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Two Australia U20 reps given a shot with Reds as strong squad named

Will McCulloch of Australia scores a try during The Rugby Championship U20 Round 3 match between Australia and New Zealand at Sunshine Coast Stadium on May 12, 2024 in Sunshine Coast, Australia. (Photo by Albert Perez/Getty Images)

Australia U20 representatives Will McCulloch and Trevor King are among the new players in the Queensland Reds’ squad for the 2025 DHL Super Rugby Pacific season. Two Wallabies have also signed on with the Reds for the upcoming campaign, which starts in February.

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Lukhan Salakaia-Loto and Filipo Daugunu will both return to the club following stints with the Melbourne Rebels. Salakaia-Loto has played regular minutes for Joe Schmidt’s Wallabies in 2024, while Daugunu was among the team’s standouts during the July Series.

Outside back Lachie Anderson, lock Josh Canham, prop Matt Gibbon and backline utility Mason Gordon are other signings for the ne season who have already played for the Reds with matches through the club’s International Program.

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The Reds recently played two matches in Japan, which included a tense battle with the Saitama Panasonic Wild Knights for the Saitama-Queensland Shield. With the Queenslanders winning that contest, they’ll hang onto that prized shield for at least one more year.

“We continue to evolve our squad and increase our depth and options for what will be another challenging Super Rugby Pacific season,” head coach Les Kiss said in a statement.

“This is an ambitious group that knows working hard is the only way to bring out the best of their abilities in a fantastic competition.

“We need to be ready for everything Super Rugby throws at your and that starts on the training field, in the gym, and in our team meetings.

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“The Reds have a close alignment with our Academy. We had young guys like Dre Pakeho make a really positive step from the Academy to playing for the Reds in 2024.

“The International Program has been a great opportunity for young players to broaden their range of experiences.

“The opportunity to train at a higher level with the Reds is the best possible chance for Trevor and Will to take their games further.”

McCulloch started two matches on the wing for Australia at the U20 Rugby Championship on the Sunshine Coast earlier this year, which included a two-try performance in the thrilling loss to New Zealand U20 in the title decider.

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King, 19, didn’t play in that competition but was called into the representative squad for the World Rugby U20 Championship in South Africa. The prop started a match against Italy, and also came off the pine against Ireland, Wales and Argentina.

For both players, now is the time for them to push on at training as they look to take that next step at Super Rugby Pacific level. McCulloch is a product of Norths in Brisbane, and it’s clear how excited the outside back is to be included in the Reds’ top squad.

“This is an unreal opportunity and there’s a lot of motivation in seeing how recent Academy players like Dre Pakeho and John Bryant have taken the next step,” McCulloch explained.

“I did a little pre-season with the Reds before their recent tour to Japan to know the hard work and detail ahead which I’m looking forward to.

“The Reds play a quick style, as well as an exciting one, so you want to be involved.”

The Reds have also welcomed Jude Gibbs into the squad, who is a 23-year-old utility back from Sydney’s Northern Suburbs club. Gibbs joins King and McCulloch as the trio of players who are yet to make their debuts for the Reds.

“It’s what I’ve been working for over a long time,” Gibbs said.

“I’m really grateful for all I’ve learnt at Northern Suburbs and the experience of two grand finals.

“Those losses put in perspective just how important the big moments are in big games and how vital a strong start is in being able to control emotion and the external pressure.

“It’s going to be an awesome experience to contribute to develop at the Reds.”

There is still a familiar feel to this strong squad, with the likes of Angus Blyth, Jock Campbell, Fraser McReight, Tate McDermott, Harry Wilson, Isaac Henry, and Tim Ryan returning.

Queensland Reds squad for 2025

Lachie Anderson** – TBC
Richie Asiata – Sunnybank
George Blake – Bond University
Angus Blyth – Bond University
Joe Brial – University of Queensland
John Bryant – Souths
Jock Campbell – University of Queensland
Josh Canham** – Bond University
Max Craig – Easts
Filipo Daugunu – Sunnybank
Massimo de Lutiis – Wests
Sef Fa’agase – Sunnybank
Matt Faessler – Brothers
Josh Flook – Brothers
Jude Gibbs* – TBC
Matt Gibbon** – University Of Queensland
Mason Gordon** – Wests
Frankie Goldsbrough** – Easts
Isaac Henry – Wests
Alex Hodgman – Sunnybank
Trevor King* – Souths
Tom Lynagh – University of Queensland
Will McCulloch*- Norths
Tate McDermott – University of Queensland
Harry McLaughlin-Phillips – Wests
Fraser McReight – Brothers
Josh Nasser – University of Queensland
Zane Nonggorr – Bond University
Hunter Paisami – Wests
Dre Pakeho** – Brothers
Tim Ryan – Brothers
Lukhan Salakaia-Loto – Souths
Ryan Smith – Brothers
Kalani Thomas – University of Queensland
Jeffery Toomaga-Allen – Norths
Seru Uru – Wests
Connor Vest – Souths
Louis Werchon – Wests
Harry Wilson – Brothers
Liam Wright – Easts

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J
JW 2 hours ago
'Passionate reunion of France and New Zealand shows Fabien Galthie is wrong to rest his stars'

Ok, managed to read the full article..

... New Zealand’s has only 14 and the professional season is all over within four months. In France, club governance is the responsibility of an independent organisation [the Ligue Nationale de Rugby or LNR] which is entirely separate from the host union [the Fédération Française de Rugby or FFR]. Down south New Zealand Rugby runs the provincial and the national game.

That is the National Provincial Championship, a competition of 14 representative union based teams run through the SH international window and only semi professional (paid only during it's running). It is run by NZR and goes for two and a half months.


Super Rugby is a competition involving 12 fully professional teams, of which 5 are of New Zealand eligibility, and another joint administered team of Pacific Island eligibility, with NZR involvement. It was a 18 week competition this year, so involved (randomly chosen I believe) extra return fixtures (2 or 3 home and away derbys), and is run by Super Rugby Pacific's own independent Board (or organisation). The teams may or may not be independently run and owned (note, this does not necessarily mean what you think of as 'privately owned').


LNR was setup by FFR and the French Government to administer the professional game in France. In New Zealand, the Players Association and Super Rugby franchises agreed last month to not setup their own governance structure for professional rugby and re-aligned themselves with New Zealand Rugby. They had been proposing to do something like the English model, I'm not sure how closely that would have been aligned to the French system but it did not sound like it would have French union executive representation on it like the LNR does.

In the shaky isles the professional pyramid tapers to a point with the almighty All Blacks. In France the feeling for country is no more important than the sense of fierce local identity spawned at myriad clubs concentrated in the southwest. Progress is achieved by a nonchalant shrug and the wide sweep of nuanced negotiation, rather than driven from the top by a single intense focus.

Yes, it is pretty much a 'representative' selection system at every level, but these union's are having to fight for their existence against the regime that is NZR, and are currently going through their own battle, just as France has recently as I understand it. A single focus, ala the French game, might not be the best outcome for rugby as a whole.


For pure theatre, it is a wonderful article so far. I prefer 'Ntamack New Zealand 2022' though.

The young Crusader still struggles to solve the puzzle posed by the shorter, more compact tight-heads at this level but he had no problem at all with Colombe.

It was interesting to listen to Manny during an interview on Maul or Nothing, he citied that after a bit of banter with the All Black's he no longer wanted one of their jersey's after the game. One of those talks was an eye to eye chat with Tamaiti Williams, there appear to be nothing between the lock and prop, just a lot of give and take. I thought TW angled in and caused Taylor to pop a few times, and that NZ were lucky to be rewarded.

f you have a forward of 6ft 8ins and 145kg, and he is not at all disturbed by a dysfunctional set-piece, you are in business.

He talked about the clarity of the leadership that helped alleviate any need for anxiety at the predicaments unfolding before him. The same cannot be said for New Zealand when they had 5 minutes left to retrieve a match winning penalty, I don't believe. Did the team in black have much of a plan at any point in the game? I don't really call an autonomous 10 vehicle they had as innovative. I think Razor needs to go back to the dealer and get a new game driver on that one.

Vaa’i is no match for his power on the ground. Even in reverse, Meafou is like a tractor motoring backwards in low gear, trampling all in its path.

Vaa'i actually stops him in his tracks. He gets what could have been a dubious 'tackle' on him?

A high-level offence will often try to identify and exploit big forwards who can be slower to reload, and therefore vulnerable to two quick plays run at them consecutively.

Yes he was just standing on his haunches wasn't he? He mentioned that in the interview, saying that not only did you just get up and back into the line to find the opposition was already set and running at you they also hit harder than anything he'd experienced in the Top 14. He was referring to New Zealands ultra-physical, burst-based Super style of course, which he was more than a bit surprised about. I don't blame him for being caught out.


He still sent the obstruction back to the repair yard though!

What wouldn’t the New Zealand rugby public give to see the likes of Mauvaka and Meafou up front..

Common now Nick, don't go there! Meafou showed his Toulouse shirt and promptly got his citizenship, New Zealand can't have him, surely?!?


As I have said before with these subjects, really enjoy your enthusiasm for their contribution on the field and I'd love to see more of their shapes running out for Vern Cotter and the like styled teams.

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