Queensland Reds to gamble on Jamie-Jerry Taulagi against Western Force

THE flashy stepping of Jamie-Jerry Taulagi is to be the shock weapon against the Western Force on Saturday night in a classic rags-to-Reds rise.

Jamie-Jerry Taulagi (left) with Reds teammate Quade Cooper. Picture: Darren England.

THE flashy stepping of Jamie-Jerry Taulagi is to be the shock weapon against the Western Force on Saturday night in a classic rags-to-Reds rise.

Picking the young Aucklander for a starting debut on the wing at Suncorp Stadium is certain to be confirmed today when the Reds unveil their side for the grudge clash.

Taulagi, 20, has already demonstrated in Reds A games and training that he has a better Kiwi sidestep than the young Quade Cooper when he was blooded in 2007.

Taulagi is the man for a mini-crisis with outside backs Dom Shipperley, Chris Feauai-Sautia and Aidan Toua injured.

He also offers much-needed X-factor to break the line out of nothing or scoot into a Cooper-created gap because the Reds are short of firepower right now.

Keeping Lachie Turner at fullback, Rod Davies on the other wing and super sub Ben Lucas for the bench creates the opening for Taulagi.

Taulagi was a teenage kid when he bowled up to University training unannounced in 2012 searching for a fresh start away from New Zealand.

Jamie-Jerry Taulagi in his Reds jersey. Picture: Getty Images

He started last year washing cars to make ends meet.

He scored 14 tries for Uni last season, including a 60m intercept gem against GPS at Ashgrove, with a trademark goose step and fend shedding the cover defence.

Taulagi will benefit from the improved form of centre Ben Tapuai, whose footwork against the Stormers last weekend created a sharp opportunity for Shipperley in the lead-up to the Reds’ only try.

Taulagi’s positional play is sure to be tested because the Force have proved adept at kicking and pressuring when clearing the ball from their own half.

The Reds know how accurate they have to be with their own kicking and the energy to their kick chase defence because of Luke Morahan, the former Red on the wing for the Force.

Morahan is a noted opportunist when running the ball back, including his 75m kick-and-regather from the Reds-British and Irish Lions tour game which was the best solo try of 2013.

The return of No.8 Ben McCalman from suspension adds punch to the Force pack, which will be without former Wallaby Hugh McMeniman (collarbone) for much of the season.

Force skipper Matt Hodgson has been in superb form and the ball-slowing pressure the flanker applies at the breakdown is something the Reds have to cop with without injured Liam Gill.

Fortunately, flanker Beau Robinson was one of the Reds’ best against the Stormers and will relish this quality head-to-head.

■ QUEENSLANDERS Tom Banks, Jack Payne, Jonah Placid, Michael Gunn, Scott Gale, Alifeliti Kaitu’u and Jake McIntyre have been named in a preliminary 33-man Australian training squad for the world under-20 championships in New Zealand in June.

Tune-up matches against Fiji and Samoa at Bond University later this month are a wise move so the team can atone for the 2013’s squad’s lame seventh placing in Paris.