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The Reds have done it! What a game, excellent rugby from both teams (Reds in the first half, Highlanders in the second half). Not a full performance from either team, but a great game nonetheless.
REPORT: REDS BEAT HIGHLANDERS IN THRILLER
Plenty of positives to take away for the Reds, disappointing performance from them in the second half though, very ordinary and reminded everyone of how they usually play.
Liam Gill would be my man of the match. Excellent display of rugby from him, unfortunate that he is behind three of the best individual players in Australian rugby (Pocock, Hooper, McMahon).
Highlanders played poorly at the start and that was the area that really lost them the game. They showed up in the second half but it was 40 minutes too late.
Final score
Reds 28
Highlanders 27
Join The Roar from 7:45pm (AEST) for live scores and commentary of the fixture between the Queensland Reds and the Highlanders at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane. To hold onto any slight hope of making the finals, this is a must-win game for the Reds, while the Highlanders are sitting pretty in third place within the Australasian group.
In what is an enormous boost for the Reds, captain and Wallabies prop-forward James Slipper will return to make his first start for the Queensland side in 2016 after successfully completing surgery on a troublesome knee and shoulder at the conclusion of the Rugby World Cup at the end of October last year.
Reds co-coach Michael O’Connor is ecstatic with having the ability to put Slipper back at the helm of this playing group, knowing his experience is priceless against top-tier teams.
“He’s worked hard to get himself back on the field and was very pleased to get some minuter against the Waratahs”, O’Connor stated.
“You want your most experience players on the field and James will offer plenty of leadership on Saturday”.
The Reds have shown vast improvement over the last few weeks, which have included two two-point losses to the Rebels and Waratahs respectively, along with a 25-all draw against the Blues in Brisbane in Round 4.
Having come off the bye, the Queenslanders will look to put their best foot forward and look to trump the reigning Super Rugby champions on their own turf.
With the amount of injuries the Highlanders are currently suffering, it opens the door to a perfect opportunity for the Reds.
The Highlanders will be without All-Black and co-captain Ben Smith and devastating back rower Elliot Dixon, who is still recovering from a head laceration. Luke Whitelock will stand-in at number 6 to replace Dixon, whilst Matt Faddes will fill the enormous shoes of Ben Smith at the back.
On a positive note for the visitors, young-gun Lima Sopoaga will return to the starting line-up to round out a devastating trio in the backline – Sopoaga, Aaron Smith and Malakai Fekitoa.
In the head-to-head stakes, the Reds have triumphed over the Highlanders in four of their last five matches, a rather surprising statistic given the state of Queensland rugby over the last few years.
The last time the two teams played in Brisbane, the Reds ran out 38-31 winners (2014), but their last match was a 7-point victory to the Highlanders in 2015.
Prediction
Even though the Reds have continued to improve, the Highlanders will prove themselves to be too strong. Having said that, the Reds (after the week off) will push the reigning champions to the end.
Highlanders by 7.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.