Super Rugby 2024: Chiefs 43 d. Reds 21, Queensland’s season over

The Queensland Reds have fallen short of being the first Australian team to win a Super Rugby final in New Zealand, with the Chiefs moving deeper into the finals season.

Anton Lienert-Brown celebrates a try. Picture: Michael Bradley/Getty Images

Queensland’s Super Rugby Pacific season has come to a disappointing end, with the Reds thrashed 43-21 by the Chiefs in a one-sided quarter-final in Hamilton on Friday night.

Hopes had been high in the Reds camp of Queensland becoming the first Australian team to win a Super Rugby finals clash on New Zealand soil in the competition’s 28-year history.

However, any chance the Reds had of beating the Chiefs for a second time this season after a 25-19 win at Suncorp Stadium in March was gone after a magnificent start from the hosts.

The clumsy Reds were blown away early, and by the 24th minute the Queenslanders had conceded four tries to trail 28-0 and be out of the contest.

“The Chiefs just came out really strong,” Reds co-captain Liam Wright said.

“We fought back well at the end but it was too little, too late.

“It was the breakdown that let us down. We’ve got to look after that ball at the breakdown.”

Reds co-captain Liam Wright. Picture: AFP

The carnage started in the sixth minute when Chiefs hooker Samisoni Taukei’aho powered his way over the line, getting the better of six Reds defenders.

Winger Emoni Narawa scored out wide five minutes later, before producing a miraculous flick pass that the Reds were slow to react to, allowing Taukei’aho to grab the ball and cross for his second try of the night.

It was then the turn of the Chiefs other winger Etene Nanai-Seturo to find his way to the tryline, as he made the most of a clever movement involving two kicks.

With fly half Damian McKenzie converting all four tries, the Chiefs opened up a 28-point advantage with 16 minutes of the first half still remaining.

While the Kiwi outfit was clinical with its chances, the Reds failed to take advantage of their two first-half try-scoring opportunities.

Hooker Matt Faessler had the ball over the line in the 21st minute but was penalised for what seemed to be a double movement.

Later in the half, star flanker Fraser McReight seemed certain to score out wide after being fed close to the line by lock Seru Uru.

However, in his attempt to put the ball down over the line, McReight could only find the legs of a Chiefs defender.

Damian McKenzie converted five tries. Picture: Michael Bradley/Getty Images

A Mackenzie penalty on the stroke of halftime gave the Chiefs a 31-0 lead at the break.

The shell-shocked Reds had no choice but to lift in the second-half, and they did so, with co-captain Tate McDermott scoring tries in the 44th and 55th minutes.

However, their already forlorn cause wasn’t helped when centre Hunter Paisami was sin-binned in the 63rd minute for a deliberate knock-on.

Replacement fly half Lawson Creighton crossed for a consolation five-pointer with five minutes remaining but it was far too late, with the Chiefs already having further cemented their win with second-half tries to centre Anton Lienert-Brown and replacement hooker Bradley Slater.

Chiefs 43 (Taukei’aho 2, Narawa, Nanai-Seturo, Lienert-Brown, Slater tries; McKenzie 5 conv, pen) d. Reds 21 (McDermott 2, Creighton tries; Creighton 2 conv, Lynagh conv)

Originally published as Super Rugby 2024: Chiefs 43 d. Reds 21, Queensland’s season over