'Ready to go to war': McDermott looking to lift Reds after Wallabies omission

Queensland Reds might be riding back-to-back Super Rugby losses but they will take confidence from the past as they welcome the Brumbies to Suncorp Stadium.

Tate McDermott has the perfect opportunity to respond to his Wallabies snubbing, battling one halfback ahead of him on the depth chart when Queensland hosts the ACT Brumbies.

Fresh from signing a new four-year deal with Queensland and Rugby Australia, McDermott will square off with ACT No.9 Nic White, picked ahead of him in Eddie Jones’ training camp squad last week.

The 24-year-old denied he was specifically motivated to clash with White, saying the back half of his season was about proving to Jones he belonged in Australia’s World Cup mix.

“Obviously pretty disappointed, but at the same time it’s expected, I haven’t played amazing footy so to be in that squad would probably have been a surprise more than anything,” McDermott said.

“At the end of the day it’s just a training camp and while initially, you’re obviously pretty disappointed, the conversation with Eddie, (I’ve) just got to sharpen up really, it was as simple as that.

“Eddie’s been really good along the journey and I know better than most people I’ve got to improve … if I want to be in France at the end of the year.”

The Reds have won six straight home games against the Brumbies, although knocking them off on Friday night would require a serious flip in form, sitting with a 2-4 win-loss record compared with ACT’s 5-1.

“We love playing the Brumbies regardless of if it’s in Brisbane or the capital … we’re looking to play a positive brand but a disciplined brand,” McDermott said.

“But to be disciplined, we’ve got to be aggressive, but we need that controlled aggression, which we haven’t had.

“We’ll show up for Queensland but we’ve got to make sure when we say we’re going to do something we’ve got to actually do it.

“The challenge this weekend is not to a couple, we need 23 men … showing up for their state ready to go to war.”

The Brumbies have become a winning machine since their devastating 2021 Super Rugby AU grand-final loss to the Reds, victors in nine of their last 10 outings against Australian teams as they have established themselves as the nation’s best club side.

ACT coach Stephen Larkham is not expecting an easy ride in the tough Brisbane conditions on Good Friday, as his side look to end their Queensland disappointment against a Reds outfit coming off back-to-back losses.

“It’s the rivalry we’ve got with the Reds that’s been steadily building over the last couple of years,” he said.

“They’re a quality team. They’ve got a lot of Wallaby players in their 23.

“The humidity, the temperature, the crowd, the travel, it all comes into it.”

Both sides have troops who will be determined to play their way into Jones’ future plans.

Queensland five-eighth James O’Connor, who has been dropped to the bench for the Brumbies clash, missed out on a first call-up under the new national coach, as did ACT playmaker Noah Lolesio.

Reds’ No.15 Jock Campbell, meanwhile, will be out to make a statement against Brumby Tom Wright, one of three fullbacks in Jones’ squad as preparations begin in earnest for the Rugby World Cup, which kicks off in France in September.