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Reds player ratings vs Brumbies | Super Rugby Pacific
Both the Reds and Brumbies struggled to build any real ascendency in their Friday night showdown at GIO Stadium in Canberra.
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The Reds dominated possession and territory in the opening half but entered the break behind 10-7 while the Brumbies did much the same in the second stanza, ultimately taking out the game by four points, 16-12.
On an individual level, there were few standouts from either side – although the likes Seru Uru and Hunter Paisami certainly showed their worth. While the tacklers were fierce, the game will ultimately be most remembered for the whistle fest at scrum time, with few scums contests actually progressing to completion.
How did the Reds players perform in their loss?
1. Dane Zander – 3
Earned one penalty at scrum time in the first quarter, then conceded two of his own later in the match whilst also getting pinged once for not rolling away at the breakdown. One member of a front-row that incurred three additional ‘team’ penalties for either driving early or standing up. Pulled relatively early. Off in 48th minute.
2. Josh Nasser – 6
Had a few yips at lineout time early in the match but was generally exemplary at sending the ball in to his teammates. Continued his nice try-scoring form by dotting down in the right hand corner. Off in 67th minute.
3. Taniela Tupou – 4.5
Made a few useful carries but was generally well contained. Copped a penalty after entering the maul from the side early on and then copped a fend from Noah Lolesio seconds later. Earned one scrum penalty but was part of a Reds front-three that was generally whistled off the park. Off in 67th minute.
4. Ryan Smith – 6.5
The go-to man at lineout time, taking all eight of his throws. Otherwise, the second busiest Reds player on defence, notching nine tackles throughout the match and often used as a link player in more expansive plays. Off in 74th minute.
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5. Angus Blyth – 3
Made two tackles, two carries and two metres with the ball in hand. Took offence to Brumbies players not rolling away when the Reds were in the danger zone and was quickly penalised for not relenting after the whistle. Fluffed his only lineout take. Off in 60th minute.
6. Seru Uru – 7.5
Another strong performance from the Fijian flanker following last weekend’s heroics. Good footwork with the ball in hand kept the Brumbies defenders honest and was a key player in the lineout. Couldn’t grab the first throw-in – but only because Darcy Swain interfered illegally. Got in front of Swain to pilfer the Brumbies’ next delivery. Set up the Reds’ first scoring opportunity with a good break in the midfield before offloading to Kalani Thomas in support. Showed nice hands to deliver the ball out to Nasser for his try.
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7. Fraser McReight – 4.5
A game to forget to the Reds captain. Penalised three times throughout the match, caught out at the back of the breakdown to hand possession over inside the Reds’ red zone – with the Brumbie scoring moments later, and then knocked the ball on with the line begging at the next Reds attack. It wasn’t all bad, with McReight securing two breakdown penalties, topping the tackle count for his side after the Brumbies finally started to put some phases together in the second half, and came close to scoring in the final moments with a solid kick chase. Still, far from his best.
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8. Harry Wilson – 6.5
Started to make some useful in-roads on attack as the game wore on and always drew in defenders but struggled to really assert himself over the Brumbies tacklers. Made comfortably the most carries of any player on the field. Like his loose forward teammate, copped two penalties, including one for collapsing a Brumbies maul inside the 22. Was probably lucky not to be sin-binned for that infraction, given the location.
9. Kalani Thomas – 5
Gave relatively competent service but never really tested the Brumbies’ defence around the breakdown. Off in 60th minute.
10. James O’Connor – 6.5
Made two important plays throughout the game and was otherwise generally tidy (bar one knock-on). Danced between Folau Fainga’a and Nick Frost to score the Reds’ first try of the match after some repeated efforts from the forwards. Good effort on defence to get Jahrome Brown into touch when the Brumbies flanker broke away down the blindside.
11. Josh Flook – 3
Effectively only called upon when the Brumbies hoisted high kicks. Secured one and knocked one on. Needed to look to add influence elsewhere.
12. Hamish Stewart – 6
Put in a busy shift on defence in the midfield and made one nice half-break in the second half. Off in 74th minute.
13. Hunter Paisami – 7.5
Put in one massive hit on Noah Lolesio in the first 10 minutes, shifting the momentum and allowing McReight to get over the ball at the next breakdown. Put through a nice grubber kick to set up the Reds’ first real attack of the match. Generally looked capable of doing some damage on attack and drew in at least a couple of defenders with every run. Needed his teammates to stand up around him.
14. Jock Campbell – 3
Like his fellow winger, had very little influence on the match, basically not touching the ball until the final 15 minutes. Sent one kick-off directly into touch.
15. Jordan Petaia – 5
Mixed the good with the bad. Fullback allows him to make full use of his athleticism but while he did some good work chasing the high ball, his decision-making let him down. Made a strange decision to kick a pseudo-up-and-under when nothing was on early in the piece but chased well – only to play the ball on the ground and concede a penalty. Chased Paisami’s attacking bomb well, batting the ball back to set up what should have been a try to McReight. Probably needed to do better off a Ryan Lonergan box kick, let the ball bounce and was eventually tackled in goal. Knocked on the next Brumbies bomb. Off in 71st minute.
Reserves:
16. Matt Faessler – N/A
On in 67th minute.
17. Harry Hoopert – 5
On in 48th minute. Didn’t have quite as many issues at scrum time – but maybe that’s because the referee had grown tired of blowing his whistle.
18. Feao Fotuaika – N/A
On in 67th minute. Penalised with his first touch after playing the ball in an offside position following a Petaia knock-on.
19. Connor Vest – N/A
On in 74th minute.
20. Liam Wright – 4
On in 60th minute. Got stuck into the breakdown but was ultimately unable to make much of an impact. Lost his only lineout.
21. Spencer Jeans – 3
On in 60th minute. Made one crucial knock-on with seven minutes to play. Threw an inaccurate pass to Paisami right at the death which effectively ended the Reds’ final chance at victory.
22. Lawson Creighton – N/A
On in 71st minute.
23. Isaac Henry – N/A
On in 74th minute.
