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'Looking forward to it': How Reds plan to stun Hurricanes in Super Round

(Photo by Kelly Defina/Getty Images)

The Queensland Reds have switched gears to prepare for their Super Round clash with the Hurricanes in Melbourne this weekend, determined to learn from the mistakes of last season.

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The entire Super Rugby round will be played at AAMI Park with doubles headers starting Friday night with the NSW Waratahs tackling the Chiefs before the Western Force face Moana Pasifika.

The Reds and Hurricanes meet on Saturday night.

Centre Hamish Stewart said after only playing Australian teams, for seven wins and one loss, the Reds were ready for the next challenge that facing a Kiwi team would bring.

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What the All Blacks squad could look like halfway through Super Rugby Pacific | Aotearoa Rugby Pod

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What the All Blacks squad could look like halfway through Super Rugby Pacific | Aotearoa Rugby Pod

“We’re getting into the Kiwis this week, which we’ve been excited about all year,” Stewart said on Tuesday.

“It’s a different brand of rugby, we’re going to be playing a lot more upbeat, more tempo, and we’ve got to be on our toes.

“We’ve been training that this week and we’re looking forward to it.”

Stewart said code-hopping winger Suliasi Vunivalu had come through unscathed in his first Super Rugby Pacific game of the season, after hamstring surgery, and would be good to go in Melbourne, where he made his name in the NRL for the Storm.

He said the Reds would look to use Vunivalu’s aerial skills, as well as power running, against the Hurricanes.

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“He’s a quality player and he’s a freak so it was good to have him back,” Stewart said.

“He’s an elite player in the air and we’ll look to utilise that against the Kiwis.

“We’re looking forward to exposing him against some of the smaller blokes and let him run over a few people so we’re excited for him.”

Related

Last year Queensland, fresh off celebrations after their Super Rugby AU title, only managed one win from five games in the trans-Tasman competition.

Reds coach Brad Thorn conceded it was a huge emotional let-down after their breakthrough title victory but this year they were much better prepared.

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“Last year we achieved something as a club, winning the AU competition in front of 42,000, and it was all out for that,” Thorn said.

“It’s was a journey for a lot of the lads and and then emotionally we had the front up in a six-day turnaround over in Dunedin, and then the Crusaders who were on fire.

“This year we were preparing for a comp where we’d play both New Zealand and Australian sides, then with COVID we realised we were going to play Australian sides first.

“But we’re not wrapped up in the Australian side … we know that there’s some really tough games in front of us but we want to compete to win games.”

Meanwhile, Rugby Australia announced they and the Brumbies had extended deals with Lonergan brothers, Ryan and Lachlan, until the end of 2025.

The Brumbies face the Highlanders on Sunday afternoon before the Melbourne Rebels close Super Round against the Crusaders.

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O
OJohn 27 minutes ago
Will Joe Schmidt provide the Christmas gift Australian fans crave?

Schmidt has shown himself to be a very poor selector and tactician. He can coach the basics, which in reality is all he is doing and all the Wallabies needed to recover from Eddie Jones' Tah based sabotage, but that's about it. There is nothing exciting or impressive about it. He's basically bludging off some of the extraordinary talent Australia possesses. Even while he is denying some Australian players the opportunity they deserve.


Once upon a time, certain muses thought Cheika's and McKenzie's 50% win ratio was a disgrace and made them not fit to be a Wallaby coach ...........

Well here we are with Schmidt at 46% and which will be under 40% after the Lions tour.


Tupou will have seen the video of Schmidt calling him a f.... idiot after his pass after his fantastic break and he and the other players will now know who they are really dealing with. They will be swapping notes with Irish players who played under Schmidt.


Schmidt should stay in NZ and honour his word to his family to spend more time looking after his disdavantaged son. Real Australians don't want a kiwi coach for the Wallabies and we don't need one, no matter how many non Australians manically insist we must not have an Australian coach.


No doubt because they are s.... scared of what this Wallaby team could become with a fair dinkum passionate Australian coach. Excluding of course Cheika and Jones who were happy to sacrifice the Wallabies for some Tah pets. Kind of like Schmidt is compliantly doing with Jake Gordon and Ben Donaldson who wouldn't even be in the top 5 in their position in Australia.


It's a pity there are not more kiwis like Wayne Smith, who at least had the integrity to say he refused to coach against NZ.


And McReight is showing just what a complete joke Michael Hooper was, who was lauded by everybody round the world except by Australians, bar the Tahs of course.


We are bit sick of the con job other countries try to pull on Australia, to keep us down. Bring on a real Australian coach we can believe in and support.

9 Go to comments
J
JW 1 hour ago
'Welsh regional rugby has failed conclusively and there is no way back'

Thanks for sharing the little juicy news you don't get on sites like this!


I think defenses are certainly better constructed to deal with it, but did you feel that it had tried to evolve with the new defense? Perhaps that's too difficult without the source of that IP, Lancaster, available? Case in point NZ succesfully nullifying it I thought at the time, but now I think looking back to your game v SA, and it's more direct and collision based approached, I wonder if you really were trying to play in that quarter final like you did against NZ in 21/22. Had the transition away already started?


IDK it might just be rose tinted glasses but without watching Ireland game by game they just now longer have the timing or speed (sorry if I'm repeating stuff that you're replying to I can't remember what I wrote) in how they move the ball sideways that I liked. I remember them moving the ball so fast to the other side of the field, that was flooded with loosies, that they could simply overwhelm with numbers and plays smart enough to pass to the one unmarked player.


I saw some nice prescribed 'plays' against SA that require a similar sort of execution but they were just different and less frequent imo. I still feel the level of play during that good run should be good enough to beat even defences that have worked it out. Look I was relieved that it wasn't coming out against us in France tbh, and I may just not be appreciating how we developed a D to fully snuffle it out, but even if that's the case I still think Ireland would be doing very well to accept that it's good enough to be just out of reach against sides like NZ. Certainly, and this is even before the NZ game last month and you having beaten SA, that what Farrell is producing is not going to be good enough to even be close to the NZ and SA.


You can't knock him for trying of course, it's just with a bit of regret here. Yes, I agree fully with that last paragraph, I'm not just talking this Autumn series mind you. What I ultimately thought the difference was, was just a lack of prep in the same areas they used to prep, and that might mostly be with the Leinster contingent, in that team. Thats not a idea bsed on a change of coach there, just decision by coachs that, yep, weve reach maximum precision with the team moving the ball, lets work on something else. Not that they obviously read this sort of thing but thats the main message ive been trying to implore on your team, that your success was down to this one facet (speaking with a perspective from a country who's whole success has been a DNA of continous link based team rugby) of play and you need to try and get back to it.

175 Go to comments
A
AM 2 hours ago
Will Joe Schmidt provide the Christmas gift Australian fans crave?

It would be better for Schmidt to go. He is a good tactician but he lacks the strategic sense of someone like Rassie. The blueprint is there. Select from OS clubs, form good relationships with OS clubs to ensure players are available and start the season later in Australia to be more aligned with Europe.


The money and standard of coaching is much higher in France, the URC and the Prem so utilise them.


The business model question has been decided and SA has shown selecting OS wins.


Also by not selecting OS players Schmidt is going to grind to dust key guys like Bell. Cf Rassie using more than 50 players in his squad.


He has a tendency to select undersized players as well eg Amatesero who may well leave for France due to Schmidts poor selection like Meafou who is playing so well for France.


The scrum is the worst element yet Schmidt didn’t select Sio or Ainsley both playing well in England and France. He’s also not taken up development and gotten under utilised guys like Pone over to France to get better coaching. Hooker you have Latu and Uelese fit again. Backs you have Kerevi, Hodge, Perese and Kerr Barlow. Locks you have guys like Philip and Arnold.


Would all of these guys be first choice. No but you keep them in the squad for injuries and so that you don’t kill your first choice guys.


Get Jacques Nienaber or someone like that who understands strategic elements of the game better.

9 Go to comments
LONG READ
LONG READ 18 debutants but Australia's core looking ‘more settled than ever’ 18 debutants but Australia's core looking ‘more settled than ever’
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