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Reds wing Filipo Daugunu scores five tries but left sweating over red card picked up in Rebels thumping

Filipo Daugunu in action for the Reds against the Rebels in 2018. (Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)

Filipo Daugunu’s five-try afternoon was spoiled by a red card for a dangerous tackle as the Queensland Reds feasted in a Super Rugby trial game mismatch against the Melbourne Rebels.

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The Reds beat the understrength Rebels 57-5 in Gladstone on Friday, with winger Daugunu the benefactor in the first of two pre-season games before the Super Rugby season begins later this month.

The Rebels went to regional Queensland devoid of their Wallabies stars, with Reece Hodge, Matt Toomua, Marika Koroibete, Isi Naisarani, Dane Haylett-Petty and Angus Cottrell all missing.

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Five years after prematurely ending his contract at the Reds, the returning James O’Connor dominated at No.12 outside five-eighth Isaac Lucas, while scrumhalf Tate McDermott and fullback Bryce Hegarty combined to give the Reds multiple points of attack.

All four playmakers helped set up Daugunu tries, the Fijian flyer notching his hat-trick inside 36 minutes and adding his fifth inside 50 minutes with a long-range effort in the second half.

A dangerous tackle in the 75th minute earned him a red card though, with the winger now facing the prospect of missing the Reds’ Super Rugby opener against the Brumbies on January 31.

“He can have all those tries back without the tackle, from my point of view,” coach Brad Thorn said.

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“But I guess that’s your job on the end there, to put the ball down, so it’s good he did that.

“There was a touch of class from James and was good to see young Isaac working in well there and Bryce having a little hit as well.”

Junior Wallabies star Harry Wilson was also busy as he eyes minutes in the Reds’ backrow this season, but the side should expect a sterner test in their final hit-out against the Waratahs in Dalby next Friday.

The Reds held back exciting centre Jordan Petaia, while Wallabies lock Izack Rodda (ankle) was other notable absentee as he pushes to be healthy for the first round after minor off-season surgery.

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Melbourne will play the Brumbies in a Super Rugby trial in Albury next Thursday.

AAP

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J
JW 1 hour ago
Why England's defence of the realm has crumbled without Felix Jones

This piece is nothing more than the result of revisionist fancy of Northern Hemisphere rugby fans. Seeing what they want to see, helped but some surprisingly good results and a desire to get excited about doing something well.


I went back through the 6N highlights and sure enough in every English win I remembered seeing these exact holes on the inside, that are supposedly the fallout out of a Felix Jones system breaking down in the hands of some replacement. Every time the commentators mentioned England being targeted up the seam/around the ruck or whatever. Each game had a try scored on the inside of the blitz, no doubt it was a theme throughout all of their games. Will Jordan specifically says that Holland had design that move to target space he saw during their home series win.


Well I'm here to tell you they were the same holes in a Felix Jones system being built as well. This woe is now sentiment has got to stop. The game is on a high, these games have been fantastic! It is Englands attack that has seen their stocks increase this year, and no doubt that is what SB told him was the teams priority. Or it's simply science, with Englands elite players having worked towards a new player welfare and management system, as part of new partnership with the ERU, that's dictating what the players can and can't put their bodies through.


The only bit of truth in this article is that Felix is not there to work on fixing his defence. England threw away another good chance of winning in the weekend when they froze all enterprise under pressure when no longer playing attacking footy for the second half. That mindset helped (or not helped if you like) of course by all this knee jerk, red brained criticism.

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