Reds re-sign young 126kg prop who broke Taniela Tupou’s bench press record

Former Australia Under-20s prop Massimo De Lutiis will remain with the Reds for an extra season. De Lutiis was already contracted to the Reds for next year’s campaign, but this new deal with the Queensland Rugby Union will keep him at Ballymore until the end of 2026.

While De Lutiis is yet to debut at Super Rugby level – having only played for the Reds three times in exhibition fixtures against the Panasonic Wild Knights, Wales and Tonga – this is still an important pickup for the club as they continue to build under head coach Les Kiss.

De Lutiis currently holds the Reds’ bench press record after moving a staggering 202.5 kilograms in the weight room. Four years earlier, established Wallaby Taniela Tupou set the club’s previous all-time best.

With former All Black Jeffery Toomaga-Allen, current Wallabies Zane Nonggorr and Alex Hodgman, Matt Gibbon, Sef Fa’agase and George Blake also in the mix for spots in the front row, the Reds boast genuine quality and depth amongst their ranks.

But the Reds seem to see a big future in their young 126-kilogram enforcer. With plenty of Super Rugby and international experience in the club’s squad, De Lutiis is looking forward to developing further as a prop.

“I’m loving it. All the boys are very inclusive and the coaching is immaculate when it comes to being in the right place to keep learning as a young tighthead prop,” De Lutiis said.

“Having experience around me every day with our front-row boys is ideal because the scrum is obviously a big thing for me.

“Someone like Jeffery has that leadership personality and he’s obviously played in Europe as well as Super Rugby. He’s someone who tells me about set-ups and the mentality at scrum time.

“Noggsy (Nonggorr) went to the same school as I did so that’s created a good bond where I can ask questions about coming through the ranks and his experiences.

“You scrum at training and there’s always feedback to work with from all the guys.

“(Assistant coach) Zane Hilton definitely loves the scrum. He’s always sending me clips. His knowledge is incredible and that goes for breaking down the workings of the maul.”

On debut 11 months ago, De Lutiis was the hero for the Reds in the dying stages of their clash with the Wild Knights at Ballymore. The front-rower put a massive shunt on at scrum time to buckle the visitor’s scrum – seeing the Queenslanders emerge with a 31-29 win.

Unfortunately for the Reds and the man himself, De Lutiis suffered a quadricep injury in April which kept him on the sidelines for 14 weeks. But, the Sydney-born talent turned that pain into motivation, with the prop setting his sights on Tupou’s bench press record.

De Lutiis will likely play a part in the Reds’ upcoming matches abroad against the Wild Knights in Japan, Bristol in England and Ulster in Ireland. It’s the perfect preparation for the youngster ahead of the 2025 Super Rugby Pacific season.

“From the moment he made his impact against the Wild Knights with that final scrum, we’ve seen Massimo’s promise as a prop,” coach Les Kiss explained.

“He’s shown a lot of character and discipline to come back strongly from injury. At training, you see how keen he is for knowledge and the diligence to do what it takes to keep improving.”