The Queensland Reds are every chance of upsetting the Brumbies in their Super Rugby clash provided they keep their full complement on the field, stand-in captain James Slipper says.
An early red card to Scott Higginbotham and a yellow to Lukhan Tui cruelled any hopes the Reds had of winning their season opener against the Melbourne Rebels last week.
But Slipper, who will lead the team for the next three weeks in Higginbotham’s absence, saw enough in that performance to suggest coach Brad Thorn’s fresh-faced side is trending the right way.
Even when they were reduced to a seven-man pack, the Queensland scrum was largely dominant against the Rebels and the line-out functioned well.
That augurs well for Friday night’s clash at Suncorp Stadium against a formidable Brumbies set-piece.
“It wasn’t the start we were looking for,” Slipper said on Thursday.
“A few things went against us and it put us in a pretty difficult spot to play the rugby we wanted to.
“Every time you play the Brumbies you expect a pretty physical battle up front … it’s going to be a good challenge for us and one we’re pretty excited about.
“We feel like we’re tracking in a good way as well. If we can keep everyone on the field this weekend it should be a good battle.”
The match, Queensland’s first at home for the season, pits fullback Aidan Toua against his former Brumbies teammates.
Toua left Canberra in the summer for a return to the Reds as cover for Karmichael Hunt, who remains stood down from rugby duties as a Rugby Australia investigation continues into the circumstances surrounding his arrest late last year.
The 28-year-old’s first stint at Ballymore was wrecked by injury but Toua he was embracing his “second life” and after leading the team for line-breaks last week, it seems to be working out well for both parties.
“What (Thorn and assistant coach Paul Carozza) are doing at the Reds now, they’ve really turned things around,” he said.
“It’s a really different place to what I left it, and it’s exciting with all the young guys coming through.”
Toua is keen to extend his contract with the Reds beyond this year but one of their other off-season backline recruits, Jono Lance, will leave the club at the end of the season.
Five-eighth Lance has signed a two year deal with English side Worchester Warriors, who he will link with at the end of the Super Rugby campaign.
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