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Quade Cooper and Aidan Toua starred for the Reds last night as they won the first of their 2014 pre-season trial matches against the Chiefs and the Reds were in control throughout the match.
It was the second year in succession that the Reds have played a trial match in Toowoomba and the public responded with a capacity crowd of over 7,000 turning out to watch an entertaining game.
The Reds started the match with a full strength team while the Chiefs were missing some of their key players with Liam Messam and Brodie Retallick the most notable of those. Aaron Cruden started on the bench before playing the second half.
Robbie Fruean made his debut for the Chiefs in the starting team.
The Reds scored early in the match when Toua sliced through before Lachie Turner scored with his first touch for the Reds. Turner showed he’s lost little of the speed he was renowned for and played reasonably well without starring – he certainly looks like a good pick up by the Reds.
Toua broke the line three times from his first three touches – all down the right side of the field. There was a lot more variety showed by the Reds in attack and it was interesting to see the Reds backrow operating as ball players.
Richard Graham and Quade Cooper both made mention after the match of the skill level of Ed Quirk, Liam Gill and Jake Schatz and how the Reds wanted to encourage them to use those skills more.
The Chiefs hit back with a try and penalty goal to Ihaia West but tries by Mike Harris and Ben Daley for the Reds kept them well in control of the match.
The try by Daley came on the back of a scrum penalty against the Chiefs close to their own line. The Reds kicked for touch and drove the ball from the lineout close to the try line before Daley dove over.
The Reds scrum and lineout were dominant throughout the match and they made good metres driving the ball from the lineout. Rob Simmons and Ed O’Donogue both made good steals of Chief throws at the lineout.
There have been many questions asked about Ben Daley’s scrummaging in the past but he was very strong in this match and earned a number of penalties for the Reds. He missed so much rugby in 2013 due to injury that he could have been forgiven for easing his way back in but he was heavily involved and effective around the field.
The Reds led by 24-8 at halftime when Graham made wholesale changes to the team.
There were debuts for Samuela Kerevi, Chris Kuridrani and Jonah Placid. Kerevi only lasted 20 minutes before suffering an ankle injury and Kuridrani didn’t have many chances.
Placid is an exciting young prospect at fullback and threw himself into the fray. He’s small in stature but plays above his weight – the tackle he made in the last line of defence late in the second half was fantastic.
The Chiefs scored two tries in the second half and on both occasions the Reds looked like they switched off just a little.
The Reds scored four tries to three and looked very sharp in attack. Their defence was also impressive, constantly putting the Chiefs under pressure.
Cooper continued his form from the Wallabies end of year tour in 2013 – he looked dangerous when running, his long passing game was superb as usual and he kicked well including a 100% goal kicking performance.
The noticeable difference in the Reds attack compared to last season was the number of players in motion that provided options for Cooper and Will Genia who also played well. There was also plenty of variety in the attack which made it hard for the Chiefs to predict what was coming next.
As opposed to some of the ‘Harlem Globetrotter’ rugby we’ve seen from the Reds in the past their attack tonight was more measured but very effective.
Cooper’s clash with Aaron Cruden was expected to be a highlight of the match but with Cruden not playing in the first half and Cooper leaving the field after about 15 minutes in the second half, they hardly crossed paths.
James Horwill and Simmons were both very strong in contact and Simmons dominated the lineout. O’Donogue was also good in the second half – it’s hard to see him not being the bench lock for Round 1 of Super Rugby.
Saia Fainga’a and James Slipper played well before being replaced at halftime.
The Reds backrow of Quirk, Gill and Schatz have been described as ‘worker bees’ and they were involved in everything tonight but they offered a lot more than just work rate. If they stay injury free their combination combined with the high work rate could be a real feature of the Reds play this year.
Dave McDuling played at #6 in the second half and he must have been relieved to get through the match given his shocking run with injuries in pre-season in the last two years. Curtis Browning came on at #8 and his dominant ball carries were a real highlight – he will be hard to resist as the preferred backrow player on the bench.
Mike Harris and Ben Tapuai in the centres were solid but I won’t be surprised to see Chris Feauai-Sautia starting at #13 next week because he delivered a very strong performance when he came on in the second half including scoring the Reds final try.
That may give Tapuai a chance at #12 where I think he plays his best rugby – the centre combination probably looks the most open for selection changes before the season proper gets under way. It’s not clear when Anthony Fainga’a will be fit to return.
Toua started at fullback and was electrifying while on the field – he’s well known for his speed and footwork in Brisbane club rugby but injury has plagued his time with the Reds. His performance was so good that he must have already locked up the starting #15 jersey.
With Dom Shipperly making a successful return from injury and Rod Davies playing a solid match off the bench the Reds have plenty of options in the back three this year.
It was a good start to the season for the Reds who now face the Rebels at Ballymore next Friday in their final trial.