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Reds spark new-look Super Rugby AU season into life with crushing win over the Waratahs
By AAP
Nine minutes of brilliance were all the Queensland Reds needed to spark the new-look Super Rugby AU season into life during a crushing 41-7 home win over the NSW Waratahs. The hosts had scored 24 of their points by the 18th minute but only after the Waratahs had scored first - their only points of the night - in a whirlwind opener that did justice to the rule tweaks made to encourage attacking play.
A red card late in the first half to Izaia Perese and second-half injuries to Jake Gordon and Joey Walton complicated things for the Waratahs but the Reds' sloppiness meant they were unable to completely put them away until the final ten minutes.
Half-back Gordon scored inside three minutes of his first game as skipper as the Waratahs threatened a boilover but, led by interim captain James O'Connor, the Reds piled on 41 straight points for their seventh-straight Suncorp Stadium win.
Leading the Reds in place of the injured Liam Wright, O'Connor slotted a penalty to begin proceedings and was then given the benefit of the doubt when his final pass to try-scorer Jock Campbell looked to have floated forward.
Hooker Alex Mafi then hung on to a low pass and twisted over from close range before Filipo Daugunu finished a Hunter Paisami linebreak. Suddenly it was 24-7 with 22 minutes still to play in the half, Angus Scott-Young's terrific low tackle on the line denying Gordon a second try to maintain their advantage.
The Waratahs' task was made tougher with the loss of former Queensland Reds and Brisbane Broncos talent Perese in the 36th minute for a dangerous throwing tackle on Paisami. He was able to be replaced after 20 minutes as part of the tournament's rule tweaks and the Reds threatened but were unable to exploit the numerical advantage before that.
Half-back Tate McDermott laid a razor-sharp tackle on drifting Waratahs playmaker Will Harrison to stop a promising raid while second-year lock Seru Uru was a standout in the Reds starting side. Gordon looked to roll his ankle in a tackle with 15 minutes to play, O'Connor then drilling the game's first 50-22 kick and Daugunu skipped through the line from a scrum to seal the contest.
Deployed off the Reds bench, Taniela Tupou made a late impact with a huge push to win a Waratahs scrum in front of their own posts before Ilaisa Droasese scored with his first touch on debut on the stroke of full-time.
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Latest Comments
Nah, that just needs some more variation. Chip kicks, grubber stabs, all those. Will Jordan showed a pretty good reason why the rush was bad for his link up with BB.
If you have an overlap on a rush defense, they naturally cover out and out and leave a huge gap near the ruck.
It also helps if both teams play the same rules. ARs set the offside line 1m past where the last mans feet were😅
Go to commentsYeah nar, should work for sure. I was just asking why would you do it that way?
It could be achieved by outsourcing all your IP and players to New Zealand, Japan, and America, with a big Super competition between those countries raking it in with all of Australia's best talent to help them at a club level. When there is enough of a following and players coming through internally, and from other international countries (starting out like Australia/without a pro scene), for these high profile clubs to compete without a heavy australian base, then RA could use all the money they'd saved over the decades to turn things around at home and fund 4 super sides of their own that would be good enough to compete.
That sounds like a great model to reset the game in Aus. Take a couple of decades to invest in youth and community networks before trying to become professional again. I just suggest most aussies would be a bit more optimistic they can make it work without the two decades without any pro club rugby bit.
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