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Harry Wilson

2025 Super Rugby Season, Round 15 of 16: Crusaders lucky escape at the last minute v Highlanders while Hurricanes hold off Queensland Reds in a close high-scoring thriller

by Sports Benches May 23, 2025

What a game it was to open Super Rugby Round 15 of 16 on Friday night across both sides of the Tasman including one Australian side taking part of course.

But still, Crusaders lucky to walk away unscathed v Highlanders (15-12) while Hurricanes locked out the threatening Reds in silence away from home (27-31).

Also, there was a women’s Pacific 4 International match with the Wallaroos this time hosting Canada prior to the Reds v Hurricanes curtain raiser. Unfortunately, that didn’t go too well with Canada being oh too good and the final score was 7-44.

With the Highlanders now lost 10 out of 13 in Season 2025, safe to say their chances to reach Top 6 definitely out of reach. They’ve got the Chiefs next Friday which will be extremely difficult even if an unexpected win would put the season early to bed.

Crusaders also return on top of the table as a result of their win along with the Hurricanes just leapfrogged Reds for 4th that will no doubt shift their full attention towards Finals Footy.

Now the race continues tomorrow on Super Saturday where Moana Pasifika will want to solidify their Top 6 extended chance v Chiefs and so does Waratahs but only if they can beat Western Force that could give them one last golden shot v the Blues.

Top 3 players from both Crusaders v Highlanders and Reds v Hurricanes

Just can’t get enough of the Crusaders tough No.3 tight prop Tamaiti Williams off the back of his tries and tough tackling; same with team-mate Tom Christie on the open 7 who always contributes at every turn like he did last week v Waratahs – they finished well physically like no other.

Then there’s Timoci Tavatavanawai making a huge effort on the inside Highlanders 12 where they had their own moments but shame their “kick to comes” weren’t good – oh, they were also hesitant & being a touch isolated in return.

Meanwhile in Brisbane, outside Hurricanes 13 Billy Proctor beautifully executed his ball carries so he knows they can score tries including for himself – and look out, Fehi Fineanganofo stirs up a surprise with his tricky pace and finishing on the left 11.

At last, Harry Wilson is back as the Reds first-choice 8 where he’s got the build-up base and leadership to funnel into tries especially on the expansive (2nd half) – unlucky though with missing bits and pieces being filled in by the Hurricanes.

May 23, 2025 0 comment

Rugby

Super Rugby 2025 Week 5 of 16: Queensland Reds retain the Bob Templeton Cup following their comprehensive win over the NSW Waratahs at Suncorp Stadium by 35-15

by Sports Benches March 15, 2025

The oldest rivalry between New South Wales and Queensland is back for another year and the Reds were just too good in front of their home fans with their retention of the Bob Templeton Cup that marked the Tahs first loss of 2025 after they began the new year with three straight wins on their home front by Dan McKellar as the final score at Suncorp Stadium was 35-15.

Yes, no doubt Waratahs got onboard so early before they built a solid defensive structure to frustrate the Reds along the way. However, their inability to convert into tries whilst leading saw the Reds pick up most of the pie instead and this is where they were blown away – not even a late TRY would help to make lost time when the game was already over & done.

Elsewhere, Crusaders kept on winning once again where they were also too good this time against the Western Force and the same goes with the ACT Brumbies as of late from last night v Fijian Drua. Plus, Hurricanes rebound over the Highlanders following their surprise loss last weekend v Moana Pasifika (who are taking the bye this week) and earlier tonight, reigning champs Blues fell just short by just a single point (32-31) to the No.1 side right now in none other than the Chiefs.

And shoutout to Eastern Suburbs by the way who just got away with the Australian Club Championship pre-season win over Queensland’s Hospital Cup reigning championship team Wests Brothers from Toowong at Crosby Park, Albion (also in Brisbane, QLD) – how good!! Especially when you follow Shute Shield in NSW where they had a blast last year with that Grand Final win over the Northern Suburbs following a long 55-year wait & now they just added another trophy in such short time.

Player Spotlight

Tom Lynagh lightens up the Queensland Reds fast-paced counter-attack with fireworks thanks to his own creative brilliance + his powerful kicking game and spotless conversion kicks all around much like his legendary dad Michael in the No.10 shirt. He’s been a strong performer on his own every week and sure the rewards will continue to go his way & who knows if he will right up there against the Lions for the Wallabies soon? Sure his dad knows all about that team’s group of intel so well based on his past punditry work in the UK.

Not only that, you can’t get past the Reds Great Wall of loose forwards such as No.8 Harry Wilson and re-committed home grown signing Fraser McReight on the openside 7. Yes, they may have battered a huge bruising over the course of 80 mins that is part & parcel of rugby where Fraser had to be taken off right away for his left shoulder after he scored a TRY; but still, their defense was as good as their attack – both at the breakdown & on open play.

And Triston Reilly did the best he can who was a useful utility asset on the Waratahs right wing 14 – such as that opening TRY not long after kick-off on his own short side while he offers that extra push with the maul at line-out time. Glad he took that opportunity especially with competition for outside backs getting robust as it goes, it’s a shame they failed grasp into conversions for the most part.

March 15, 2025 0 comment

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Queensland Reds shut down the Crusaders with a huge 28-33 win in Christchurch for the first time that goes back to Round 5 in 1999

by Sports Benches May 4, 2024

So there we have it, it’s great seeing a Australian Super Rugby team taking the win on New Zealand’s turf and it’s the Reds who won v the Crusaders in Christchurch for the first time in 25 years that goes back to Round 5 in 1999 at the old Jade Stadium 23-36. The first half saw the Reds off to a flying start where they were leading 7-14 at half-time despite the one late Crudsaders TRY, with back-to-back tries from Fraser McReight & Tim Ryan.

Then the 2nd half was a high scoring one as the Saders cancelled Jeffrey Toomaga-Allen’s early 2nd half TRY where they were level on points 21-21 after two quick tries in quick succession. But a series of late 2nd half sloppy mistakes went the Reds way which proved so costly, even though a late comeback wasn’t enough to nail them down as the clock ticks down to full-time. Although the Crusaders do take home the one bonus point, but again, this game has to be the Reds moment who has now beaten both 2023 finalist in the Chiefs and now Crusaders as they leapfrogged the Melbourne Rebels (coincidentally will be their next game) to 5th on the ladder with four rounds to go. Final score was 28-33.

Gotta say that Reds Number 8 Harry Wilson is sending the message to Joe Schmidt (new Wallabies coach) as to why he has unfinished business after his terrific performance v Crusaders on their turf in Christchurch. He wouldn’t mind bulldozing defenders one bit with the ball on hand as being tested at scrum & line-out time and it seems like he’s better at 1 v 1s as if he’s an individual athlete with a really tall stature, having deflected David Havili’s kick at his danger zone that went his way for the Reds try himself to stop the Saders from stealing the lead.

Meanwhile, look out NZers as “The Junkyard Dog” Tim Ryan made such an instant impact from the minute he made his Super Rugby debut for the Reds last week at age 20 v Blues. He continues to cause problems like a sprint track athlete where no one couldn’t stop him this time with two tries against the Crusaders. He’s also a bit over 6ft tall similar to Max Jorgensen at the Waratahs as both can play anywhere in the backline – they’d even be a dangerous combo in the hope Joe can fast track Tim in the green & gold shirt like Max sooner rather than later. Great to see the Reds continue on the winning track in recent weeks (3-in-row now) following their big moment for the first time in 25 years in Christchurch with plenty of optimism ahead & they will be playing Melbourne Rebels next up at Suncorp Stadium (home turf) on Friday.

And Quinten Strange has been breaking the Reds down in order for his Crusaders to find their way through the gate on the second row at No.5. He credits these winning penalties so he can get his head down with a mix of strong steel and really towering eye that puts them back in contention during the 2nd 40 including one for himself to tie the lead. Yes, they were unlucky to fall short as they can still just make the Top 8 with four rounds left, but a poor start including a number of errors later on saw the Reds win instead.

May 4, 2024 0 comment

Rugby

Super Rugby, Queensland Reds replied well to their close golden point Hurricanes loss last week with an amazing win v Chiefs tonight

by Sports Benches March 9, 2024

What a game that is after the Queensland Reds has bounced back from their narrow loss to the Hurricanes during extra time at Golden Point last Sunday to an unreal close win v the ladder-topping Chiefs side tonight on home turf (Suncorp Stadium) in Brisbane. The first half saw both teams going side-by-side with the Chiefs opening the scoring account first with two penalty goals in between the one big score but it was the Reds who hold the home ground advantage going into half-time by four points, 15-11. Now the Chiefs never backed away without a fight when they regained the lead not long after the break (15-16) but then the Reds closed in by a one point trail via penalty goal before they regained the lead and was able to lock the Chiefs up despite the opposition’s huge patient attacking play as the clock ticks down for the win they truly deserved at full-time, 25-19. The Reds will now head back to Melbourne on Friday v Melbourne Rebels at AAMI Park whose other team’s form has been great after back-to-back wins but only v Western Force & Moana Pasifika, so let’s see if the Reds stay winning or it’s the Rebels time. Meanwhile, the Chiefs will head back home to FMG Stadium in Waikato next Saturday night v Fijiian Drua & that team continued the Crusaders’ worst start to 2024 with three straight losses after another home win earlier today in Lautoka, 20-10.

Harry Wilson has played it with pride after he was outstanding tonight in the No.8 Reds jersey, having demonstrated excellent physicality alongside an excellent physical stature to ensure that the Chiefs will have a hard time getting past him. It led to a few tries off the back from the counter-attack where he was able to get behind them as well as a few try-saving opportunities in defense including the last 10-15 mins & he held off well under pressure thanks to their small lead. It all goes to show that he has unfinished business left age 24 where he helped Wests Brothers win the QLD Hospital Cup last year but was also ignored last year by the Wallabies – let’s hope he can keep on going under the radar of Joe Schmidt.

The next Harry spotlight within the Reds squad is Harry McLaughlin-Phillips who made an immediate impact in the reserve No.10 role after he came on for Tom Lynagh earlier in the 2nd half. His conversion kicks through the two posts have been spotless while he made some creative attacking play through the channels such as that cross kick where Josh Flook was able to get the job done & help the Reds fight back up and stay ahead for the lead up front. Looks like competition is heating up there which is healthy to see as part of the blueprint Les Kiss wants to see at Ballymore & McLaughlin-Phillips is one of the young No.10 players who is here to learn and be the best he can be at age 19.

And Shaun Stevenson wasn’t bad on the Chiefs right wing position and he can do whatever he likes with the ball in hand alongside tremendous pace at his prime thanks to his team’s scrambled defensive work as well as the patient attacking build-up going forward. If he played at full-back then it would’ve been a different story where Stevenson can make the Chiefs attack more dangerous with Damian McKenzie in it at 10 and that is something the Chiefs might need to consider next game. Yes, they showed some good fight and attacking threat that kept them in contention all game but they just didn’t get the best out of their finishing play unfortunately when trying to stop the Reds from walking away for the win.

March 9, 2024 0 comment

Rugby

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

by Sports Benches May 20, 2022

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.

May 20, 2022 0 comment

Rugby

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 April 29, 2022

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.

April 29, 2022 0 comment

Rugby

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 March 26, 2022

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.

March 26, 2022 0 comment

Rugby

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

by Sports Benches March 26, 2022

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.

March 26, 2022 0 comment

Rugby

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

by Sports Benches March 16, 2022

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.

March 16, 2022 0 comment

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Rugby News Australia, Queensland Reds v Melbourne Rebels Game Review in RD2 of the 2022 Super Rugby Pacific

by Sports Benches February 19, 2022

It’s been a wet and wild night when playing under the rain at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, especially during the 2nd half as the Queensland Reds came out firing on top with the win v Melbourne Rebels, 23-5.

Brilliant start by the Queensland Reds, who kickstarted their 2022 campaign with the early lead. Like how they were patient while sorting out their attacking shape, when Harry Wilson at No.8 produced a short-ball assist to Taniela Tupou towards the TRY line that bagged them five to seven points. Although they were able to extend the scoreboard lead a little further ahead of the break at 13-5 thanks to the two penalty goals from James O’Connor, but the Reds need to watch their discipline if they are to stop the Rebels from scoring after half-time. They later managed to wrap this up comfortably even in the uncomfortable wet conditions, thanks to another Harry Wilson masterclass with the TRY this time via the short-ball assist from O’Connor. And full-back Jock Campbell rounded off the Reds’ 3rd and final TRY of the night in the 80th minute.

Meanwhile, the Rebels were excellent as always when it comes to the defense. They read it well when the Reds were not up to scratch earlier on, as one of their winning penalties/advantages was successfully converted into a TRY via a five-meter line-out, thanks to Brad Wilkin on the openside flanker role. They just need to be a bit more patient when being given the ball, watch the opposition sink with more mistakes and the Rebels can see light at the end of the tunnel come full-time. Unfortunately, they just couldn’t make the most of these opportunities when it comes to sorting out their attack & trying to get past the Reds zone. Not even the heavy rain has changed the game that much later in the 2nd half.

The Reds will head off into New South Wales where they will face the Waratahs on Friday night at Leichardt Oval, as both teams are in the Top 2 right now on the Super Rugby Pacific ladder with the Brumbies v Western Force game to come tomorrow. Meanwhile, the Rebels will return home in Melbourne for another Saturday night clash in 7 days at AAMI Park v Western Force from Perth.

February 19, 2022 0 comment