & the 1st 40 in Dunedin last year but still no Bledisloe Cup for them yet again.

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Rugby Union Today: Wallabies break away from Georgia’s 2nd half improvements with the eleven-point win at Allianz Stadium

by Sports Benches

It’s been an excellent contest of International Rugby throughout the afternoon at Allianz Stadium in Moore Park between the Wallabies v the emerging Georgia team as we now turn our attention to the Rugby 7s over in Paris for the Olympics next week followed by another year of the Rugby Championship campaign that will begin early next month. 

Georgia opened the scoring first off the back of the three-point penalty goal but it was the Wallabies at home who dominated the first 40 including another set of tries right on half-time, 26-10.Second half saw Georgia improving their game at the restart where we witnessed two quick sensational tries that puts them back on track to the Wallabies radar at one point.

At the end of the day though, the Wallabies have held their lead baton through full-time with the 11-point win, 40-29. They benefitted a series of opposition handling errors & ill-discipline with no disrespect to Georgia, who gave them a hard time all along, as Wallabies now has three wins now so far in 2024 under the tutelage of coach Joe Schmidt. 

The Wallabies long-term back rowers are safe with Fraser McReight on the openside 7 following his A-game performance this afternoon v Georgia. He’s the go-to man who can lock up defenses every time the opposition lack numbers. Not only that, he has power of physical steel that makes a big difference with a few tries off the back of Georgia’s silly mistakes/handling errors, especially in attack having ensured the win for the Wallabies at the end of the day.

Then we have another Wallabies main man at the back in Tom Wright at 15. He knows how to make that attack flow as seen regularly with the Brumbies where he never stops running while Tom can smash the opposition blocks – all of this has been created so they can get the job done with both hands. That’s without saying this contest was a practice match v Georgia which wasn’t easy & he’ll make sure the Wallabies continues with the Rugby Championship set to begin next month.

And shoutout to Aka Tabutsadze following his sensational 2nd half display on the Georgian right wing at 14. You can’t underestimate his abundance on pace who can win these 1 v 1 battles from out of nowhere as if he’s competing in the 100m sprint Final – Georgia should get him on their Track & Field team now to Stade De France for the Olympics next month!!

Yes, he had some mistakes including the ill-discipline that forced the Wallabies hand at times but he won’t be short of suitors as better competition v the top teams more often including domestic level as they hope will make him & his country reach new levels – such as getting Tier 1 status so Georgia can look to crack the Top 10 rankings as well as the chance to play in the Europe’s elite United Rugby Championship competition in the long run. We’ll keep a good track on them as time goes by.

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NSW Waratahs stunning 2nd half comeback from 19-0 down just not enough to stop the Queensland Reds by a single point 26-27

by Sports Benches

Wow!! What a game we have witnessed at Allianz Stadium where one team in the Reds got away with a really good start going into half-time 19-0. Then another team in the form of the underwhelming Waratahs began to pick up plenty of unanswered points where they were oh so close, having closed in at 24-24 all before successful two point conversion puts them in front at 26-24 for a short time. However, a late penalty goal from halfway by Tom Lynagh for the Reds fortunately gave their away fans a huge sigh of relief with the one point win in Moore Park by 26-27. Reds clearly booked in 5th where they will most likely take on the Chiefs once again in Hamilton next weekend while the Waratahs ended up last following a very difficult 2024 season.

Fraser McReight once again outstanding that puts the Reds on the map for a couple of winning occasions throughout the year on the openside 7. Not only he’s so dangerous smashing the opposition while backing up with the backline via his pace and superior passing but also brilliant to break down defensively too including the latter stages needed to stop the Waratahs from slipping away come full-time. There’s unfinished business ahead in the hope he can be the best 7 for both club and country going forward & next weekend’s last eight v the Chiefs away in Hamilton is the perfect time to do it & play semi-finals.

Josh Flook is another important Reds player who we should keep an eye on after an excellent display last night in the midfield outside 13. He’s the man that never stops running & also loves to score tries off the back of a great first half performance with one TRY to himself thanks to some excellent communication in the attacking third. Yes, we could’ve seen him score his 2nd when things didn’t go their way while seeing the Waratahs 2nd half comeback that almost came back to bite his team. But he was happy to accept the win & Josh needs his full support, so he can unleash his attacking abilities in the hope of going one better by beating the Chiefs again next weekend.

Finally, Jack Bowen has been exceptional when being given the keys to start in the Waratahs 10 position, particularly when he played a key role in his team’s resurgence after half-time of one TRY & three successful conversion kicks. Okay, he might have missed the very last penalty kick which was so unlucky. But Jack knows where to hack it when looking to expand into the wide areas on the counter attack with the numbers he’s got around him and voila! Let’s hope he will benefit from good competition that will make him a better player under a new coach going into next season. For now, he will look to help his 4th placed Easts side have a solid run in the Shute Shield show soon enough.

And shoutout with thanks to Darren Coleman on getting the Waratahs get back on track such as back to back 6th places including two Crusaders wins this year as if it’s 2014 again but sadly injuries hit him the most & we wish him good luck.

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Queensland Reds hit nearly 60 to deny the Western Force’s hopes of making the Top 8 with the big win tonight at Suncorp Stadium

by Sports Benches

Queensland Reds fans just enjoyed another brilliant night on home turf tonight at Suncorp Stadium having been well secure to play Finals this year outside the Top 4 in 5th following an easy win v Western Force 59-13. From the start, the Force had some glimpses with a couple of penalty goals to chip it in even though an attempted TRY at the stroke of half-time was unfortunately denied by the TMO referee due to a knock-on as the Reds collected a couple of big points along the way 22-6.

Then nothing much changed later on where the Reds continue to extend their lead including the completion of another good hat-trick story from Tim Ryan while Fraser McReight scored back-to-back tries in quick succession. Force might be the the last to close out the game with the one and only consolation seven-point TRY whose heavy loss tonight puts them in a difficult position to try and just make the Top 8 when they will fly back home to face the Brumbies next Saturday night but the winner goes the Reds way ahead of the regular season finale meeting on Friday v Waratahs at Allianz Stadium in Sydney following their loss last week that isn’t easy for away teams to play in Fiji v the Fijian Drua. We still got one more game to go to finish off Week 14 of 15 with the rare tomorrow match in Dunedin between the Highlanders v Drua, then the 6th-8th places will remain open for one last time other than the Top 5 teams that are well and truly confirmed up the ladder before it’s Finals time.

Tim “The Junkyard Dog” Ryan loves scoring tries for fun having became an instant favourite amongst the fans for the Reds this year on the right wing following his hat-trick performance tonight. He is someone who has blistering pace who can do anything dangerous with the ball on hand as long as he’s got his numbers there to set up towards the finish line for him and what a talent Queensland has got in their talent production line at Ballymore!! Then we look at another of the Reds’ finest home-grown talented players in none other than Fraser McReight on the openside back row at 7 where he made such a huge difference such as nailing down defensively while being able to score some tries too. This is the man who is also well established in the Wallabies squad as he will look to make the No.7 green and gold shirt of his own in the years to come in place of veteran Michael Hooper but for now, he’s here to help Reds win games every week & with previous finals experience on his belt, he believes that his side can achieve even more beyond the last eight like the ACT Brumbies do all the time.

And versatile back Bayley Kuenzle is the jack of the all trades after he finished the Force’s difficult night on a high not long before full-time with a late TRY and also a conversion kick too. He’s happy to get as much game time as he needs having been in Perth for three years now after he grew up in Sydney and then played for the Brumbies that reflects his important skillsets at Super Rugby level, so he can learn to improve in order to get better and better with the likes of Nic White and soon Darcy Swain from next year again would help him achieve his next personal best. For now, there’s still a long way to go where the Force despite some promising signs earlier on haven’t been good defensively while picking up ill-discipline for the most part.

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2022 Rugby Championship: Australia vs South Africa at Adelaide Oval Match Report

by Admin

Coming into the game, both sides were coming off a loss and desperately needed a win to keep their title hopes alive. Australia started quickly with Fraser McReight scoring in the opening minute, conversion slotted by Noah Lolesio.

Lolesio then kicked a penalty just a few minutes later to put the hosts 10-0 into the lead. In the 23rd minute, Handré Pollard kicked a penalty of his own to bring South Africa within 7 points.

In the 30th minute, South Africa looked dangerous attacking the Australian line as Ox Nché barrelled his way over from a short distance just to be held over the line by the Aussie defence.

Just before the half-time whistle blew, Springbok scrum-half Faf De Klerk was controversially yellow carded for striking fellow scrum-half Nic White in the head which reduced the away side to 14 men.

Australia started the second half strong as outside centre Len Ikitau made a darting run into the South African 22 before the ball was spun wide to Marika Koroibete who finishes the beautifully worked try.

In the 56th minute, Australia once again scored following a beautiful break from fly-half Noah Lolesio who popped it on to Fraser McReight who scored his second of the game.

The try was converted once more by Lolesio before slotting a penalty also to take the hosts 25-3 into the lead as we entered the final quarter of the match.

It took the Springboks 74 minutes to score their first try of the match as substitute Kwagga Smith ran one in for the visitors.

Aussie number 8 Rob Valetini was yellow carded in the final minute of the match which led to Kwagga Smith scoring his second try of the match, however, it was too little too late for the visitors who lost the match 25-17.

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Queensland Reds secure a much-needed win v Moana Pasifika in Week 14 of the 2022 Super Rugby Pacific

by Sports Benches

It was a brilliant game to watch last night in Round 14 of the 2022 Super Rugby Pacific at Suncorp Stadium, as Queensland Reds welcome Moana Pasifika. Moana fired off early with the headstart before before the Reds fought back with three tries in the Opening 40 at 24-10. Although, Moana made up some lost time in the 2nd half with another two tries on the board. However, the Reds have done enough to hold Moana back & safeguard this match-up courtesy of Harry Wilson with the win, 34-22.

Congratulations to Queensland Reds with a much-needed win v Moana after a string of consecutive defeats v New Zealand teams, even though the match-ups they played v Chiefs & Highlanders were unlucky. They responded really well after the early Moana headstart with a brilliant first-half performance, especially when Jock Campbell collected back-to-back tries. Now they will still need to improve their 2nd half performance which is something the Reds must face up v Crusaders next Friday. They haven’t scored much later on until Harry Wilson safeguarded the Reds home with his 70th minute try, although Tate McDermott’s amazing finish to this game was denied by the ref over a forward pass from Seru Uru. But they still need to put a full-match performance if the Reds are going to shock the Saders, as well as enjoy an extended run in the Playoffs beginning in two weeks’ time.

Moana Pasifika would be disappointed with the loss there, having been a great opponent against the Reds which is how Super Rugby should be like each week of this competition. They got the early headstart after Solomone Funaki opened their scoring account, as well as a comeback in the 2nd 40 with two tries from their back row forwards in Sione Tuipulotu & Henry Stowers. But a poor defensive response and some lost penalties have restricted the most of Moana’s attacking opportunities, where the Reds ran them ragged in return with the loss. They have two games next week to finish off their inaugural Super Rugby campaign at Mt Smart Stadium in Auckland; one is the rearranged fixture v Western Force on Tuesday, followed by the Brumbies on Saturday.

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Chiefs saw off a late Queensland Reds threat with a two-point win despite being down to 14 men with five minutes left

by Sports Benches

It was a terrific close match-up between the two sides that kickstarted Week 11 of the 2022 Super Rugby Pacific after 80 minutes of play. The first-half run saw the Queensland Reds & Chiefs share the lead at half-time, 13-13. Chiefs continued their resurgence where they regained top spot, while the Reds fought back as of late. The Semipeni Finau red card gave the Reds some glimmer of hope thanks to Hunter Paisami’s TRY with three minutes left, but they unfortunately ran out of time with a narrow two-point loss, 25-27.

Reds were unlucky to lose at Suncorp Stadium by two points to the Chiefs. They fired off slow and steady through the two three-point penalty goals off fly-half in Lawson Creighton before Harry Wilson opened the scoring account in the 30th minute at Number 8. Although, they were still in contention despite losing the lead later in the 2nd half, on top of another two tries from Josh Flook and the crucial consolation big score in Hunter Paisami, that gave his side some glimmer of hope with only five minutes to go. They were unlucky not to be given time in the end to upsurp the Chiefs, especially when Creighton failed to convert into the goalposts after Josh Flook’s TRY in the 51st minute. However, the ill-discipline robbed the Reds’ momentum where a couple of lost penalties and two yellow cards against them saw the Reds fell short.

Meanwhile, the Chiefs were on the same page as the Reds in the first half with a couple of penalty goals before Cortez Ratima leveled the scoresheets at half-time. But their last 40-minute momentum has to be the turning point, despite the Samipemi Finau red card in the 75th minute over a high tackle on Fraser McReight. They were so dangerous in attack when the Reds couldn’t stop them thanks to their ill-discipline, having regained & extended the lead with another two tries before they held off a difficult opponent through a sigh of relief towards full-time. Credit to Samisoni Taukei’aho at hooker, who completed an execution masterclass that got the Chiefs back in front, while Pita Sowakula extended their winning share where he handled the Reds well with the scrum feed and their defensive half. And Bryn Gatland’s kicking is top-notch as always without error through the goalposts 100%.

The Reds will be back at Suncorp Stadium when they take on the Highlanders from Dunedin next Friday, while the Chiefs will return home to Waikato in New Zealand next Saturday night v the ACT Brumbies.

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Hurricanes blessed to have Bailyn Sullivan back from the sin bin where he lit up a sensational performance that led to their comeback win v Queensland Reds at AAMI Park

by Sports Benches

It was an excellent Saturday night showdown at AAMI Park during the three-day Super Round weekend between the Hurricanes & Queensland Reds. Queensland fired off well where they were up in front earlier with a narrow three-point lead (14-17) at half-time, thanks to the Hurricanes’ disciplinary issues that took out Bailyn Sullivan at one point for 10 minutes with the yellow card. However, the Reds couldn’t find more points along the way while Sullivan’s return presented brilliant timing; when the Hurricanes began to climb back in contention before they dominated the 2nd half spell have confirmed this match-up as winners. The final score is 30-17.

The Hurricanes are on fire here at AAMI Park in Melbourne tonight. They would be disappointed with the ill-discipline when Bailyn Sullivan was taken off the field earlier on via a yellow card for 10 minutes. But he has never let the club down, though, when it comes to the ability on the field; He & Tyrel Lomax made up lost time & put the Hurricanes back in contention where they were three points behind at half-time. And the Hurricanes were able to continue that renewed momentum later on with another two tries on the board before they were well secure with the win, which is a brilliant rebound performance to watch.

Meanwhile, Queensland Reds started well thanks to the Bailyn Sullivan yellow card earlier in the 1st half. They were able to get away with only two tries from Hamish Stewart & Fraser McReight, where they just led by a small three-point buffer at half-time. Although, both the Reds and Hurricanes have disciplinary issues to sort out themselves. However, the disjointed attacking shape unfortunately let them down the most. You can’t win games through a couple of fumbles, particularly Filipo Daugunu; that handed the Hurricanes plenty of ball opportunities where the opposition got away handy with a comfortable win.

The Hurricanes will stay in Australia for a while with a week-long rest before they take on the Brumbies at GIO Stadium in Canberra next Sunday. And the Reds will look to get back to winning ways against a New Zealand team when they will battle against the Chiefs at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane on Friday night.

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Rugby News, Top 3 players from the Hurricanes v Queensland Reds Game in RD10 in 2022 Super Rugby Pacific

by Sports Benches

We have to say that Tyrel Lomax is tough as a rock down in the tighthead front row for the Hurricanes tonight. He brings so much physicality to the table where Lomax was there to rob the Queensland Reds’ scoring spree defensively. It came at the right time when Lomax benefitted from Bailyn Sullivan’s return off the sin bin that reconnected the Hurricanes team & also began to notice the Reds’ weaknesses with their attacking shape. Once the Reds were in trouble, Lomax further punished them with the support and communication needed to get the job done in any combination possible; the scrum/maul, phases to build some pressure, and execution past the TRY line. And with the Hurricanes being well safe in the winners’ circle, Lomax deserved a well-earned rest with two tries between half-time breaks after 67 minutes of play.

The next Hurricanes player to look at is Bailyn Sullivan, who plays No.13 in the outside centre role. Yes, he may not have had a good start when Sullivan had to sit 10 minutes on the bench with the yellow card. However, you cannot underestimate his hard work as soon as he came back on the field. The Canes are blessed to have their attacking shape working for the rest of tonight, with credit coming from Sullivan. He can combine the physical toughness that can not only filter out the Reds defensively, but he also adds some pace to execute in return with two tries scored v Reds here at AAMI Park. Without him, the Reds were in the lead earlier on before he came back to turn the tide that changed this match-up.

And one Queensland Reds player to look at is Fraser McReight on the openside back row in the No.7 shirt. He never stopped running and working hard all game, where his Reds team took advantage to get themselves ahead earlier in the 1st half. He also backed up his support runners back and forth while being roped in to protect defensively, which tested his physicality & guidance in this role at Super Rugby level. However, the Reds unfortunately let him down as a whole team when a disjointed attacking shape just faltered later during this match-up.

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Rugby News, Top 3 players from the Melbourne Rebels v Queensland Reds Game in RD9 of 2022 Super Rugby Pacific

by Sports Benches

Fraser McReight is one of the reasons why the Reds have a strong back-row after his outstanding performance last night on the openside at No.7. McReight took advantage of the Rebels’ problems by tackling defensively before running off and passing the ball to his teammates, who finished off his work for him. McReight also showed an exceptional balance between pace and physicality on the pitch, as he protected and looked after his team all night.

Next up is 23-year-old Lawson Creighton, who unexpectedly filled in for the majority at full-back, after Jordan Petaia had to come off at the 26th minute. Creighton has plenty of skills from his trade that served him well at Super Rugby level, including a superb mental awareness of his attacking & defensive contributions due to his six-foot height. In addition, his physicality helped the Reds team shield the Rebels’ attack at his end; and most importantly, his celerity, which enabled him to spot & intercept the Rebels’ lack of numbers through the far-right short side, leading to his own try in the 36th minute. He hopes that competition with Petaia at 15 will help the Reds stay on top going into the final six rounds of 2022, regardless of when he will start or be on the bench next game.

And Glen Vaihu caused the Reds a couple of headaches over in the left-wing last night for the Melbourne Rebels. It’s good to see him gain more Super Rugby experience as it goes, especially when graduating through the academy ranks at age 20. For the entire 80 minutes, his pace & work rate proved to be a valuable asset that helped the Rebels accrue the points they needed to stay in contention. Although the Rebels were unlucky to fall short by four points in the end (32-36), however, credit to a few returning stars that got the best out of his game, as it can only get better with the support this team needs to stay competitive at Super Rugby level.

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