Reds show Brumbies that placing counts for naught with marker-laying win in final round of Super Rugby AU
The Queensland Reds will enter next weekend’s Super Rugby AU preliminary final in top gear after a slick 26-7 defeat of the Brumbies on Saturday.
Guaranteed top spot regardless of the result at Suncorp Stadium, the Brumbies will await the winner of the Reds and Melbourne Rebels in the decider on home turf in a fortnight.
The Reds made sure they left an impression though, the victory coming after two closes losses to the Canberra-based Brumbies earlier this season and built on a quality first half and another supreme defensive effort.
“You’re pleased about it – good stuff, take some stuff to improve – but it’s a sober sort of mindset of (being ready) next Saturday,” Reds coach Brad Thorn said.
“One minute past the 80 minutes next week is blankness to me; that’s all we care about.
“It is a grand final because if you don’t get the business done you’re not there.”
The Brumbies’ incumbent Wallabies halfback Nic White and emerging Reds star Tate McDermott waged a brilliant first-half battle in one of many jousts for a potential Test jersey later this year.
James O’Connor was assured again at No.10 for the Reds, while improved fullback Jock Campbell was central to both first-half tries.
He dummied and broke the line, flicking a pass to captain Liam Wright before laying on the assist for Chris Feauai-Sautia as the Reds burst ahead 18-0.
Pete Samu crossed after the siren for the Brumbies to finish the half but the Reds put the clamps on after that, keeping their opponents to one try or less for the third-straight game.
Flicked to the wing to finish the game, McDermott capped the win with a breakaway try as the Brumbies were guilty of poor handling and errant passing.
In another huge tick for the Reds’ improved defence, they were able to disarm a Brumbies rolling maul that had caused constant problems in both previous encounters.
Reds captain Liam Wright knows Wallabies jerseys are on the line as he pilots his side towards the #SuperRugbyAU final.https://t.co/er0S8odhmR
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) September 4, 2020
“I don’t think we weren’t ‘on’, we just made too many mistakes,” Brumbies coach Dan McKellar said.
“Twenty-three turnovers conceded, which is a lot… there was a lot of space out there we created but weren’t good enough to capitalise and they defended well on their goal line.”
A 9,922-strong crowd – the biggest Suncorp Stadium attendance for any code since sport was shut down by the coronavirus – relished the comeback from injury of Hunter Paisami, who produced some thunderous defence when called on in the final 20 minutes.
More will turn up to watch the Reds’ sudden-death clash with the Rebels next Saturday – the nomadic Melbourne outfit sneaking into the playoff courtesy of a last-minute try and conversion to beat the Western Force by four points.
– Murray Wenzel
Comments on RugbyPass
late hit what late hit it wasn’t at all late and can clearly see he was committed before the tackle
1 Go to commentsChristian Lio -Willies 2 try perfomance was a standout. As was captain Scott Barrett. Up front was where the boys won it.They are a great team and players. Fantastic Crusades , you can keep going.
1 Go to commentsI don't know how the locals feel about that? I guess if you call yourselves the Worcester Wasps that might be appease. But really we need more teams in the Premiership in my view so they are not padding it out as they are at the moment. It might curtail so many players going abroad as well
4 Go to commentsNZ 😭😭😭is certainly rivaling England for best whingers cup!😭😭😭 !!!
24 Go to commentsYup. New Zealand won 3 out of 10 world cups played. SA 4 out of 8 attempts 30 Vs 50 per cent.🤔🤔
24 Go to commentsShould've done this years ago. Change Saturday kick off times to around 11am. Up and off and back home before 3pm, limit travel time too. Allows players to actually do something else with their Saturday that's family oriented or being rugby fans they could ‘watch’ pro rugby. Increases crowds etc. How can anyone that enjoys grassroots and pro rugby have to choose between the two on Saturdays?
9 Go to commentsI bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
24 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
9 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
24 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
9 Go to commentsYes Sir! Surprising, just like Fraser would also have escaped sanction if he was a few inches lower, even if it was by accident that he missed! Has there really been talk about those sanctions or is this just sensational journalism? I stopped reading, so might have missed any notations.
9 Go to commentsAI is only as good as the information put in, the nuances of the sport, what you see out the corner of the eye, how you sum up in a split second the situation, yes the AI is a tool but will not help win games, more likely contribute to a loss, Rugby Players are not robots, all AI can do if offer a solution not the solution. AI will effect many sports, help train better golfers etc.
45 Go to commentsIt couldn’t have been Ryan Crotty. He wasn’t selected in either World Cup side - they chose Money Bill instead. And Money Bill only cared about himself, and that manager he had, not the team.
28 Go to commentsYawn 🥱 nobody would give a hoot about this new trophy. End of the day we just have to beat Ireland and NZ this year then they can finally shut up 🤐
24 Go to comments