Queensland Reds v Melbourne Rebels in round 5 of National Championships at Sunnybank RC
The Queensland Reds under 16s and under 19s ran in a combined 86 points against their Melbourne Rebels rivals in round 5 of the National Championships. A handful of emerging footy stars are revealed here with our match coverage.
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The stakes couldn’t have been higher for the Queensland Reds Under 16s who were in need of a big win today over the Melbourne Rebels to advance to the finals.
And boy did they deliver, thumping the Rebels 45-14 to book their ticket into the finals.
Following their heartbreaking 15-17 loss last week to the Western Force, it was just the answer.
The Under 19s followed suit with a 41-10 win over the Rebels. It was close, but then it wasn’t, the backline firepower of Queensland blowing away their rivals in the last quarter.
See below for coverage on the day’s play.
The Big Three from the Reds Under 16s
Presyn Laine-Sietu: “Prestyn is outstanding. The boys have realised we need to get entries and just get the ball to him. No one can stop Prestyn from 15m out. He has a great skill set. He’s an exceptional footballer,” coach Simon Craig said.
Chace Oates: “He controlled the game well and he’s a big body in the line so it made the defence question what he was going to do. Run, pass or kick. He has that spot now and he will be the starting flyhalf next week,” Craig said.
Ewald Kruger: “He’s our best player. So reliable. He’s outstanding. He has a bright future, and plays that perfect hooker’s role. Abrasive, brilliant in the set piece, and wins the ball by a country mile with his jackling,” Craig said.
Queensland Reds Under 16 v Melbourne Rebels Under 16
A double from Nudgee College centre Prestyn Laine-Sietu, a kicking masterclass by Chace Oates and the lineout precision from Ewald Kruger, both Toowoomba Grammar boys, delivered a 45-14 victory over the Melbourne Rebels on Sunday.
The 31-point win set Sunnybank Rugby Club alight, with six first half tries paving the way for a brilliant team performance.
Coach Simon Craig said it was the best display the 16s have put together all tournament “The focus was on us not them, being the best we can be. We wanted to build some confidence and play in our systems,” Craig said.
Laine-Sietu picked up exactly how he left last week which was running lines that score tries. In the Reds first attacking passage, the headgeared outside centre had no chance of being held out with his Nudgee school mate Ryan Heaton giving him a crisp pop pass.
Laine-Sietu got his double with his next touch, extending the Queenslander’s lead at 14-0 with flyhalf Chace Oates adding the extras.
Oates, who has been playing either centre or fullback this campaign, spotted space out wide and delivered winger David Colaivalu a superb cut-out pass. Colaivalu’s fend and long strides evaded his first defender, before a draw and pass awarded Laine-Sietu who was in support.
Only 17 minutes into the game Oates was already sounding alarms as a flyhalf lock. A textbook 50-22 kick gave the Reds a golden opportunity and his forwards made no mistake off a cheeky lineout move.
Hooker Ewald Kruger found target Jake Stephens who then fed No.8 Jasper Barry, before the Gilbert returned to its master, Kruger trampling over his rival and slamming it down to make it 19-0.
In case you didn’t know, Kruger is king. The No.2 aced another lineout throw to Stephens five minutes later to set up the Reds fourth five-pointer. This time, giant blindside flanker Amare Milford got the choccies, surging from behind his lineout buddies’ jersey and muscling his way over three defenders to plant it down.
Everything was going the Queenslanders way. Oates, learning from the conversion prior to slot this identical one from the left touchline. Then, booting a mammoth penalty from halfway only 8 metres out, gifting substitute frontrower Cameron Ray an easy pick-and-drive try a few phases after the lineout.
But, after ballooning out to 31-0, the Reds finally let one in. It came through winger Joseph Vella who burned down the left edge thanks to a cut-out by Finn McKay after a one-on-one strip from prop Dante Siale won the Rebels possession.
The Rebels scored their second just after the break, busy flanker Mapu Fiso squeezing past the last line of defence following a regathered grubber-kick and offload from Mckay to winger Andrew Mulipola, who flung the ball back in field before being hoisted into touch.
The Reds moved ahead 38-14 through Will Pascoe in the 54th minute. A smart pass from the base of the ruck by Billy Wellard found Pascoe pouncing from close range.
Kruger came up with a crucial breakdown win minutes later to repel the Rebels. Then, the home side advanced up the field for their next try. This time, a dash from playmaker Tauave Leofa settled the scores at 45-14.
Queensland Reds under 19 v Melbourne Rebels Under 19
The Queensland Reds put on a dazzling display at Sunnybank Rugby Club on Sunday, defeating the Melbourne Rebels 41-10.
The usual suspect in Harry McLaughlin-Phillips had the Rebels on the backfoot from the first whistle. Nick Baker had captain’s knock, playing the full 80 with tremendous work rate.
Reds newcomer Alex Miles, a bulky centre, made a very good impact in his first National Championships hit out. He had a great run with his first touch and then went over with his second.
It’s worth noting he had plenty to do for the try. His leg drive and strength in contact was enough to pick up a loose ball, surge to the tryline and escape the grasp of his defenders.
Australian Schools and U18 representative Will McCulloch grabbed the Queenslander’s second of the day and jeez there no was no shortage of flare. A flick pass from fullback Matt Brice found him on the right wing and his left foot step left Mason Gordon stuck in his tracks. From there, his searing pace saw him burn down the touchline to score.
McCulloch was given a yellow card in the 27th minute and that opened the door for the visitors to level things up. Indeed they did, with a Mason Gordon penalty and a Patrick Lavemai try.
There was no stopping the powerhouse prop from in close. It did not come easy though, with flanker Nick Baker, prop Nick Bloomfield and No.8 Stuart Tualima all making clutch defensive efforts to deny them on multiple occasions.
Baker had a breakdown win which would have got the Reds out of trouble, but the referee penalised him for coming in from the side. It could have gone either way.
Who scored the Reds first try in the second half? You guessed it— McLaughlin-Phillips. We haven’t seen a tryscoring flyhalf like Harry in a while and he doesn’t just finish them off he makes them happen with his speed, step, acceleration and change of direction.
To move ahead 17-10, McLaughlin-Phillips sliced through a hole before linking up with halfback Willem Johnstone, who put a kick ahead only to be regathered and scored by McLaughlin-Phillips.
It was sure to be the try of the day until Jackson Connelly joined the party. In an all-or-nothing play, he put the nail in the coffin with an intercept.
The Rebels had a four-on-three overlap and a converted try would have equalised the scores. Connolly leaped in the air to ruin Gordon’s cut-out ball before a fast 95m breakaway saw him draw his boys clear at 24-10.
The Reds built on this momentum, bench firepower Jack Hussey carving back on the inside and crashing over only moments later. In the space of five minutes, the Rebels went from down seven to down 29-10 with only 10 to play. McLaughlin-Phillips continued to apply pressure with countless magical runs.
Then. his partner in crime Taj Annan, found Brice lurking and delivered a crisp ball to see him stroll in.
McLaughlin-Phillips has surely been the best player in the under 19s competition. If he wasn’t before this game he’d have to be after. He stretched the win out to 41-10 with a pop-pass setting up Hunter Lim for the Reds final say of the afternoon.
LAST WEEKEND’S WRAP
The Queensland Reds Under 16s fell short 15-17 in their round 4 fixture against the Western Force, scoring 15 unanswered points in the second half in a commendable comeback attempt.
The young guns took 50 minutes to get on the board and got rolling a pinch too late, scoring on the siren. But, the Under 19s hit back for the Queenslanders in yet another strong showing, thumping the Force 36-7.
Players like Taj Annan just keep bringing it.
See below for our match reports and Reds standouts.
Coach Simon Craig’s under 16s standouts:
No.13 Prestyn Laine-Sietu: “He took the line on. Got us front foot ball and had dazzling footwork.”
No.7 Joseph Stoddart: “Stoddart had a very good game for us. His workrate was great and he did all the dirty work.”
No.15 Chace Oates: Oates was great. Just tough to tackle, giving us good go forward.
Under 19 standouts:
No.12 Taj Annan.
No.7 Nick Baker.
Flanker Stuart Tualima and No.8 John Bryant.
Queensland Reds Under 19 v Western Force Under 19
The Reds cruised to a 36-7 win over the Western Force at the Southern Lions Rugby Club on Sunday, and the chemistry within the group is really starting to show.
The Under 19s are starting to roll and the New South Wales Waratahs are going to have to watch out for them.
A masterclass by players one through 23 shot the visitors out to an early lead and they never took their foot of the gas. If they keep playing the way they are the Waratahs will need to be at their best come finals time.
The Queenslanders asserted themselves early, running in four first half tries to slam the Force onto the backfoot.
The Reds scrum was dominant yet again, while playmaking duo Taj Annan and Harry McLaughlin-Phillips orchestrated the backline brilliantly.
When you pair the powerhouse Reds forward pack and the mix of pace, playmaking ability and sidestepping possessed by the backs, you have one formidable team.
The only team to topple it so far was the Waratahs in round 1, who came from behind to snatch it.
St Laurence’s College Old Boy John Bryant had a Radike Samo-esque run in the early going which was just phenomenal. The big No.8 wound up from the 35m line and made it inches before the line. Flanker Stuart Tualima followed in hot pursuit and dove over for his team’s first.
A classy flick pass from inside centre Taj Annan set up fullback Harry Grant for the next try and jeez it looked good.
The Reds fed off this and tallied another two tries before the half time siren. The backline connection in McLaughlin-Phillips, Tim Ryan, Jarred Homan and Annan gave pilfer-king flanker Nick Baker room to stroll over. Then, a scoot from scrumhalf Willem Johnstone pushed the Queenslanders further ahead at 26-0.
Johnstone went off and replacement Sam Farrar came on, bringing an electric impact with him. With limited touches, Farrar forced his way into the game. His darts from the scrum and ruck caught his rivals napping and on two occasions he almost scored one and set up one.
Try scoring flyhalf McLaughlin-Phillips put on his dazzling left foot step to undo the Force defence and dive over for the Queenslander’s fifth.
Given the gutsy defence and tireless efforts from the Reds, you’d never guess they were up 31-0. Hooker Noah Hartley was one of many who kept toiling at 110% in the back end of the match, stealing a fantastic breakdown win to repel the Force.
But, winger Kunai Tipene-Grace muscled his way over to give the home side their first points of the day. The Reds had an answer in them though, scoring one last try through prop hardworking prop Harrison Usher.
A galloping run from GPS’ Nick Baker and the ducking and weaving from electric centre Tim Ryan laid the platform for the icing on the cake. The Reds came away convincing 36-7 victors.
Queensland Reds Under 16 v Western Force Under 16
The Reds have fallen short 15-17 in round four of the National Championships, the Western Force coming away with a cracking win at the Southern Lions Rugby Club.
It was a slow start by the boys in Maroon, who did not lead at any point during the game. A Tom Howard try in the final minutes gave goalkicker Chace Oates the chance to steal a 17-17 draw but it wasn’t to be.
Oates was the Reds’ best, and a sideline conversion was no easy task. We have seen him slot tougher kicks, the bollocking young gun tends to put his size 16 shoe to good use.
Once again prop Princeton Ioane was an absolute wrecking ball off the bench, providing that energy the Reds needed. While he was on, the Queenslanders went from 17-0 down to 17-15.
Coach Simon Craig said: “We were unhappy with the first half. We didn’t play to our game plan, our game control was flustered. The wind and conditions were something we hadn’t experienced before.
“We lost our way in the territory game and had too many errors. 24 at the end of it, knocking it on and kicking it out on the full.
“Fair play to the Force, they turned up to play. Good lesson for our young men.”
Craig said the boys were happy with the comeback effort and the spirits are high knowing they can still make the finals if they get a big win over the Melbourne Rebels next week at home.
Queensland were given a shock in the first half. The Force had a little bit of everything and it was down the left edge where they looked most deadly.
A double from headgeared winger Ken Ah Hong put the home side up 12-0 at the break but had the Reds capitalised when given the chance, then they wouldn’t have found themselves in need of a second half comeback.
But, there were some brilliant defensive plays to hold out the Force when they were charged with momentum entering the Reds 22.
Early on, a jackal from centre Prestyn Laine-Sietu denied the Force from going over. Captain Tom Robinson also had a heroic tackle to dislodge the ball from his rival who was steaming down the left touchline.
This urgency from the skipper prevented them falling behind 19-0 if the extras were added.
Much like Robinson, the whole Reds outfit defended their guts out for the first 35 minutes. The Force were relentless but the forward pack’s brave team effort was as good as it gets. Prop Harry Solofa was damaging with his ball carrying, while front rowers Ewald Kruger and Lochlan Smith stood tall when protecting their try line. They piled on a ton of pressure at the breakdown too.
No.8 giant John Grenfell was also a presence on both sides of the ball but the slick backline play from the Force often created an overlap. Ah Hong made no mistake making the visitors pay.
A lapse in the Reds backline gave way to the Force’s third try only minutes into the second half. Fullback Josh Whittingham was rewarded for his support play, finishing off some magic by his backline teammates.
Down 17-0, the Reds had to strike if they wanted to stay in the fight. And, it was none other than fullback Chace Oates to make something out of nothing.
Oates was by far the most dangerous leading up to the Reds first try which came through winger James Duggan.
Oates’ strength into contact was on full display, breaking tackles with ease all game. A line break from Oates led to a Laine-Sietu five-pointer.
A spree of pick-and-go’s from the Queenslanders led to a Tom Howard try out wide however it was too little too late with the siren sounding at 17-15.
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