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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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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 News, Top 3 players from the NSW Waratahs v Hurricanes Game in Week 13 of the 2022 Super Rugby Pacific

by Sports Benches

Ardie Savea worked so hard tonight at Number 8 for the Hurricanes, especially during the 2nd half when his side came from 15-0 down at the break to a 18-22 win in the end. He made the most out of his game by smashing his way through the Waratahs defensive half where A. Savea is best served there with the Canes’ attacking contribution. That way, he helped the Canes find some space via the offload or talk-up before the job is done with a TRY assist to Bailyn Sullivan and also a TRY by himself. And it goes to show that Ardie loves to attack when the opposition began to falter; it gave the Canes a number of winning penalties, as well as more opportunities with the ball that reflects his match-winning performance.

Next up is another Canes spotlight player in Tevita Mafileo, who made a decent impact off the bench from the 34th minute, in place for Xavier Numia at loosehead prop. He has lots of physicality to unpack thanks to his impressive tall build, as well as the youth and talent by his side that helped Mafileo punish the Tahs. It’s important when it comes to his defensive contribution, especially in the 2nd half where the Tahs only secured a penalty goal on top of the opposition team’s red-hot 1st half spell. He can also be a great protector & communicator of the Canes attack going forward, where he made sure that his side were able to pick up valuable points which played a huge part of their comeback win tonight.

And Izaia Perese offers a lot of pace and physicality down in the outside centre role at the Tahs No.13 jersey. He credits his support runners who helped get the best out of him, such as the Charlie Gamble; having squared off 1 or 2 Canes defenders before Dylan Pietsch came to his rescue with the five-point score ahead of half-time. Unfortunately, not only the Tahs 2nd-half spell wasn’t the same over declined momentum and ill-discipline; he was also forced to leave the field early over a MCL injury where Perese will have to sit out for a few weeks. Without him, it just won’t be the same where he’s an very important player at the Tahs with some NRL experience.

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Rugby News Australia, Hurricanes came from a scoreless first-half spell to haunt back the Waratahs with the win at Leichhardt Oval

by Sports Benches

It was a brilliant Saturday Night match-up at Leichhardt Oval in Sydney between the NSW Waratahs v Hurricanes in Week 13 of the 2022 Super Rugby Pacific. The home team fired off well with an easy 15-0 lead while the Canes struggled to get the ball rolling. However, the Canes began to make up lost time before they completed their remarkable rebound with the win, as the final score is 18-22.

Unlucky from the Tahs after they fell short by four points on their home turf at Leichhardt Oval. The fire off was fantastic in the 1st half where they accrued up to 15 points ahead of half-time, with two tries from Rahboni Warren-Vosayaco & Dylan Pietsch. But they just couldn’t hold off the momentum going into the last 40, especially when they failed to hold back the Hurricanes resurgence at their own defensive territory. A number of lost penalties and ill-discipline also let them down, especially when Paddy Ryan made a huge tackle on Jordie Barrett’s jaw in the 75th minute and had to be sent off with a straight red card which was disappointing. Not only that, they will also have to cope without their star centre Izaia Perese for a while after he was forced off with a MCL tear at the same time. The Tahs’ next match for Round 14 will be against the Highlanders next Sunday at Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin, New Zealand.

Meanwhile, how good was the Hurricanes on their comeback trail from a scoreless first-half to a unbelievable win away from home? Now they will still need to deal with the slow starts where the Waratahs exposed them with 15 points being conceded in the opening 40. But the way they made up lost time later on & be able to close it off with a win is such fantastic rugby to watch. There’s credit to their forward pack, especially with the 7 & 8s partnership on the back row from Du’Plessis Kirifi and Ardie Savea. A number of fresh faces off the bench also helped their cause, including Tevita Mafileo at loosehead, where the Canes were just simply a different beast this time around. They will return home to Sky Stadium in Wellington for their last regular-season home game of 2022 v Melbourne Rebels on next Saturday night.

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Rugby News, Top 3 players from the Brumbies v Crusaders Game in Week 13 of the 2022 Super Rugby Pacific

by Sports Benches

We have to say that Scott Barrett made his Crusaders a lot easier to execute tonight on the second row. He can unpack everything from attack to defense where he runs back and forth, as well as smash his way through the Brumbies defensive half. It just goes to show that Scott knows where to hold the opposition areas accountable before he sends the message over to his team-mates & help them back up, so they can find that TRY line & grab these five-pointers every time through the gate. And his contribution tonight exactly shows why he’s not an easy player to face against any opposing team, when the Brumbies just couldn’t find a way to escape past the men from Canterbury.

Another Crusaders standout player tonight at GIO Stadium in Canberra is Bryn Hall, who plays the No.9 scrum-half position. He struck a brilliant balance between communication and designing the attack, so Hall can make the best of his physicality in two ways; bring his Numbers in to finish off the work for him or help him know where to plant that TRY line. It’s a two-way street where his Crusaders team were just simply firing on all cylinders, with Hall worked really hard for the majority before he deserved an early mark by the time the Saders were well safe towards winning in the 66th minute.

And Irae Simone played really well at inside centre for the Brumbies in the No.12 jersey with two tries tonight. He’s proven to be a dangerous figure against the Crusaders defense where Simone is a very good communicatior, especially when he reaches out for help from scrum-half Nic White, before he unleashes his finishing touches with the pace that earned the Brumbies valuable five-pointers. And Simone continued to flex his attacking prowess by covering up his support runners that helped the Brumbies make up lost time later in the 2nd half. But it just wasn’t his night when the team’s poor first 40 left them little time to upsurp the Crusaders, despite the early lead.

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Rugby News Australia, Crusaders held off comfortably in the best of Trans-Tasman Super Rugby teams clash against Brumbies at GIO Stadium

by Sports Benches

It’s the best of the best Super Rugby teams across both countries match-up between the Crusaders & Brumbies here at GIO Stadium in Canberra. Brumbies may have opened the account early but the Crusaders held them comfortably throughout the first half, 5-23. Now the home side’s strength with the fire offs helped them rebound later on, but the Brumbies just left it too late as the Crusaders continued to stay ahead with the win at 26-37.

Brumbies fired off well with the early lead but then they struggled to stay ahead, when the failure to clear out via the kicking threw so much pressure to their defensive half. Although, they began to bounce back later with three tries scored in the 2nd half. However, they were well behind by that stage while the Crusaders extend their winning margin before it’s too late. It would’ve been a super close contest if Noah Lolesio and Rob Valetini weren’t injured, where the Brumbies functioned at times without them. But unfortunately, their winning run came to an end as they will need to focus on their weaknesses, before preparing for next week’s round v Blues from Auckland on Saturday night at home.

And Crusaders are outstanding as always where they just completed their three-week Australian tour on a high note v the current top-ranked Australian Super Rugby team here. They’re good at bouncing back, as well as spotting the Brumbies’ lack of kicking clearance in the first half. They took their time wisely with the ball before they simply run the Brumbies defensive blocks ragged with a mix of pace & gaps spotted down low that led to a comfortable half-time lead, followed by an easy 2nd-half spell with the win. They’re now set for a fantastic end to the regular campaign at home in Christchurch with the Drua next Friday and the Reds in two weeks time; they’re also relying on the other results that will go their way as well before Playoffs time.

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Rugby News, Top 3 players from the Western Force v Crusaders Game in Week 12 of the 2022 Super Rugby Pacific

by Sports Benches

Leicester Fainga’anuku is such a wonderful standout player tonight for the Crusaders on the left wing with a hat-trick of tries from the first-half. He struck a fantastic balance between pace & physicality where he can track back and forth that is being defensively, as well as finish off the attack. And it came at the right time when the Crusaders were patient with the ball off the back of the Western Force’s lack of support numbers, before his team called him up & bit back the Force that made them pay the price in return.

Another standout Crusader player to look at is Will Jordan in the No.15 shirt at full-back where he dominated the 2nd half with a hat-track of his own, just like team-mate Fainga’anuku from the other 40 minute spell. These two players both young and talented in their early 20s; they also share the same height, physicality and pace. All Jordan does is track back and protect his men defensively where he was tested with the tackling & read, before he knows what to do with the ball and that word is to dominate where he was just too good.

Both players are just sensational to watch
where any opposing team will have a tough time dealing with Jordan and Fainga’anuku at their defensive territory, based on the lack of support numbers/communication before it’s ripped into shreds.

And Tim Anstee put his best tonight throughout the full 80 for his Western Force team at No.8. He provides so much physicality, talk-up and tall reach when smashing his way through the Crusaders defensive blocks with the ball on hand. He also provides that athletic ability when running back and forth where Anstee made a name for himself back in the 7s days. Although, his contribution benefitted with a number of winning penalties and advantages. But his team’s poor communication & execution in the attack let him down, where the Force had to pay the price for their defensive damages at the hands of the Crusaders in the end.

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Rugby News Australia, Crusaders just too good v Western Force in a 15-53 win at HBF Park in Perth

by Sports Benches

Western Force welcomed the Crusaders at HBF Park in Perth earlier tonight in Round 12 of the 2022 Super Rugby Pacific. The home side briefly snatched the lead earlier on, before the Crusaders dominated the first-half at 8-18. They tried to catch up with another TRY from Fergus Lee-Warner not long after half-time, but the Saders are just too good with a 15-53 win.

It’s been a tough night in the office from the Western Force after a huge defeat on home soil v the Crusaders. They weren’t bad in the first half when the Force briefly snatched lead for a while at one point, thanks to Kyle Godwin’s cross-kick where Jake Strachan ran the ball in time for their opening TRY. Although, they’ve benefitted from a couple of winning penalties/advantages along the way. However, their lack of support & communication in the attack couldn’t keep the standard that the Crusaders set up tonight, which is too much to catch up where their defense was heavily exposed. They have a long trip now to Dunedin in New Zealand ahead of the Week 13 opener on Friday night v Highlanders.

And congratulations to the Crusaders on an easy win away from home after a shock defeat last week in Sydney v NSW Waratahs. Now they still need to work on some ill-discipline where they lost some penalties on a couple of occasions. They will need to be on their best if they want to beat the best Australian Super Rugby team next Friday night v ACT Brumbies in Canberra. But they’re just simply outstanding where the Crusaders took advantage of the Force’s lack of finishing opportunities, before they cashed in with plenty of hat-trick tries from Leicester Fainga’anuku & Will Jordan.

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Rugby News, Top 3 players from the Queensland Reds v Highlanders Game in Week 12 of the 2022 Super Rugby Pacific

by Sports Benches

One of Highlanders turning points during their 2nd half comeback is Folau Fakatava, who came on for Aaron Smith at half-back with 25 mins to go, and made an instant impact ever since. He was simply outstanding when Fakatava planted one assist and a TRY that helped his team move back on the Playoffs bubble in 8th spot with three regular games to go. He’s 22 with plenty of potential to be like Aaron over the next few years where Fakatava can be a real menace to defenders, especially when the Reds began to falter in the 2nd half and he took advantage of their decline that became his show on the pitch.

Next up is fellow Highlander Scott Gregory on the left wing at No.11. He credits the hard work from his forwards pack, who identified the Reds No.1 weakness which is the 2nd half and their finishing momentum. It gave them ample time to work things out with the ball before one Highlanders support runner covered the Reds up defensively, while Gregory did some damage where he laid an assist to Thomas Umaga-Jensen, as well as a TRY off the Folau Fakatava’s back hand pass that saw the Highlanders regain the lead later in the 2nd half. He just simply controls the game when dominating the attack with pace, as his services will be important towards helping his team stay in the Playoffs area with three regular games left.

And Lawson Creighton have no problems filling-in for the injured James O’Connor at the No.10 Reds shirt, where he played just like him when they were firing in the first half. He’s 23 with plenty of physicality to orchestrate the attack, such as that quick offload on the left short side to Jock Campbell, as well that cross kick also on the other short side to Josh Flook. These two scored tries all thanks to Creighton’s creative work, who is willing to learn and try to keep starting every week, so the Reds can continue to function with better competition in the years to come. But there’s still work to do when it comes to the 2nd half spell when they began to falter before the Highlanders came back to bite them.

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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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