Tate McDermott Sports Benches
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Tate McDermott

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Top 3 players from the Chiefs v Queensland Reds in Round 12 of the 2023 Super Rugby Season

by Sports Benches

Hats off to Tate McDermott following a hard day’s work that helped end the Chiefs’ long-running unbeaten run tonight as the Reds’ main No.9. He always provided a great link between his forwards & backline department in all areas, so the Reds know where to find the sweet spot. It helped his side get the ball rolling with the fightback being shown there, particularly when he snatched a TRY himself to level at half-time thanks to a great maul off the line-out. Then his leadership & on-field input kept the momentum going with another 1-2 tries before his side were able to close out the game with a big shift in defense where all credit coming from McDermott. All they have to do is finish off the attack well & you will thank him that made the Reds so dangerous with the ball.

Next up is Reds reserve No.10 Tom Lynagh who made such a huge difference in the 2nd 40, especially when they were turning themselves around before his side finally tasted victory thanks to his excellent display that includes the winning penalty goal. He’s always young & hungry every time he gets his chance, having been away with injury for some time this season. It’s not just his conversion kicks that gave them a boost of confidence, but he too can also lend a helping hand too defensively. Love how he caught Rameka Poihipi down on the far left short side & luckily his forwards were there to hold the ball up that went the Reds way. Looks like he’s ready for more to give Brad Thorn the good send off he deserves as head coach.

And Etene Nanai-Seturo has been brilliant with back-to-back tries during the first half in the No.11 Chiefs shirt (left wing). Every time he has the ball, his finishing has been explosive with pace & power that will make any opposition side pay under his watch. When we look back at his 2nd TRY while the Reds were scrappy on one occasion, he too was so instantly ready to incept with a mighty soccer kick before he picks it up & no one couldn’t stop him. Great timing to see him read these Reds mistakes by cashing it in with space. But then the Chiefs were not themselves tonight when their 2nd half run was just inconsistent that left them so little time to upsurge the Reds; Sadly it was just too much pressure to get out in the end.

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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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Crusaders win again while the Reds continue to struggle, despite being given so many attacking opportunities to dominate the game at Suncorp Stadium

by Sports Benches

Following the Highlanders’ mighty win v Moana Pasifika, we head straight to Suncorp Stadium (Brisbane) where the Queensland Reds welcome the Crusaders to round off a huge Friday doubleheader in Week 6 of the 2023 Super Rugby Season. The Saders got away with a decent 1st half display while the Reds struck one back where the home side were only eight points behind at the break, 7-15. 

Although the Reds tried to get the job done so many times going forward, but again a series of incomplete attacking plays & more ill-discipline continued to hold them back time & time again before it was too late. Even though the Saders had limited 2nd half attacking opportunities, they were relieved to stop the Reds from slipping away in their tracks defensively where they got away with the win, 12-25.

First of all, there’s not much improvements to say from the Reds tonight. Yes, they’ve been given so many attacking chances for the majority in hope of overtaking the Crusaders for the win. But then the way they execute the attack is half-hearted while the discipline is still very messy that held the Reds back further & further, and sadly that’s how they finish off the game with another loss being slapped against them. Seriously, this is not how you conquer Super Rugby if the Reds are going to keep on playing like that. They better need to rope in some numbers up close & cut the discipline if the Reds want to get their season back on track staring with Brumbies again at home next Friday.

Meanwhile, the Crusaders are happy to see off another win away from home in Brisbane. They never lost the lead all along with a great start of two tries on the first half followed by the one in the 2nd half before the Saders were relived to escape a threatening Reds attack from their own end. Now the injuries really hit them hard, particularly when Sevu Reece is out for a while as found out lately alongside George Bower who popped his knee at one point in the 2nd half. Plus, their 2nd half attack hasn’t been the same when the Saders couldn’t stretch their lead as bigger as they’d like, but they’re happy to take the win ahead of their return trip home v Moana Pasifika next Friday.

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GUTSY AUSTRALIA SEE OFF SOLID SCOTLAND

by Admin

Australia kicked off their Autumn internationals against old foes Scotland at Murrayfield stadium in a tight contest that saw them run out 16-15 winners.

Despite Australia having won 21 out of the 33 matches against the men in blue, they’d been the losing side in their last 3 Tests and were looking for a turnaround in fortunes.

FIRST HALF

The Aussies started strongly but were met by a strong Scottish defence that twice prevented a try in the opening 10 minutes by winning a foul. Tate McDermott was causing Scotland havoc with his direct running and offloads at key moments but it was home team that managed to get on the scoreboard first.

Ollie Smith, making his Murrayfield debut, made fantastic use of a blind pass by Blair Kinghorn to fly through a gap in the Aussie defence, darting past one defender before scoring a fantastic try. Kinghorn missed the conversion and the 5 point lead didn’t last long. Australia won a penalty just 3 minutes later and fly-half Bernard Foley made no mistake, cutting the deficit to 3 points.

Australia continued to put pressure on the Scotland defence, but again were met by a wall that refused to back down. As the half-time whistle drew close, a scuffle between the two sides broke out and Australia were handed the opportunity to take the lead. Foley, having scored the first kick with ease, maintained his 100% record in the game by splitting the posts and Australia went into the tunnel, 6-5 ahead.

Half-Time: Scotland 5-6 Australia

The crowd roared when the men from Scotland re-entered the field and they were duly rewarded for their enthusiasm just 3 minutes later.

Scotland’s Centre Mark Bennett put in a big tackle in the middle of the pitch and causing a spill. Kinghorn kicked the ball with his feet to good use, smashing it deep into the Wallaby half and chasing it down before it popped up into his arms for him to dive across the line. Kinghorn then scored the conversion, giving the Scottish a 12-6 lead.

Australia were struggling to keep control of the game as they’d done so well in the first half and small mistakes were starting to show. A penalty inside the Aussies 22 handed Kinghorn another 3 points, and Scotland a 9 point cushion. In the 55th minute Australia were given a man advantage after a dangerous tackle was deemed just a yellow to Lock Glen Young. The men in yellow looked to take advantage of the extra man and they did so fantastically on the hour mark.

Good movement and passing on the left-hand side of the field pushed Scotland back to their 22, then a quick switch of direction to the opposite side helped gave Australia’s captain James Slipper an easy try. Foley scored the conversion to make it a 2 point game. Australia’s fightback continued when they won a penalty on the right-hand side of the posts and Foley stepped up to score the critical 3 points.

With just 10 minutes to go and Australia ahead by a single point, fans of both teams were on the edge of their seats! Both teams were right at each other, ready to capitalise on any mistake the other made, knowing that any further score could possibly end the match.

With 2 minutes left, Australia were penalised for holding onto the ball in a ruck and gave Kinghorn the chance to win it. The wind was blowing hard and the kick was hit too wide to the left of the posts, handing Australia the win.

Full-Time: Scotland 15-16 Australia

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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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Rugby News Australia, Top 3 players from the Queensland Reds v Chiefs Game in RD11 of 2022 Super Rugby Pacific

by Sports Benches

Pita Sowakula put in a fantastic display at Number 8 for the Chiefs tonight. He demonstrated so much physicality alongside his tall stature, which gave the Reds a tough time along the way on their home turf at Suncorp Stadium. Sowakula handled the scrummaging like spiderman when the Reds weren’t communicating well before he was legally allowed to wheel at the right time where the rewards paid off; that contribution led to winning penalties and an assist to Cortez Ratima’s TRY just before half-time. And there’s more of Sowakula when he extended the Chiefs’ winning margin a bit further, with credit from his team-mates from the backline, who shared the workload in the attack, so Sowakula made the Reds pay the price over ill-discipline from close range past the TRY line.

Next up is Bryn Gatland at fly-half, who was exceptional in the Chiefs shirt ever since he replaced Josh Ioane in Round 3 this season v Blues. He has a brilliant knack for kicking in all angles that sends a message to the other best five-eighths in New Zealand, having converted all of the Chiefs’ three-pointers and tries between the sticks. He’s also not shy when Gatland has the ball in hand, whether flattening up the attack or bumping into the Reds’ defensive territory. Even though he left the field after 80 minutes of hard work with a minor bruise on the cheek, he’s happy to be the Chiefs’ playmaking and kicking machine every week before sniffing around the All Blacks selection radar.

And Tate McDermott is one of the best Reds players to learn & get along when he first got his breakthrough a few years ago. He’s lightning quick with his pace and passing that got the Reds up and running, especially in the 2nd half when McDermott got around Quinn Tupaea with some room on the far short side and assisted Josh Flook’s TRY in the 51st minute. He also laid another assist to Hunter Paisami with less than five minutes to go, thanks to the Chiefs being down to 14 men due to the Samipeni Finau red card. But unfortunately, it just wasn’t his night when ill-discipline left the Reds too little, too late to usurp in the end.

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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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2022 Super Rugby Pacific Preview

by Admin

2022 is a big shakeup for super rugby. The competition includes three new teams and is now exclusive to Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands. Despite the changes, this season should still be incredibly exciting.

Australian Teams

The closest thing we have had to super rugby over the last three years was the Super Rugby Trans-Tasman series last year. It was a series in which the Australian teams struggled massively, only winning two games against the five New Zealand teams in the competition.

It looks likely to be another year where Aussie teams will struggle. The Brumbies once again look to be the pick of the Australian teams despite the Reds winning their first domestic title in Super Rugby Australia last season. The Queensland Reds will be looking to compete thanks to a variety of international players like Taniela Tupou and Tate McDermott.

The Waratahs, Force and Rebels will all be looking for spots in the knockout stages, but it will not be easy. The Waratahs do see captain Michael Hooper return for 2022, but they still look to be towards the bottom end of the table. Both the Force and Rebels have lost a lot of test experience over the last year and it will sadly hurt them this season.

New Zealand Teams

After dominating the Trans-Tasman series last year, it looks to be another Super Rugby season dominated by Kiwi teams.

Favourites for their fourth title, the Crusaders have a wealth of international talent led by two time reigning player of the year Richie Mo’unga. Their talent also includes Will Jordan, Sevu Reece, George Bridge as well as recent addition Pablo Matera. They may have some competition for their fourth title in a row.

The Blues are welcoming back Beauden Barrett, while still having internationals like Rieko Ioane, Nepo Laulala and Dalton Papalii. They come into 2022 off the back of winning the Trans-Tasman series. The Chiefs could be a surprise this season despite the losses of Damain Mckenzie and Lachlan Boshier. The Chiefs have one of the most talented set of forwards in Super Rugby which could dominate any team on any day.

The Highlanders and Hurricanes both have a huge amount of talent on the squads. But the Highlanders will struggle having lost a third of their starting XV from the Trans-Tasman final. They have a brilliant leader in Aaron Smith, but will struggle to progress in the tournament. Similar situation for the Hurricanes with some major losses coming into the season. But the Hurricanes add Dom Bird and TJ Perenara and could surprise a few people this season.

Two New Pacific Teams

This season features two new teams, both based in the Pacific Islands. After many years of lobbying, the Fijian Drua and Moana Pasifika will join Super Rugby. Starting with the Fijian Drua. They have had a difficult preparation for Super Rugby due to COVID issues, meaning the squad is based on the NSW North Coast as they could not prepare in Fiji. It looks like the team will need some time to adapt to Super Rugby’s intensity. Their squad contains Olympic champions Napolioni Bolaca, Kalione Nasoko and Meli Derenalagi. Don’t be surprised if Fijian Drua make a push for the knockout stages this season.

The second new team is Moana Pasifika, made up of players from New Zealand, Samoa, Tonga and Australia, including 18 former or current internationals. Much like Fijian Drua, it will be a season of getting used to Super Rugby for Moana Pasifika. 110 capped Australian Sekope Kepu is captain for the 2022 season, bringing a huge amount of experience to the new team. Moana Pasifika will be very exciting in the upcoming season, but don’t expect them to be near the top of the table come the end of the season.

The Loss of South African Teams

The reshaped 2022 Super Rugby does not include any South African teams, after their Super Rugby licenses expired after the 2020 season. It does seem odd going into a Super Rugby season without the Bulls, Sharks, Lions or Stormers. Their exclusion opens the floor up a lot for either the New Zealand teams to take over or opportunities for the new teams or the Australian teams to step up.

Super Rugby is going to look very different this season. Losing the South African teams is big for the competition. Despite not competing with them domestically, South Africa is still playing against New Zealand, Argentina and Australia in the Rugby Championship. It does show some disjointed thinking when it comes to Super Rugby’s thinking. But the 2022 changes bring plenty of opportunities for Pacific Island teams who have been trying to get into Super Rugby for years.

Predictions

In this new look Super Rugby, it looks as if it will be a few years until the new teams or the Australian teams can compete with the talent of the New Zealand teams. 2022 looks to be a similar story.

Working from the bottom up, I think the four teams that are likely to miss out on the knockout stages are most likely to be the Rebels, Force, Waratahs and Moana Pasifika. These teams just don’t have the talent to move any higher. In terms of the teams to get stuck at the quarterfinals, I could easily see these teams being the Hurricanes, Highlanders, Fijian Drua and the Brumbies. The Brumbies could be the surprise package this year, with the talent their squad possesses.

But this season will be dominated by the New Zealand teams. The Reds will be the exception to this, looking likely to at least reach the semi-finals. In an emotional season, the Chiefs will also be targeting a semi-final push, but it may be slightly too difficult for them to get past either of the two teams left.

These two aren’t exactly surprising to anyone who has followed Super Rugby over the last five years. The Blues welcome back Beauden Barrett after his time in Japan, the team has talent in all areas. But the Blues don’t quite have the two time reigning Super Rugby Player of the year.

I think at the end of the season, the Crusaders will lift their fourth title in a row. A team with Richie Mo’unga, Will Jordan, Sevu Reece, Sam Whitelock and Joe Moody is too much talent for any team to compete with when you reach the knockouts. The Crusaders will win their fourth title in a row.

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Rugby Union News, Top 3 players from 2021 Bledisloe Cup Game 1 at Eden Park, All Blacks v Wallabies

by Sports Benches

Richie Mo’unga has to be the first men in black player that helped distance themselves away from the Wallabies tonight at No.10/first five-eighth.

His kicking has been superb in contrast to Noah Lolesio whose long kicks into the goal didn’t work out while creating plenty of chances going forward.

And Mo’unga was able to turn this magic around into a series of complete executions in front of the Wallabies danger zone, there’s credit coming from their poor communication before cashing themselves in alongside the support runners that made the All Blacks so dominant in attack mightily after half-time.

Ardie Savea also played well in the All Blacks back three at Number 8, having read & tackled the Wallabies poor attacking executions/patience.

It helped protect his side’s defense that made the All Blacks a whole lot easier to dominate when given the turnover/intercept/winning penalties, especially for the majority after half-time.

Throw in Ardie and his other fowards who can give a helping hand with the backline being patient through the channels, which is excellent tactics that the Wallabies couldn’t catch up in terms of attacking football.

And Tate McDermott puts in a great shift at half-back for the Wallabies who possess so much passing & physicality all game long combined with pace.

The build up momentum is there for a start in the defense that helped his side win the ball through winning penalties, it’s something how the Wallabies remained close to the All Blacks in the first 30-35 mins.

Although, McDermott created chances along the way just like the start of a attacking production line when given the ball but the decoy runners around him let him down due to a lack of finishing mightily, even though the late consolation turnaround alone wasn’t enough to upset on their home turf.

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