Queensland Reds co-captain Liam Wright insists his team won’t be “star struck” by gun Crusaders five-eighth Richie Mo’unga in their Super Rugby Pacific showdown in Christchurch.
Mo’unga missed last week’s 28-15 win over the Reds due to a finger injury, but both he and All Blacks hooker Codie Taylor (ribs) will be back for Friday night’s quarter-final.
The Reds will receive a boost of their own with the return of Wallabies centre Hunter Paisami from a shoulder injury.
The Crusaders set up last week’s win over the Reds by opening up a dominant 21-3 lead by halftime.
The addition of Mo’unga is set to be another challenge for the Reds to overcome, but Wright is confident his team has the capacity to deal with the star All Blacks playmaker.
“He’s going to come in and make a difference. But we’re not going to be star struck by him, and we want to take it to them as well,” Wright said.
“A lot of their structure revolves around him, and he’s a great player. He’s got awesome footwork. He’s very smart around when he kicks.
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“But the key part is staying connected in our defensive line. Trying to find dominant contacts there.
“We’ve just got to take away that space, stay connected from that inside man, and that way he won’t have huge gaps to run into and use that speed he’s got.”
Paisami trained on Monday morning and will add invaluable power and pace to the Reds’ backline.
“Hunter adds that whack we always look for,” Wright said.
“A big tackle like that can really change momentum, get a turnover and put them down the other end. He’s someone to be wary of in the defensive line.”
Hunter Paisami. (Photo by Albert Perez/Getty Images)
The Reds (8-6) lost five of their final six games of the regular season to finish in seventh spot.
The Crusaders (11-3) secured second after overcoming a shock loss to the NSW Waratahs to finish the campaign with four straight wins.
Wright said his team learned valuable lessons from last week’s loss, and that they will need to eradicate any “aimless” kicking.
“It’s about choosing the right time to get into the kicking battle and making sure we win that,” he said.
“We have to make sure our kicks have a lot of aim to it and a lot of purpose, not just to give them possession and hope they mess it up.”
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Muzzo
Roar Rookie
Brad will need to pull out all tricks, as Razor, will be more than up for it, especially after missing out on the finals last year, due to the way the points system was structured. As it is, Razor, has never lost a SR final, that he's been involved in.
Muzzo
Roar Rookie
Possibly another couple of try's for Will Jordan to add to his tally this season.
Zulu
Guest
Indeed , how Matera got let off with a slap on the wrist with a feather for a tackle that dumped Petaia on his neck/shoulder still bewilders .I like Senore Pablo as a player but jeez, he is a very lucky hombre.
Beefa
Guest
Yes foxing .Thorns best lock played for Souths Magpies in Brisbane on saturday, i hope he is over there now in Christchurch ready to roll as the Reds lineout was diabolical.
Derek Murray
Roar Rookie
Interesting. Let’s see what the big man has in mind
Rhys Bosley
Roar Pro
To the contrary I think switching McReight with Wright would throw the Vrusaders a curve ball, they will have a plan to deal with McReight, but Wright is a less well known quantity to them. He plays 7 differently to McReight, generating turnovers on multiple different ways, so in some ways is harder to play out of the game It worked well last year and I wouldn't be at all surprised if Thorn repeats the approach
Old One Eye
Guest
LSL has not been good since his return Oz. It’s a pity since he was playing well before his injury.
Adsa
Roar Rookie
It's a shame the Reds have limped into the finals Bos, a Reds team with all hands on deck would have made for an exciting game this Friday. The reality is that injuries are part of the game and squad depth in a comp will always be examined. Seeing a couple of younger players being thrown into the fray against polished Kiwi teams does not make for a good score line but is giving the team depth for next year. Then again as a rusted on Reds supporter I spend a lot of time thinking about improvements for next year.
Adsa
Roar Rookie
It would be good for the Reds to have Nic Berry as Ref this game, he is usually good for a couple of handy 50/50 calls in the Reds favour.
The Ferret
Roar Rookie
Stop the negative talk Tim. The reds have this in the bag. If we don’t it is because the ref cheated us. And besides, they will be a little fired up to put some big hits on since super rugby’s new tackle guidelines stipulate a spear tackle is only a yellow card now.
Derek Murray
Roar Rookie
I don't think the pack is bolstered by leaving McReight on the bench. I seriously hope they don't do that. They need to find some mongrel, which makes leaving LSL out of the 23 all the more inexplicable to me. I think there's something wrong at the Reds and, as much I'd like to be wrong, see this as a likely comfortable win for the Saders.
Tim J
Roar Rookie
Totally correct, they have nothing to lose and will start as under dogs. I have not written them off like most have, it should be a great contest. :thumbup:
Rhys Bosley
Roar Pro
I agree 100%, beating them is a tall order for the Reds, but they won't die not knowing.
Tim J
Roar Rookie
Rhys, the Crusaders were in cruise mode doing enough. As you say the Reds might have not been in top gear, both sides would have been aware about injuries. The Crusaders will be a different beast in the upcoming game, the Reds structure will be crucial to getting the result.
Rhys Bosley
Roar Pro
I reckon Thorn foxed in the last game, there was no point in getting his best players injured and giving away McKay’s best attacking moves, when the Reds were just likely to have to return again this week . I think we will see a bolstered starting pack with Hoopert, Blyth and Wright starting, with Zander, Uru and McReight off the bench. Thorn played Wright and ASY together for the Chiefs win last year, it was the key difference in terms of physicality, and would give the Reds an extra jumper against that outstanding Crusaders lineout. Uru and McReight are just the two players to up the tempo off the bench. I also wouldn’t be suprised if we see a fair bit of contestable high ball, whu wouldn’t the Reds do that with two targets like Petaia and Vunivalu on the wings. Hopefully we will see those two roving more too Paisami should help a lot too, he doesn’t mind stepping up to first receiver and will think out the defence for McDermott. I think it will be a far more entertaining game than the last one.
Tim J
Roar Rookie
It will be a fascinating game, especially seeing if the Reds can hold their structures. The Crusaders will up the tempo now the finals are here, the Reds cannot put too much focus on Mounga as this will open the game up for Jordan and Reece. It is a balancing act and Crusaders will be aware of the threats that the Reds have with certain players. The Reds number 10 will be targeted along with that channel, the forwards battle will also be key for both teams.