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Josh Flook

Rugby

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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Rugby

Rugby News, Top 3 players from the Queensland Reds v Moana Pasifika in Week 14 of the 2022 Super Rugby Pacific

by Sports Benches

Jock Campbell has every reason to say why he’s an important member of the Queensland Reds backline in the wing and full-back roles, having re-signed a two-year contract extension. He was outstanding last night with two tries in the Opening 40. The credit is there from his team-mates when a mix of short passes and cross-kicks got the best of Campbell with pace, where he’s able to get the ball on time and plant it down on the TRY scoring area. And he can use the same attributes to when it comes to his defensive contribution. There’s a lot to look forward to from Jock going into next week v Crusaders, the Playoffs and the next two seasons; he’s also looking forward to help these Reds youngsters get used to Super Rugby level as well.

Speaking about future Reds stars, how about Josh Flook who filled in at outside centre last night alongside Hamish Stewart in the No.13 shirt. He just never stops running where Flook has been very destructive in the attack v Moana that helped his Reds side secure tries. Not only he can shield the Moana defense so Reds know where to plant down that bit of space, Flook can also run and beat one to two Moana players before he finds Fraser McReight with the assisted finish; now that is what we call it excellent communication and support play by the 20-year-old. Having played nearly every game so far this Super Rugby season across multiple backline roles, he hopes that his extended opportunities will help him hold the Crusaders accountable next Friday.

And you can’t underestimate Solomone Funaki’s physical aggression last night that made the Reds looked scared a couple of times for Moana Pasifika, where he plays No.6 at blindside flanker. He credits the teamwork there which helped him give a closer look of the Reds defense, especially when they’re attacking with the ball where a couple of his players worked well with Funaki together in all areas, so Moana know where to score. Unfortunately, a poor defensive response as well as some lost penalties held Moana back with the loss, despite the headstart after Funaki scored their opening try.

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Rugby

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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Rugby

Rugby News Australia, Highlanders overcame two yellow cards to haunt the Reds in a senational comeback at Suncorp Stadium

by Sports Benches

It was another close match-up last night in Week 12 of the 2022 Super Rugby Pacific at Suncorp Stadium. Queensland Reds fired off as always in the first-half where they just held on a two-point lead at half-time, 12-10. But it’s the Highlanders, who overcame two yellow cards earlier on to a sensational comeback in the last 40-45 mins, that puts them back in the Playoffs bubble in 8th after their 19-27 win.

Queensland need to work on their 2nd half spell where the momentum just wasn’t the same as the 1st half; it’s has always been the case since they first faced NZ teams back in Week 10 v Hurricanes. They came from a long way when the Reds had to deal with injuries from James O’Connor, Hunter Paisami & now Taniela Tupou. And they managed to cope for half the time without them on the field, thanks to the team spirit installed by head coach Brad Thorn. It’s maybe some inexperienced players need on their toes when it comes to the 2nd half run, where the result may be different if JOC, Paisami & Tupou weren’t injured. However, these players can improve without their main men if they’re able to put on a full show, that will define the Reds’ position on the ladder with three regular games left.

And the Hurricanes may not have a great first 30-35 mins where they not only lost one but two men via the yellow card, as the Reds took control at the time. But they were back up and running though when it comes to playing a full XV, as well as a few changes off the bench that changed everything. The brilliant work from their forward pack made the backline’s life easier to execute, thanks to the Reds finishing weaknesses when the opposition’s fired off momentum began to falter. Then some fresh legs from Folau Fakatava competed the Highlanders comeback, where he was sensational with a TRY back pass assist to Scott Gregory followed by a TRY himself. And that is match-winning quality from the replacement half-back, who came on for Aaron Smith in the 55th minute.

The Highlanders will kick off Week 13 at Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin next Friday when they welcome the Western Force from Perth. Meanwhile, the Reds will need to group their team spirit together for the full 80, if they want to shock the Blues at Eden Park next Saturday in Auckland.

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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

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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