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Sons of guns shine, suspect try seals Tahs win over Reds

(Photo by Malcolm Couzens/Getty Images)

Sons of guns Tom Lynagh and Max Jorgensen strutted their stuff before a blatant knock-on was confirmed as a try to hand the NSW Waratahs a 33-32 Super Rugby Pacific trial game win over the Queensland Reds.

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The Waratahs won in Narrabri on Saturday night, Nemani Nadolo’s late five-pointer the difference in the sides’ traditional pre-season hit-out that carries a $25,000 prize.

That’s why the Reds were smarting when referee Nic Berry was unable to utilise any replays before awarding Nadolo a try, when vision would have shown the hulking Fijian recruit spilling the ball as he went to plant it in the corner.

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The Reds still had plenty to celebrate as Lynagh, the son of World Cup-winning Wallaby Michael, played almost 60 minutes at five-eighth and controlled the game well with hand and foot.

The 19-year-old joined the Reds from England last year and his long stint in the saddle ahead of Lawson Creighton, who scored a try after entering for the final third of the g ame, indicated he may not be far off a fully fledged debut if James O’Connor (ankle) remains sidelined.

For the Waratahs it was centre Max Jorgensen who shone, his first-half try a dazzling combination of acceleration and angle that left Filipo Daugunu in his dust.

The son of former Wallabies and NRL talent Peter was a recruitment victory for rugby last year and the 18-year-old showed he could handle the step-up after already impressing on the end-of-season Australia A tour.

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Reds No.8 Harry Wilson would have been hard to ignore for new Wallabies coach Eddie Jones, particularly in the crucial first 20 minutes when the flanker was heavily involved.

He finished a long-range try started by the also-impressive Isaac Henry and returned the favour with a neat offload to put the outside centre through a gap in the second half.

Emerging Reds winger Floyd Aubrey scored the first try, finishing well after Tate McDermott’s cross-field chip bounced behind him.

But he handed that back when spilling a bomb, Mosese Tuipulotu running away for an easy try.

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Mahe Vailanu showed his power with two barging first-half tries for the hosts as temperatures remained in the mid-30C after 8.30pm in the regional NSW town.

Taj Annan and Creighton scor ed to put the Reds ahead, before Nadolo showed his experience with a calm post-try celebration to fool the obscured officials.

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M
MS 41 minutes ago
Why Blair Kinghorn should be nailed on as the Lions starting 15

I can see arguments for both Kinghorn, and Keenan starting for the Lions. But I’m less convinced by some of the claims (clearly partisan) supporters are using to argue the merits of one over the other.


For example, a number of Ireland supporters have suggested Kinghorn is ‘defensively weak’. That’s patently false - or at least on the evidence of this 6N, he’s certainly no weaker there than Keenan is, who is presumably the comparative standard they’re using. Keenan was both shrugged off in contact, and beaten on the edge for pace, a number of times during this competition.


Equally, Scotland supporters arguing Kinghorn is the more capable ‘rugby player’ seem to have overlooked the (frankly sizeable) body of evidence demonstrating that Keenan is an excellent ball in hand distributor and decision maker. So that doesn’t hold up under scrutiny either.


I don’t think there’s all that much to choose between them, and either would be a strong choice. I think it would be really interesting from a pure rugby perspective to see Keenan playing a ‘Scotland-esque’ style of high tempo attacking rugby. Either coming into the line more routinely as first receiver, or being swung as a pendulum and getting the ball on the edge against a stretched defence.


That’s assuming Andy Farrell goes that route, of course. He may well just opt for his Ireland system instead, and populate it with the likes of Henshaw, Ringrose, Lowe and Keenan. I’m sure that would win the series. Quite what effect it might have on a Lions audience who were expecting something other than ‘Ireland on tour, but wearing red’ would remain to be seen.


As for the debate at FB, the only ‘eye test’ difference I feel exists is in the pace of rugby Kinghorn (Toulouse? Scotland?) tends to play. His passing/offload game feels crisper and higher tempo than Keenan’s - and as we saw in Paris, his pace and eye for a gap from deep are superior.


But again, that will only prove a decisive factor if Andy Farrell wants to play that way. If all he wants from his FB is to sit deep, field high balls, and mop up then there’s little between these two equally excellent players.

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