The Queensland Reds hit the Crusaders with two of the best tries of the season, threw 55 minutes of thumping intensity at them and still lost by 22 points.
That is the brutal reality of cut-throat finals footy in Super Rugby Pacific. The Reds went up a level but when it mattered the Crusaders went up two levels for longer.
Coach Brad Thorn and the Reds will find little solace in being applauded for their committed display when losing 37-15. They were only in wintery Christchurch to win for the first time this century.
That really is the measure of what they were trying to pull off. It took one of the great Queensland sides with Tim Horan, Toutai Kefu, two-try Chris Latham, Daniel Herbert, Ben Tune and David Wilson aboard to win 36-23 in 1999.
That was really the problem for the Reds.
They didn’t have enough weapons to inflict more than a flesh wound on the Crusaders. Oh for Taniela Tupou and James O’Connor in that side.
If prop Tupou had been fit, the Reds scrum would not have been mutilated on their own feed 5m from their own line.
Crusaders flyhalf Richie Mo’unga took a quick tap from the penalty that resulted and moments later he’s backing up for the key try and 23-15.
(Photo by Getty Images)
The Reds scrum was a mess all night. What a difference it made when there was a rare stable platform.
Straight after half-time, centre Hamish Stewart used good scrum ball to pump a 50-22 kick. From a well-won lineout, winger Filipo Daugunu dashed over. Quality set piece ball can be used to work wonders.
The Reds were right in it there at 16-15 behind.
That had to be the start not the finish line.
A Tate McDermott kick was charged down, Lawson Creighton missed a go-ahead penalty goal, an overcomplicated lineout in the Crusaders’ 22 was bungled when McDermott was the trick target, another penalty was conceded in a mountainous count…those flawed moments add up.
The Reds can be proud of the sting they brought to this game. Props Harry Hoopert and Feao Fotuaika absolutely crunched No.8 Cullen Grace in one tackle.
Co-captain Liam Wright was gracious amid the pain of defeat: “I’m proud we rocked up to play and really stuck it to them for the first 50 minutes of so.
“We were outclassed from there. The limitation (for us) is the full 80.”
Wright struck the sore point of this whole second half of the season for the Reds.
They went 0-6 against Kiwi rivals when they could easily have beaten the Hurricanes and Chiefs and avoided a trip to Christchurch altogether.
Their season was way too patchy.
You can’t put on a super-slick set play for the Daugunu try with McDermott, Stewart and Creighton repositioned for the passing interplay and then botch the simple stuff.
The Suliasi Vunivalu try had just as much wow factor with a great finish from the convert from the NRL. He did his specialist thing – find a way to fend off a defender and ground the ball in the tackle of another.
What he doesn’t yet do is get rugby’s finer points. He runs too high when first receiver off scrums. The English would hold him up and earn turnovers if he ever did that in a July Test.
His clearing kick was never on and was charged down.
He’s still a work in progress. The joy was watching fellow winger Filipo Daugunu at full blast for the first time since 2020.
He ran 14 times for 89m, beat six defenders, chased his kicks, scored a top try with a finger waggle and gave no ball away with the handling bloopers that have dogged him.
The Reds have to be honest in their post-mortem.
They should have made some strong recruiting calls when they were Super Rugby AU champions last year. They should have signed a top prop so they weren’t so Tupou-reliant and they should have worked on stronger lock depth.
Their Queensland-bred mantra is worthy but you do have to cherry-pick a star or two from elsewhere on the edges to make big steps ahead.
In the end, the Thorn play to hold back Fraser McReight and Hunter Paisami as impact weapons from the bench was as imperfect as feared.
The Reds were down 23-15 when flanker McReight, one of the Reds best all year, came on. He played only 23 minutes. He should have been straight on at 16-15.
Wallabies centre Paisami played even less for 18 minutes.
Fullback Jock Campbell always looked like he might shake a tackle. Crusaders fullback Will Jordan most often did. That’s a big difference when talking Test level. Jordan is wonderful to watch, a little Christian Cullen for those with fond memories of the 1990s and early 2000s.
You want Harry Wilson’s energy in every game. Fifteen ball carries and 14 tackles was another big shift but that effort has to convert to more ground gained. Just 25 running metres means he’s running hard but not with the deception to elude enough tacklers.
The last words…Richie Mo’unga.
He is such a star. A Mo’unga v Beauden Barrett (Blues) final is what Super Rugby Pacific needs if we can’t have a Brumbies or Waratahs title from the clouds.
A quick tap, sidestepping for a try, a booming 60m kick, poise, polish on just about every pass…he can take the Crusaders all the way.
charels
And Mo'unga did tonight exactly as you predicted!
Jim Tucker
Expert
Mature and wise observation on Slipper that not everyone sees. Right decision and very good result for a good man.
Jim Tucker
Expert
Lukhan rang Souths and said he's available so he's started the last two club games. He was not at his best in his two comeback games for the Reds after injury but he's an impactful Wallaby. You make it work and get the best from him in Christchurch. Not even taking him was a mistake.
Train Without A Station
Roar Guru
They’re both soft tissue injuries. The players can say they “felt” what they want but that’s not how soft tissue injuries work.
Train Without A Station
Roar Guru
Well he hasn’t played 10 at all since then. And you’d take him away from 12 where he’s quite important to their attack and defense
Tez
Roar Rookie
That was 2 years ago. Yep, struggle he did at the time but I reckon now he would be a better option than Creighton ..... and how can you argue that Stewart 10 and Paisami 12 is a worse option than what they fielded?
Rhys Bosley
Roar Pro
Tupou said he felt a knee on his calf during the Chiefs game and O'Connor got his leg jarred during an attempted charge down at the end of the Rebels game. Both due to accidents involving other players, not load management.
Ruckin' Oaf
Guest
Adept at losing existing players, but not at recruiting or developing new ones. Only one way that's gonna go.
Train Without A Station
Roar Guru
Tupou has a calf strain and JOC a hamstring tear. It’s not like they broke their legs in freak tackle incidents. Could easily be due to load management. JOC has missed a lot of games the last few years due to injury so hard to judge on that - he may be not as capable of volume as he once was - but it’s clearly not negligent in how he’s been used. But Tupou has been run into the ground over the past couple of seasons at the Reds and we’ve even heard rumours that he was considering looking at other options due to this. So it’s hardly a surprise that Tupou has ended up injured. To say a couple of soft tissue injuries would have happened no matter what is just blind acceptance of this.
Train Without A Station
Roar Guru
Stewart struggled at 10 in the past and is pretty important to them at 12
Train Without A Station
Roar Guru
It raises an important point. The smaller states need it because with a weaker talent pool, you can’t afford the best players missing out because they play for the wrong club. Which creates the same issue in QLD and NSW. If I play for Brothers and they miss out do I miss out? Or are we expecting I just play for another club now? And then if I’m doing that do I just stay at this other club next club season to improve my chances of selection?
Train Without A Station
Roar Guru
You’re not. But they will be. Because strings clubs will attract the best recruits. Which will maintain qualification.
bflp
Roar Rookie
Good observations. I think there has been significant improvement in Creighton. Flook will be an outstanding addition to any backline going forward. The injuries are often a blessing because you see how people can step up. I am not sure about Thorn. No doubting his commitment and belief in a "no dickhead" environment. Unfortunately I am not sure he has the skills to eliminate that tendency in some that come into his care... For what it's worth I think the Chiefs will smash the Crusaders. Brumbies can defeat the Blues but it will require some good fortune. And you would need to be ahead of the Blues by 15+ with 5 to go. They have amazing faith in their ability to score from anywhere... ( and often do).
Rhys Bosley
Roar Pro
O'Connor, Tupou and Wright all got injured in incidents during games (or in Wright's case when he was dropped before the game, practising in the lineout), which would have happened irrespective of preparation or minutes played. I don't know about all the others though and agree it should be looked at.
liquorbox_
Roar Rookie
I believe fan engagement would be better if the NRC teams were true feeders to the local Super Rugby Franchise. It is a sneak peak at the talent that you may get to watch in following seasons and a place where your players can go to improve their skills more than they could by a return to club rugby.
mused6
Roar Rookie
I think we need to be patient with Vunivalu. I agree with your point about injuries, the wheels fell off a bit in attack and set piece without our 2 best players. It was just one of those years. They need to have an honest review about why so many players got injured this season as well. Is there the right balance off the field in terms of player workload? My other questions moving forward are: I wonder when we will start to see lynagh at 10? What is TT’s contract going to look like next year? Who are our replacements for LSL and ASY going to be?
Rhys Bosley
Roar Pro
The Reds certainly got handed a lot of manure sandwiches on the injury front this season, far more than just O’Connor and Tupou. Just one example, does anybody remember the plaudits that Josh Nasser was getting before he was injured a couple of months ago? I am proud of the way they gave it a bloody good crack against the Crusaders, but having to play a quarter final in Christchurch in the first place was the problem. Hopefully the humbling change of fortunes this season will have a silver lining for the reds, with a bunch of new players having experienced good minutes in Super Rugby, which will hopefully give Brad Thorn to rotate key players in the easier games in 2023. Vunivalu played well but I still don’t think he is worth $800,000, if after two seasons he can’t contribute far more than he has, then I think that the brutal recruiting decision that needs to be made is to let him go. The Reds could get a couple of good players for his pay.
JD Kiwi
Roar Rookie
Both Carter and Thorn are/were happy to forgive those who showed that they have learnt from their mistakes.
Tom G
Roar Rookie
I’m not suggesting that the top four are a permanent fixture but the get to qualify with the other eight. Wouldn’t it stand to reason that those other eight sides would strive to get into the national comp each season? Also the Rays appealed to no one during their second stint either
Bourkos
Roar Rookie
I'd say Campbell and Paisami were more then safe. Both had a noticeable impact in the game. Safe was more Stewart and Creighton...