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'We need the belief': Reds aim to upset Chiefs again

(Photo by Andy Jackson/Getty Images)

Tate McDermott is among a host of Queensland Reds players he says owe coach Brad Thorn plenty ahead of what history suggests will be his final game as coach.

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The Reds are in Hamilton ahead of Saturday’s Super Rugby Pacific knockout quarter-final against the Chiefs.

No Australian team has won a Super Rugby play-off game in New Zealand and the Chiefs have dominated this season to finish clear at the top of the ladder.

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The Reds limped into the play-offs in eighth but tore up the script against the Chiefs in New Plymouth last month, defending 27 phases after the siren to clinch a 25-22 win that ended a 10-year drought across the ditch.

While it came against a home side resting several of their All Blacks stars, it was the Chiefs’ only loss in a season that featured plenty of player rotation.

“You can take a little bit of belief, but if you look at the team lists they’re pretty different,” captain and halfback McDermott said.

“So we need the belief, but we need quite a bit more against a pretty good outfit.”

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McDermott, Fraser McReight and injured pair Liam Wright and Jordan Petaia headline an emerging Reds group who have risen through the ranks to become Wallabies under six-year coach Thorn.

The dual international won’t continue at Ballymore next season, Thorn taking a break after 30 years as a player and coach across both rugby codes.

“For me and a lot of other fellas, he brought us all through and we owe him a lot,” McDermott said.

“We’ll be going out there thinking about Brad in the back of our minds.

“He’s been a terrific servant and we’ll be going out there trying to make him proud.”

The Chiefs welcome back rested skipper Sam Cane in a side stacked with Test talent and piloted by form five-eighth Damian McKenzie.

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But even McKenzie ran out of ideas when the Reds’ defence held strong last month.

“We just came up against a really good Reds side that night,” Cane said.

“We weren’t quite as clinical but not much between the two teams.

“There might be a few boys in the squad pretty keen to have another crack at the Reds, but there’s no lack of motivation when it gets to this point of the season.

“I think they’ll just be throwing everything at it, both teams will.

“No point saving for anything else, so I think you’ll see a fairly big lift in intensity.”

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R
RedWarriors 26 minutes ago
Rassie Erasmus wades into heated debate over Jaden Hendrikse antics

Look son: putting up barriers that could hit your GDP by 4% negative is dumb. You supported that? You are dumb. Or rich enough so that your ideological brain farts are borne by the poor…in other words a w@nker.


Triggering a 2 year countdown at the end of which the UK economy would fall off a cliff is also extremely stupid. It is beyond idiotic to start a negotiation like that and give your opponents such a slam dunk. But this is exactly what Brexiteers (you presumably) screeched for. You were always going to lose, but once you did that you were going to lose very badly. Nothing to do with traitors and saboteurs and whatever phrases a f1lthy n@zi like you will concoct. Everything to do with incompetence. You’r chief negotiator said “We hold all the cards”. You couldn’t leave with no deal because that would be the end of your economy. The EU would have let you shoot yourselves on the head. Ireland wouldn’t have been able to help you there son. Would you recommend triggering article 50 if you had your time back Doc? Are you still that f**king dumb?


The 142 competences created by the GFA required regulatory harmony to fulfill their functions. Therefore a soft border is implicit in the GFA. All parties acknowledge this. You lost. Move on.


Again the official UK Brexit negotiators are well known and all Brexiteers. As a Doctor like yourself will know your ‘saboteur’ conspiracy theory unless you can substantiate it.

Are you sure you are a doctor? (Dipsh1t)


I refer you to the below to examine what cards the UK in effect held:


You’re a latent homosexual right?


The EU and Ireland look at their cards and lay down a royal flush. The UK looks at their cards and gulps…It’s Mr Bun the Baker, Pikachu, a Shadowmage, a fireball spell, and the Fool. 

#UkHoldAllThe Cards #SickManOfEurope

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