- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
Eddie Jones will have to wait for some success against New Zealand opposition. The scoreboard ticked over to 9-1 in the Kiwis’ favour in 2023 as the injury-plagued Crusaders proved too strong for a clumsy Queensland Reds side in Brisbane.
The Crusaders, missing half-a-dozen Test stars including Sam Whitelock, won 25-12 but the scoreline didn’t quite tell the whole story with the Reds guilty of blowing a number of tries and attacking movements.
It wasn’t all doom and gloom for Jones, who will announce his first Wallabies squad on Sunday.
Jordan Petaia scored a second half try against the Crusaders but it wasn’t enough for the Reds in Brisbane. Photo: Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images
Jordan Petaia delivered one of his best performances on either side of the ball while back-row trio Harry Wilson, Fraser McReight and Liam Wright were outstanding.
Wright particularly delivered an eye-catching performance that will not have gone unnoticed. The co-captain and blindside flanker made two steals at the lineout and was strong over the ball. Had Damon Murphy not deemed the ball unplayable, he would – and should – have been rewarded with another breakdown penalty win.
It wouldn’t surprise if Jones asked to see Wright’s height because it could be a useful trait later in the year. For the record, he’s 192cm.
Even Tate McDermott took a strong step forward, with the zippy halfback showing what he can do with space around the rucks and in the open after a frustrating start to the season where the majority of his tight-five forwards have been sidelined.
But for all the positives, Brad Thorn will be ruing what could have been.
From kicks not finding touch in the second minute to balls being tossed to the sideline in the final seconds, the home side burned several opportunities to put the Crusaders under pressure.
In contrast, Scott Robertson’s side managed to take their chances in the first-half to open up a 15-7 lead, before effectively sealing the match by scoring in the 53rd minute through former England halfback Willi Heinz.
The Reds attempted to throw some late punches and even scored through Petaia to give them a late sniff, but more clumsy handling saw the visitors extend their decade-long unbeaten streak in Brisbane.
“I kind of get here and say a similar thing every week but, again, we’re just not respecting the ball,” co-captain McDermott said.
“For parts of that I’m proud of our effort, particularly the bench guys like (prop) Phransis-Sula and (hooker) Richie (Asiata) making a big impact against a bloody good side.
“We can pick the positives out of it, but we’re stuck in a bit of a cycle at the moment.”
Liam Wright was one of the Reds’ best during a frustrating defeat to the Crusaders. Photo: Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images
Crusaders playmaker Richie Mo’unga, who controlled the game and featured prominently in the first-half, said his side were pleased to come away with the victory, but said they needed to improve despite their horror injury run.
“It was a bit scrappy for our liking, but we talked all week about the importance of playing the Reds here at Suncorp – a stadium with great history – and it was a privilege for us to play here,” he said.
“It wasn’t the performance we were after but wins are hard to come by these days, so we’ll take that.
“There’s no excuses for us. The next man has to step in. We set high standards for our Crusaders team; a few execution issues, it was slippery with the sweat on the ball.
“Classic Reds team, put us under a whole heap of pressure during the game and it could have been a lot different had we not got things right.”
The Reds only had themselves to blame for their poor start.
James O’Connor kicked the ball dead from a penalty in the opening minutes, three linebreak opportunities were failed to take advantage of and Isaac Henry shanked a shot at goals. All that in the opening 12 minutes.
Then the Crusaders led 15-0 after Mo’unga’s settling penalty and tries to Leicester Fainga’anuku and Dom Gardner.
The Reds responded quickly with a brilliant try to McDermott, who finished off some lovely counterattacking work from Jock Campbell, O’Connor and Harry Wilson.
While the home side fought hard early in the second half, defending a number of scrums on their own line along the way, the Crusaders extended their lead when Heinz controversially scored at the base of a ruck. It came despite the Reds effectively having no chance of making a play on the replacement halfback.
A neat kick from McDermott sent Petaia in, but the Reds bombed a number of late chances, including a bizarre shot at goals, to steal the game or, at the very least, come away with a losing bonus point.
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.