You had to love the crucial moment midway through the second half of the Reds-Rebels game that confirmed the Queenslanders are right in the mix. The luckless Isaac Henry had just gone off injured, and the Rebels were building multiple phases and threatening a comeback.

Then, Queensland’s Josh Flook – who had moved into the No.12 role – won a crucial breakdown penalty. From that point onwards, the Reds didn’t look back. They are a fit, patient, and well-connected side. In defence, those qualities are producing big moments such as the Flook penalty, and in attack, it’s producing all those lovely offloads and great support lines.

They are unquestionably one of the best sides in the competition, and should they beat the Western Force in Perth next week you would think that the Reds will get a big crowd through the gates for their round-six clash with the Brumbies in Brisbane.

The Waratahs-Blues game degenerated into an ugly, penalty-riddled mess on Saturday night, in part because the Blues seem intent on simply bludgeoning every side they meet.

That said, the Waratahs finished the game with a tonne of energy and the decision on Darren Coleman’s future becomes cloudier every week. They have one win from four and currently sit outside the top eight, but they have been handed a very challenging start to the campaign.

The Fijian Drua are next up, in Fiji, but it’s somewhat flown under the radar that they have to play the Crusaders, again, in Sydney in round eight. It’s the nature of Super Rugby’s uneven draw, but the peril of that Crusaders rematch is clear: the defending champions will almost certainly be better by then compared to the first four rounds.

The Waratahs suffered another narrow defeat.Credit: Getty

QOSHE - Don’t adjust your sets: Australia has a genuine Super Rugby contender - Paul Cully
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Don’t adjust your sets: Australia has a genuine Super Rugby contender

10 1
18.03.2024

You had to love the crucial moment midway through the second half of the Reds-Rebels game that confirmed the Queenslanders are right in the mix. The luckless Isaac Henry had just gone off injured, and the Rebels were building multiple phases and threatening a comeback.

Then, Queensland’s Josh Flook – who had moved into the No.12 role – won a crucial breakdown penalty. From that point onwards, the Reds didn’t look back. They are........

© The Sydney Morning Herald


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