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Top 3 players from the Highlanders v Reds Game in Round 14 of the 2023 Super Rugby Season

by Sports Benches

Shoutout to Freddie Burns on what has been an outstanding night at No.10 for the Highlanders. He too has been such a huge threat in the attack, particularly during the 2nd half revival including the game-winning conversion kick. His role dissects the ability to design their way past the Reds blocks in the hope of getting the job done that includes some physicality to unpack himself, having been given ample time thanks to the Reds injury struggles before his side touched down with these big scores a few times off the back of his work. And he’s happy to be here after a illustrious career in the Premiership, especially when he scored the winning drop goal also at the death in the final v Saracens last year for Leicester Tigers.

Speaking of last-minute heroics, how about we go with the Highlanders reserve half-back Folau Fakatava who scored the winning TRY with less than two minutes to go. He has made such a huge difference since he came on where Folau helped them overtook the Reds with the lead for the first time; Although the Reds stole back once more via the penalty goal shortly after but he too found a way to close them out just before full-time with the win. He boasts a mix of pace & physicality even though Folau might not be very tall just like his understudy Aaron Smith, as he learned so much from him that made Folau a long-term asset for the Landers. Now he & Freddie are hoping to surprise the Blues next week in the hope of having an extended run from behind soon.

And Harry Wilson has been excellent in the No.8 Reds shirt where he possesses a mix of pace & physical power that broke the Highlanders line at times along the way. He’s such an all-rounder that saw him win penalties/turnovers as being tested both in attack & defense. His attacking skillsets have devastated them the most though, having helped the Reds win possession where his side were able to get the job done throughout the opening half by staying ahead. Sadly, injuries to a few key players saw the Reds good start begin to collapse through only a few penalty goals before they were piped by the Highlanders towards the finish line at the last minute with the loss in Dunedin.

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Top 3 players from the Queensland Reds & Western Force Game in Round 10 of the 2023 Super Rugby Season

by Sports Benches

Tate McDermott made such a huge difference for the Reds at half-back tonight v Western Force. Every time has the ball on hand, Tate has the the licence to thrill such as the quick tap & go as well as controlling the scrum, driving maul and everything in between in order to make the most out of his side’s attack. It’s not just his work rate & communication being top notch as always, but he has excellent mobility & kicking prowess to roam around the pitch too. He’s glad to stay in Ballymore for another few years through 2027 – the year when Australia gets to host another Rugby World Cup & glad he will get to learn the best from Eddie Jones.

Harry Wilson has also been excellent tonight at No.8 for the Reds. His physicality saw him smash barriers through the Western Force blocks every time the Reds build their attacking momentum. It gave his side time to find their way through the gate where not only the Reds dominated possession going forward, but also scored a couple of tries along the way. Plus, his height is such a huge factor too, particularly with the vision so Harry can also look for some support to his own players to finish off for him. He hopes tonight’s display is the start towards proving Wallabies coach Eddie Jones that he’s a hard worker all around.

And Zach Kibirige continues to make waves on the Western Force left wing position at No.11 with his back-to-back tries tonight v the Reds. He was blessed with the Force’s great start where Zach squeezed his way just inside the score zone thanks to No.2 Tom Horton on the far-right short side. Then he read a brilliant intercept later on off Tom Lynagh tried where he got the job done by himself with no one there to stop him through oozes of pace. But sadly, the Force just couldn’t stop the Reds’ possession that limited their attacking chances, even though their defense wasn’t bad while suffering ill-discipline at the same time.

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Queensland Reds follow up with another win at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane tonight v Western Force from Perth, 31-17

by Sports Benches

Western Force may have opened the scoreboard first, but the Queensland Reds has dominated the first-half with three tries on the board at 21-5. Although the Force showed some fight back 1-2 times later on, but Reds continued to dominate for the rest of the night with the ball despite being denied by the ref before they finally topped up one more TRY to seal another win this time in front of their home supporters. The final score at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane is 31-17.

It wasn’t the night Western Force wanted to see out against the Reds away from home in Brisbane after their win last Saturday v Highlanders. They actually fired off well when the Force got ahead early but then they were crushed by a lack of opportunities with the ball for the majority, even though their defense wasn’t bad & responded well 1-2 times later in the 2nd half. Plus, the ill-discipline sadly held them back further behind as the game goes on & these are the 1-2 main weaknesses the Force needed to get back on track – should they wish to knock down the Highlanders & move inside the Top 8 of 12 ladder. For now, they got a tough few weeks ahead with the Crusaders over in Christchurch, NZ next Saturday afternoon.

And congrats to the Reds on what has been another win, having done so last round v Moana Pasifika in between their bye last week. The way they controlled possession has been excellent as always which gave them ample time to get the job done with a few tries on the board, even though they may have been denied by the ref 1-2 times later in the 2nd 40. Now that is alright when facing a team below their standard like the Force & Moana. But they need to be really careful & not let their finishing slip up next time where they have been exposed at times, particularly when facing the other established SR teams including the Waratahs whom they will be facing in Townsville next Saturday night.

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Top 3 players from the Melbourne Rebels v Queensland Reds game in Round 5 of the 2023 Super Rugby Season

by Sports Benches

Where do we start? How about we begin with always Carter Gordon who continued to do so much better tonight at No.10 for the Rebels v his old club which is the Queensland Reds. The way he sets up the attack alongside some brilliant passing is unbelievable, with credit from the opposition’s poor discipline where his got away with a few tries. Another thing he did well tonight was his conversion kicks which was 100% perfect, especially when Reece Hodge is out for a while due to a finger injury. Now that he proved his old club wrong, Carter is ready to test himself v the likes of Fijian Drua, as well as the top teams over the next few weeks. This dynamic playmaker continues to make waves, as Eddie Jones is keeping a close eye on him for the Wallabies at Rugby HQ.

Next number up at No.11 is Rebels left-winger Monty Ioane where his pace was really dangerous to pull off v the Reds. You just couldn’t believe it when not even one or two Reds numbers were there to arrest him, but instead Monty had the licence to thrill before he can clearly see some back up from his side & rear view mirrors by finishing it off the hard work for him. Now that sums up the excellent attacking qualities Monty demonstrated there from start to finish. He’s so happy to be playing in his hometown, having been around Europe over the last few years alongside some International caps for Italy as well.

And Harry Wilson has kept the Reds in the mix all along at No.8, particularly when he helped regain the lead at one point earlier in the 2nd half. He’s an able defender where he got away with some winning penalties/turnovers, while Harry possesses excellent attacking muscle & passing that threw the pressure back at the Rebels end. It goes to show that he put an amazing shift in the hope of giving the Reds the best chance of usurping them  for the win, but the bulk of lost penalties, ill-discipline & responding under huge pressure has unfortunately let him down.

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Melbourne Rebels record their triumphant win through a tight match-up tonight v Queensland Reds at AAMI Park

by Sports Benches

Wow!! It has been a wild, crazy & high-scoring game tonight that went down the wire alongside a mix of cancelled TRY scoring reviews. Queensland Reds fired off well with back-to-back tries, but the first half has not been half full when the Melbourne Rebels showed excellent fightback by snatching the lead off them before they led comfortably at the break, 26-14. In the 2nd half, the Reds’ early momentum as shown in the opening 40 has put them back in contention. However, that fast restart has quickly turned upside down with the Rebels regained the lead once more before they shut down the Reds with the clock ticking ahead of full-time at AAMI Park, 40-34.

It’s disappointing to see the Reds leave Melbourne with the loss, even though they fired off well but then things began to be inconsistent before it became too much to handle against a serious Super Rugby team like the Rebels in the end. There’s nothing wrong about their attack & defense where the talent is clearly there to see with some excellent fightback. But a mix of ill-discipline, loss of Hunter Paisami to injury & lost penalties really hurt them time and time again that gave the Rebels several chances to get the job done in which began to haunt them. And they couldn’t rectify it before the pressure became bigger and bigger; Once that happens, it’s almost impossible to get out of this situation as the Reds didn’t win that game tonight. It’s something they need to be really careful & put a brace face on v Crusaders next Friday at home (Brisbane).

Meanwhile, Melbourne is celebrating right now after the Rebels got away with a huge win v Reds. They might have been two tries down earlier on, but the way the Rebels responded to their slow start alongside the Reds’ messy discipline gave them a huge opportunity to dominate the game & they’ve done it well with both hands. Credit to Carter Gordon’s creativity at No.10, particularly when pace is a really important skill to express themselves at Super Rugby level. And every time a gap has been opened through the gate, 1-2 Reds defenders or even no one couldn’t mark them while the Rebels speed their way through the score zone by bagging TRY after TRY on home soil. Let’s see if they can go all the way with Fijian Drua next over in Suva on Saturday afternoon followed by back-to-back meetings v the top NZ teams like the Crusaders & Blues.

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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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Queensland Reds overcame a messy 1st half run with 13 men to rebound later in the 2nd half with the win v Waratahs

by Sports Benches

What a way to end Week 6 of the 2022 Super Rugby Pacific season, when we looked back at this oldest rivalry, with the Queensland Reds host NSW Waratahs here at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane. It was a tight opening 40 minutes of play where both teams were level 13-13 at the half-time break. However, the Reds returned to winning ways following their narrow loss v Brumbies in Canberra last week, as the final score is 32-20.

It may not be the night they liked to reflect on the loss from the Tahs, who got themselves firing with the sensational opening TRY from Jack Grant at half-back. They just couldn’t kick on when it comes to their attacking shape, which caused further lost penalties and opportunities against the ball later in the 2nd half. Not even the consolation TRY from sub hooker Tom Horton is barely enough to make up lost time towards the full-time siren.

Meanwhile, the Reds overcame a crucial 1st half spell when they were level with the Tahs at the break. Their starting loosehead front row in Dane Zander was sent off with a straight red, while Tate McDermott can debate that he didn’t deliberately knock a player down. However, the referee dismissed that claim where McDermott had to sit 10 mins in the naughty chair. Things got much better though later in the 2nd half when the Reds managed to bag two tries that turned the momentum around, as it was enough to maintain themselves in the winner’s circle. And to go from 13 men on the field to a late turnaround following the 20-minute red card replacement is incredible stuff from the home side.

The Tahs will be staying within QLD for a while, but this time it will be on the Gold Coast when they head off to Cbus Super Stadium next Friday v Fijian Drua. Then the best of the best Super Rugby teams in Australia between the Reds v Brumbies continues back at Suncorp Stadium next Saturday night.

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Rugby News, Top 3 players from the Queensland Reds v NSW Waratahs Game in RD6 of 2022 Super Rugby Pacific

by Sports Benches

Taniela Tupou proved to be a powerful front-rower with valuable Wallaby experience at tighthead tonight for the Reds. He’s got such a great eye when Tupou had the chance to look at the Tahs’ weaknesses in the attack before he spotted their mistakes & used it against them, especially in the scrummaging defensively. And the Reds redeemed themselves later on that helped extend & maintain their winning margin when Tupou exploited the Tahs defense further in return, where he squeezed his way through the gate & bagged himself a TRY in the second half. That kind of hard work Tupou safeguarded his Reds side in the box seat earned him an early mark in the 67th minute, with unfinished business ahead v Brumbies also at home next Saturday.

The next Reds spotlight player after Tupou to look at is Harry Wilson on the back row at No.8. He has been a brilliant contributor as always who never stops running back and forth throughout the full 80 minutes of play. The teamwork was there to work out and set up a trap when identifying the Tahs’ attacking weaknesses, before he helped them hold the ball up phyiscally when it comes to his defensive contribution. Then Wilson had a crack to build some pressure back to the opposition half with the ball on hand, while he can be mobile alongside the physical grit to get the job done, especially after half-time with a couple of successful big scores.

And the standout Tahs player is Mark Nawaquanitawase on the right-wing tonight at No.14. His pace & the high-flying catches saw him in cruise control with the ball, such as that sensational TRY assist towards scrum-half Jack Grant via the short side in the 1st half. While he continued to provide a decent threat against the Reds’ defensive line, he just needed more support to make good use of his attacking skillsets that would’ve steered past the Reds tonight.

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Rugby News, Queensland Reds hold off the Fijian Drua’s late comeback fight with a 33-28 win at Suncorp Stadium

by Sports Benches

Wow!! What a game that is to reflect a fantastic Saturday night of Super Rugby Pacific between the Queensland Reds & Fijian Drua, that went down through the wire at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane.

Reds opened the account with a big score from full-back Jordan Petaia before Harry Wilson scored the 2nd TRY, as the home team are 12-6 at half-time before they continued to stay ahead going into the 2nd half. Meanwhile, the Drua came back from two three-point goals earlier on into three big scores late in the 2nd half, where the new start Super Rugby team almost captured an upset in front of the Reds. However, it’s Seru Uru on the blindside back row who saved the Reds’ night, thanks to a game-winning TRY that secured their unbeaten start of the 2022 campaign by five points, 33-28.

The Reds have plenty to fix in the next coming days when a messy attacking shape and ill-discipline almost put them on the brink of a shock loss v Drua. It’s not a good look when their starting frontline of Harry Hoopert & Josh Nasser were sent to the naughty chair for 10 minutes during the 1st half, as they better be careful the next time Queensland faces the Brumbies, or else they will be punished big time. However, the Reds have done enough that put themselves past the safe line first. The build-up momentum is good where they were able to stay ahead, while extending that winning share. And they managed to bounce back following the Drua’s quickfire spell late in the 2nd half when Seru Uru came in to save the day. But as said earlier, they will need to watch their discipline and get their attacking shape organized, if the Reds are to beat the Brumbies on Friday night.

Meanwhile, so unlucky from the Drua who were almost so close towards pulling that shock upset v Reds. We love how they spotted the Reds’ ill-discipline and disjointed attack, where the Drua were able to stop them from scoring at times. We also look at the example of how inside center Kalaveti Ravouvou intercepted the ball off the back end of the Reds’ messy attacking mistakes during the first few mins of play, having ran off over halfway and almost scored, when he couldn’t find any numbers around him. It gave a preview of the Drua’s plan to haunt the Reds’ later on & again almost succeeded with three quickfire tries in five minutes late in the 2nd half. The only weakness Drua needs to work on is their first 40, when some ill-discipline and a lack of finishing organization held them back before they left it too late.

The Reds will now travel to Canberra on Friday night v ACT Brumbies at GIO Stadium, while Drua will have their home game next Saturday in Sydney v Western Force at Leichardt Oval.

It will be interesting to see whether the Brumbies will stay 1st or see the Reds knock them down to 2nd in the 2022 Super Rugby Pacific standings after Round 5.

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