Queensland Reds 2025

[TSR]

I think you have to give a lot of credit to Swain & Williams. For the second time this year against an Aussie team they were completely across the detail. Swain might have his flaws but once they got on top in the lineout his chat was relentless and, on face value, it seemed the Reds were definitely second guessing themselves.

 

[dru]

The lengthier pre-lineout meeting of minds seemed like genuine confusion last night imo, as opposed to tactics and/or working through complex calls. Something was just not clicking.

Ironically, the lineouts we started winning in the backend of the game were trick plays...

Agree strongly on the read of it being confusion. Those wins at the end seemed to be a formula of the tricky shit that meant they didn't have to do a "real" line out.

 

[Adam84]

The lineout issues aren’t the hookers fault, or at least not the leading cause. Some of those throws were good throws, the function of the lifts and jumps were just shit

 

[Adam84]

The lengthier pre-lineout meeting of minds seemed like genuine confusion last night imo, as opposed to tactics and/or working through complex calls. Something was just not clicking.

Ironically, the lineouts we started winning in the backend of the game were trick plays...

Yes that was my take as well, players were genuinely confused about the calls, the throws were decent but mistimed jumps and lifts were a massive issue

 

[Major Tom]

I bumped into Nonggor last week, with nothing to base it on he looks pretty good. AS you say, our props have continued to be amazing.
Campbell is the blood of that backline. I wouldn't race him back but onto the bench asap.
We could really use the bump of our preferred back three.

WT actual F is going on in the line out? I'm not holding the hooker as primary cause here, seems something is happening around calling and organisation? On his own, the Fez can't fix that. If we don't fix it, we are toast even if being prepared from a lofty table position.

I'm really keen to see Flook back even though I've been chuffed with Daugunu in the centres again. I'm thinking maybe rest Junk Yard, Flook to his spot and Daugunu on a wing. When he (Flook) is ready. Ryan has hit second year blues and probably needs a bit of time and strength around him to re-light the mojo.

Was Canham the mainly caller? He played a few 80min games so maybe we relied on him. Still no excuse though. Also I was there at the game so I don’t know if our captain communicated how the force were closing the space.

 

[TSR]

Just quietly though - how good is our scrum

Fa’agase is Greg Holmes mark 2 and just getting better. Hodgman looks to have stepped up a level too. JTA (Jeffery Toomaga-Allen) obviously not Wallaby eligible but, from a Reds point of view has been terrific and Nonggorr & De Lutiis really positive.

In fact across the board I’ve been impressed with our Props.

Ala'alatoa is back to full health and playing as well as he has for some time. Old man Slipper has wound back the clock a bit. Not to his best by any means but no longer looks like the game has passed him. Schoupp has been strong if the bench. Pearce looks a very good young prospect and I don’t think I’ve ever seen Robertson play better. He looks bigger to me and I wonder if he got a similiar chat from Schmidt that Tizzano got.

Bell is doing his thing and I just hope he doesn’t break trying to carry the Tahs.

Tupou still struggling against comparisons of his former self but is solid at scrum time and I feel like he is progressing - al be it slowly.

 

[LeCheese]

Was Canham the mainly caller? He played a few 80min games so maybe we relied on him. Still no excuse though. Also I was there at the game so I don’t know if our captain communicated how the force were closing the space.

I thought Wilson had been calling, but I may be mistaken

 

[TSR]

I thought Wilson had been calling, but I may be mistaken

I wouldn’t have thought so as he is often out in the midfield

 

[LeCheese]

I wouldn’t have thought so as he is often out in the midfield

Yes, I similarly thought it was odd. Maybe it's only on select calls? Or could've just been a reflection of who was on the field at the time

 

[Strewthcobber]

LSL (Lukhan Salakaia-Loto) won zero lineouts yesterday. It's not the first time he's been involved in a lineout debacle (a Wallaby game last year?). He's not the strongest lineout option going around.

I think Swain just went really hard at Ryan Smith and/or cracked the Red's codes

 

[PhilClinton]

I do think last night the Force had either totally cracked our calls, or they’d realised our lineout was quite basic and spent a long time studying the tape.

Swain and Williams were up and stealing ball nearly before our guys got in the air. That isn’t necessarily a hooker issue, when their jumpers were just beating us.

 

[liquor box]

The lengthier pre-lineout meeting of minds seemed like genuine confusion last night imo, as opposed to tactics and/or working through complex calls. Something was just not clicking.

Ironically, the lineouts we started winning in the backend of the game were trick plays...

Our tallest player also came on at the end of the game

 

[TSR]

I do think last night the Force had either totally cracked our calls, or they’d realised our lineout was quite basic and spent a long time studying the tape.

Swain and Williams were up and stealing ball nearly before our guys got in the air. That isn’t necessarily a hooker issue, when their jumpers were just beating us.

Agree Swain & Williams deserve lots of credit, but there also did appear errors in execution.

De Lutiis was way too late on one lift - although ironically from memory it was the one that sat up for Lynagh and which Pakeho scored off.

There were a couple where the throw needed a bit more loop. I think a lot of the time Williams was just getting up in front and the throws needed a bit more height. They did pick up some at the front too though which says to me they were reading the plays.

 

[Wilson]

I don't think all the changes in the pack helped the lineout at all - Brial and Bryant are don't really offer much in the lineout, but more importantly was just the changes themselves - 2 new back row with hookers, front row and locks rotating around a lot this year. It's not to surprising things got disjoint with a some new combinations out there, and there was generally less room to adjust once the Force got on top of things.

It's a worrying sign, but this was a fair way from our first choice pack and there are a lot of levers available to the coaching staff to try and fix things. Will need quick improvement though, I don't think we'll win either the Chiefs or Brumbies games if we repeat that lineout performance.

 

[TSR]

I think our lineout has been our Achilles all year to this point. Our ball control v the Crusaders was terrible, but it seems to have been an anomaly, whereas our lineout has let us down a number of times.

I feel like our discipline can be off at times too, but I was intrigued that the said before yesterday the Reds has given away the second lowest number of penalties - which is actually a real credit to the team and coaches. We still seem to have our periods of ill-discipline, but it’s obviously not the problem I was perceiving it to be. Would prefer not to give up multiple cards in games though.

 

[Adam84]

Byproduct of chopping and changing the forward pack each week, there’s been 3-4 changes each week in the starting 8.

 

[Jimmy_Crouch]

Plenty of excuses here but honestly I think Swain just had a great lineout game.

 

[TSR]

Plenty of excuses here but honestly I think Swain just had a great lineout game.

Sure - but I think it can be both. Like I said, I think our lineout has been a bit shaky all year.

 

[TSR]

I removed my post above about the women’s game in case anyone was planning to watch on delay. And if you weren’t and you have Stan give it a look. Plenty of great rugby on display. I know that the Aussie women still have some way to go to catch the Kiwis and English but they are definitely improving.

 

[rugbyAU]

McReight is set to return for the Chiefs