The Queensland Reds weathered a cyclonic Fijian Drua points burst before clinically backing their pack for a 45-24 win at Suncorp Stadium on Friday night.
The Reds’ biggest win of the year featured seven tries and is their springboard into the qualifying finals of Swyftx Super Rugby Pacific.
Skipper Fraser McReight became a two-time winner of the Frank Ivory Medal as Player of the Match in Indigenous Round for the four key turnovers he forced at the breakdown and his defensive workrate.
The Reds will face the top-placed Hurricanes in Wellington or the Chiefs in Hamilton depending on Saturday’s result in the ACT Brumbies vs Moana Pasifika game in Canberra.
A Brumbies win will dictate it is Wellington. An unlikely Brumbies loss and it means heading to Hamilton.
“It was great for the forwards to get the return they did in this game. It’s great they weren’t completely happy either,” Reds Head Coach Les Kiss said.
“What’s ahead excites the hell out of me. There is more in us.”
Kiss pinpointed a key 80m Carter Gordon kick in general play and the chasing Reds defenders as reflective of the effort and big moment character in the team.
The Reds might have considered 21-5 a comfortable lead before the Fijians went on a three-try tear in 10 minutes either side of half-time. The cheering of the big Fijian presence in the crowd of 15,623 went into overdrive.
In a twinkling, Drua winger Manasa Mataele had completed a hat-trick and the Fijians were ahead 24-21 at the 47-minute mark.
The Reds steadied and went to their driving maul and dominant scrum to turn momentum in a decisive fashion.
No.8 Harry Wilson scored at the back of a thundering 5m pushover try for the Reds to regain the lead at 28-24 on 54 minutes.
The field position owed everything to that Gordon kick which Kiss labelled as “special”. When Drua flyhalf Kemu Valetini missed a long-range shot at penalty goal, Carter seized the ball and kicked it 80m downfield. It was his urgent kick chase and tackle that helped force the Drua into touch so the Reds regained the ball.
Drua coach Glen Jackson called the missed kick and the follow-up pressure from the Reds “the big moment in the game.”
It was 33-24 just minutes later when hooker Matt Faessler speared over at the back of a well-constructed rolling maul for his second try of that style on the night.
Another lineout drive was the start of a longer range try at the 68-minute mark. This time a classy offload from winger Lachie Anderson put standout Seru Uru over for the try.
A rolling maul try for replacement hooker Richie Asiata completed the scoring.
Flanker Uru was the Reds’ top ground-gainer on the night with 65m on 15 carries to go with plenty of defensive work.
The Reds had to make more than twice as many tackles as the Drua and plenty of those were in the stout opening seven minutes of defence when the visitors furiously ran it non-stop.
Late in the first half, the class of outside centre Josh Flook stood out.
On 28 minutes, he popped a pass to put centre Filipo Daugunu over just a minute after Daugunu had joined the action in place of the injured Hunter Paisami.
Minutes later, Daugunu reciprocated with a short ball to put Flook over.
“’Flooky’ is outstanding. He makes everyone around him better. He’s reliable, safe, he attacks, he defends and he’s always giving 110 per cent,” McReight said.
“It was probably not the 80-minute performance we were after but the Fijians are a good side and put us under the pump. Being able to rally as we did was a strong sign.”
QUEENSLAND REDS 45
Tries: Matt Fessler 2, Filipo Daugunu, Josh Flook, Harry Wilson, Seru Uru, Richie Asiata
Conversions: Carter Gordon 5
Def
FIJIAN DRUA 24
Tries: Manasa Mataele 3, Meli Tuni
Conversions: Kemu Valetini, Isaiah Armstrong-Ravula
Half-time: Reds 21-Drua 12
Venue: Suncorp Stadium
Crowd: 15,623
