An emphatic return to the winner’s circle has been cruelled but a huge injury blow for the Queensland Reds, as strike weapon Jordan Petaia left the field clutching his shoulder in pain in his side’s victory over the Highlanders on Friday night.
The two-time Wallabies World Cup representative’s shift to outside centre to accommodate for Josh Flook’s absence [also a shoulder injury] failed to last the opening half – caught awkwardly attempting to tackle powerhouse Highlanders winger Timoci Tavatavanawai.
Jordan Petaia leaves the field for the Reds.Credit: Getty Images
A long-term stint on the sidelines would be a bitter pill for Reds coach Les Kiss to swallow, as his side rediscovered their goal-line resilience to clinch a 31-0 triumph with some of their leading men out of action at Suncorp.
Co-captain Tate McDermott and star flanker Fraser McReight both served the first week of their three-game suspensions for dangerous contact, while Seru Uru [thumb], James O’Connor [hamstring] and Flook all watched on from the casualty ward.
Kiwi prop Alex Hodgman also left the field just three minutes into the second half, having already missed several weeks this year with a knee concern.
Hunter Paisami was moved to the No.13 jumper as Lawson Creighton joined the fray at outside centre, and the former was not deterred by the shift.
Kalani Thomas on the rampage for the Reds against the Highlanders at Suncorp Stadium.Credit: Getty Images
Having already scored the first try of the night with a typically damaging line run, courtesy of a brilliant cutout pass from Kalani Thomas, the 24-year-old looked an ominous prospect with the extra space out wide.
After coming up with a pair of brutal one-one-one tackles on Tanielu Telea, Paisami then provided a rare showcase of his kicking game – sending it from his own goal line back into the touch on the other side of halfway, before a nifty touch finder inside the Highlanders’ 5-metre zone.
His night out continued from close range as he sought to put his name back into the Wallabies mix. As the Reds earned a 5-metre scrum, creating the pressure against the run of play after a Highlanders error, Paisami put Creighton through a gaping hole to all but seal the result.
Suliasi Vunivalu would then ice it on the siren, bringing up Queensland’s greatest win over the Highlanders in 27 years.
Wright the Wallaby? Skipper sets the standard
Liam Wright may have endured a horror four years on the injury front, but he appears destined to regain his Wallabies jumper – provided he remains fit.
In what was poised to be the most crucial test of his leadership credentials – without his partner in crime in McDermott and a host of other experienced campaigners – the tough-as-nails flanker was at his no-nonsense best.
Will Stodart takes on the Reds’ defence.Credit: Getty Images
Queensland were desperate for a win after a run of three straight defeats that threatened to unravel a promising start to the season, but Wright’s strength at the breakdown and lineout set the standard for his teammates.
Time after time Wright – who has not added to his five Wallabies caps since 2020 due to hamstring, hand, shoulder and ankle injuries – and his cohort were able to repel the Highlanders’ attack, drawing penalties, orchestrating errors and winning many a breakdown battle to force NINE turnovers deep in their own half as their trans-Tasman rivals looked to open the floodgates.
The clutch grind was highlighted by a desperate cover tackle by Lawson Creighton, who forced the ball loose from Highlanders fullback Connor Garden-Bachop with the tryline in sight after 19 phases.
A one-on-one effort from Jock Campbell to deny a lethal counterattack was another prime example of the resilience on show, and Wright was at the heart of plenty of it.
On the other side of the ball, the Reds looked clunky at times, when they were willing to show patience it reaped the rewards – lock Ryan Smith capitalising on 19 phases to score in his 50th Super Rugby appearance.
While the second half was scrappy with uncharacteristic concessions at the lineout and some lazy penalties among the mistakes, Kiss can take enormous pride in his troops for their willingness to grind in defence.
Thomas passes understudy audition
The loss of McDermott could have broken the Reds, but the early signs from Kalani Thomas suggested they could weather the storm for another fortnight.
While his highlights reel stemmed the longer his stint went on, replaced in the 58th minute by debutant Louis Werchon, the halfback was in the thick of the action in the initial exchanges.
Within the first three minutes, Thomas sliced through the middle of the field to get his side on the front foot, before his pinpoint cutout pass from the ruck at close range gifted Paisami the night’s opening points.
Shortly after he was through again, only for his offload to evade Harry Wilson and the Highlanders to defend the assault.
All in all, however, Thomas looked dangerous when given the chance to run the ball, finishing with 38 metres while beating four defenders in the process.
The first minutes in Super Rugby for Werchon also came with promise, a spiralling torpedo clearance kick helping the Reds escape a dangerous situation deep into the contest.
McDermott’s loss is huge, there is no doubt about it, and his loss could be particularly found out against the Blues next week.
But the understudy pairing will be better for the strong run as the Reds seek to ensure they remain a premiership threat.
Decade drought broken
For the first time since 2013, the Reds have defeated two Kiwi sides in a campaign, and they did so by registering their biggest win over the Highlanders in 27 years.
Given the state of affairs Rugby Australia found themselves in after last year’s World Cup debacle, the country’s clubs have set about completely transforming their fortunes.
Queensland’s triumph – following their gutsy win over the Chiefs earlier in the season – takes the win tally for Australian teams against the New Zealanders to six.
News, results and expert analysis from the weekend of sport sent every Monday. Sign up for our Sport newsletter.
