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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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Rugby

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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Rugby

Rugby News Australia, Hurricanes too good for the Reds as Queensland are still searching for their first win since Round 14 last year v Moana Pasifika

by Sports Benches

Queensland Reds gone ahead early with back-to-back penalty goals while the Hurricanes responded well with their own three-pointers to level the score. Now the Reds may have found the TRY line first, but so does the Canes’ before another penalty goal saw them lead by only three points at half time (13-16). However, the 2nd half belongs to the Canes where they extended their lead with a couple of big scores that saw them come out well on top. And as for the Reds, they were stuck in a rut with a number of lost penalties +  1-2 yellows thanks to their messy discipline, before they couldn’t get back up & running at all for the rest of this match. The final score was 13-47.

Congratulations to the Hurricanes all-around with a huge victory away from Wellington. Their first half has been slow and steady alongside the Reds where they responded really well to the opposition’s early headstart before they got away with a small lead ahead of half-time. Then the Canes’ stayed ahead as the game goes on where they took advantage of the Reds’ poor 2nd half momentum & they never stopped scoring TRY after TRY until full-time – in which was so good to watch from their attacking outlet. Now they will travel south to Melbourne for the Super Round v Rebels on Friday Night, as the Canes are hopefully to force their way amongst 3 of the best NZ teams right now – such as the Blues, Crusaders & Chiefs.

Meanwhile, it’s been a night to forget for the Reds where they were brutally destroyed with no fightback at all throughout the 2nd half. They fired off not bad where a series of three-point penalty goals helped them a bit before they found their first touch later in the first half, which shows they were on the right track. But what they really need to work on is their ill-discipline where they lost a lot of penalties, particularly with that lost penalty TRY not long after half-time before they were toothless everywhere – nothing more ever since. Although the Reds can take the win next Sunday v Western Force, but then they really need to be really competitive v other NZ teams + Brumbies & Waratahs if they want to finish Top 8 & play Finals again. 

We’re set for the three-day Super Round festival next weekend at AAMI Park in Melbourne, with all 12 teams travelling to play there going into Round 2 of the new Super Rugby season.

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Rugby News Australia, Top 3 players from the Queensland Reds v Hurricanes Game in Round 1 of the 2023 Super Rugby Season

by Sports Benches

Hats off to Billy Proctor on his extraordinary shift tonight at outside centre (No.13) for the Hurricanes. He’s such a great communicator whenever Proctor needs the ball to come to him & once he has the ball, he has the licence to thrill before Proctor gets the job done with one TRY in the first half & a TRY assist in the 2nd 40. Love how he reads the opposition defenders where Proctor was able to bulldoze the Reds one-by-one; Even if when he’s almost bound to be held down, he can call on his own men to help pick up the pieces for him & that made his attacking play a whole lot easier. 

Next up is Asafo Auama who made a huge difference off the bench, having guided the Canes’ comfortably towards the winning circle here in Townsville. He didn’t put a foot wrong as always at line-out throws. Plus, he has so much physicality to unpack not just in defense by stopping the Reds, but Aumua can also be a destructive attacking asset that got away with two TRY assists throughout the 2nd-half. Glad he’s learning from one of the greatest in his hooker role – Dane Coles who is currently on his last season of professional rugby at age 36; That way, he can hopefully make the No.2 shirt on his own & achieve even better long-term.

And yes, the Reds are left so scarred through plenty of lost penalties that led to a huge mess everywhere before they never recovered ever since. But there’s one player though who has a huge future ahead at first five-eighth in none other than Tom Lynagh – the son of Michael Lynagh. He’s blessed with the early winning penalties where Tom helped the Reds lift a bit thanks to a series of three-point goals. He also learned the cross-kick really well when executing their attack where Tom found the other wide area to Josh Flook before Jordan Petaia found the TRY line later during the first half. He has the best guidance out there at Ballymore, so Tom can be as good as his dad every week in the Maroon jersey & potentially for the Wallabies at some point.

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