Player Ratings: Reds

OPINION: The Queensland Reds put up a good fight during the first half against the British & Irish Lions, but the visitors were a class above during the second term as they ran away with a clinical 52-12 win in Brisbane.

Jeffrey Toomaga-Allen and Josh Flook crossed for first-half tries as the Queenslanders gave themselves a chance of an upset, but the hosts didn’t score any points after the break as the Lions took control.

Finn Morton from @RugbyPass rates the Reds players:

1. Aidan Ross – 7.5
Aidan Ross came off the bench for the Chiefs in the Super Rugby Pacific Final last month, which was the front-rower’s last match for the club before heading across the ditch. Ross has wasted no time with the Reds by making an immediate impact, with the former All Black winning two scrum penalties in the first half alone.

Ross worked hard around the park as well, clocking in with the fourth-most carries for the Reds by the halftime interval. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see Ross face the Lions again over the coming week, with the prop becoming Wallabies eligible on July 10.

2. Matt Faessler – 6
Matt Faessler was one of two Wallabies released for this fixture and the Reds benefited from the hooker’s inclusion at the set-piece. Faessler hit five of six targets at the lineout, but the 26-year-old struggled to make a meaningful impact in general play, finishing with three carries and six stops in defence.

3. Jeffery Toomaga-Allen – 5
Jeffery Toomaga-Allen became just the second Australia-based player to score against the Lions during their tour, with the former All Black fighting to line in the seventh minute. It was a solid start for Toomaga-Allen and the Reds, but the prop wasn’t able to build on that by having a meaningful impact on the match from there.

While the Reds scrum proved more than up to the task, Toomaga-Allen made some errors and gave away multiple penalties against a Lions outfit who grew in confidence as each minute ticked by. Toomaga-Allen was replaced with just over 20 minutes to play.

4. Josh Canham – 7
Entertaining is by far the first word that comes to mind when reflecting on Josh Canham’s night against the Lions, at least during the first term. Canham put boot-to-ball with a decent touch-finder in the 15th minute and the lock also wasn’t afraid to offload the ball. There was a one-handed offload that went straight to winger Tommy Freeman in open space, but fortunately for the Reds, they had an advantage so the play was brought back.

RugbyPass’ Ben Smith once compared him to former All Black Brodie Retallick, and there were shades of that in this match. Canham was the go-to option at the lineout for the Queenslanders, finished in double digits for tackles, and was among the elite for total carries

5. Lukhan Salakaia-Loto – 5
It was a fairly average performance from Lukhan Salakaia-Loto who was outplayed by teammate Josh Canham, putting in a good performance without being great. Salakaia-Loto was statistically mid-to-low table for both tackles completed and carries, with no real standout moments to speak of.

6. Seru Uru – 7
Seru Uru is a two-Test Wallaby who almost overplayed his hand at times, pushing the ball which led to turnovers and mistakes. Uru was working harder than most, trying desperately to make a difference, but some passes just didn’t stick. While it wasn’t all smooth sailing, Uru’s work rate was a real positive – finishing with a game-high 17 carries, which was four more than second-placed Tommy Freeman.

7. John Bryant – 7
John Bryant had some big shoes to fill in this match, wearing the No. 7 jersey that’s usually worn by Wallaby Fraser McReight. Bryant wasn’t afraid to get stuck in with the ball-in-hand, but the openside flanker wasn’t as impactful on the defensive side of the ball. The 22-year-old had the second-most carries out of any Reds player but was mid-table for tackles completed.

8. Joe Brial – 6
With the Reds ahead by seven early in the match, Joe Brial managed to hold Bundee Aki up over the try line from a maul, which was met by a big cheer from the Brisbane crowd. But, off the goal line dropout that followed, Brial was bumped off far too easily by opposite Jack Conan.

Brial charged down a Jamison Gibson-Park clearance later in the first half. The backrower put in a solid shift overall, finishing with the most tackles completed out of any Reds player with 13 and six stops on the defensive side of the ball.

9. Kalani Thomas – 4
In the absence of Wallabies scrum-half Tate McDermott, 23-year-old Kalani Thomas was named in the Reds’ starting side at halfback. Thomas controlled the team’s attacking tempo well in the lead-up to Jeffrey Toomaga-Allen’s early try but otherwise looked rushed – bouncing around at times without going anywhere and making some mistakes

But it wasn’t all doom and gloom, with Thomas registering a well-worked try assist for Josh Flook midway through the first half. Thomas put a well-worked grubber kick through, which sat up perfectly for the outside centre five metres out from the try line.

10. Harry McLaughlin-Phillips – 4
Harry McLaughlin-Phillips is one of the brightest young prospects in Australian rugby but the 21-year-old went missing for long periods against a world-class Lions outfit. McLaughlin-Phillips converted one of two tries in the first half and was penalised for a high tackle, but did scramble well to retrieve a loose ball just before the break – the only Reds player between Jamison Gibson-Park and what seemed like a certain try. While the playmaker was better during the second term, it was far from McLaughlin-Phillips’ best performance in a Reds jersey.

11. Tim Ryan – 6.5
Tim ‘The Junkyard Dog’ Ryan worked really hard off the ball, both on attack and defence, but that doesn’t always show in the stat sheet. Ryan got the ball four times and they made the most of those opportunities, clocking in with 26 running metres, but an off-night under the high ball is potentially the bigger talking point.

12. Hunter Paisami – 7
Hunter Paisami worked really hard in a bid to make a statement ahead of the Wallabies’ Test series against the Lions. Paisami shot out of the blocks early on with a memorable line break, breaking a couple of tackle attempts in the lead-up to Jeffrey Toomaga-Allen’s try.

On the defensive side of the ball, Paisami was caught rushing out of the line a couple of times, failing to stop the play as the Lions made the most of some space out wide. Paisami finished with nine tackles and eight carries for 16 metres.

13. Josh Flook – 6.5
Josh Flook scored one of Queensland’s two first-half tries and that’s a feat that nobody can ever take away from the outside centre. Flook reaped the rewards of an inch-perfect grubber kick from Kalani Thomas, but that was the only highlight to speak of.

Other than that, Flook carried the ball four times for 11 metres, and 11 Reds players had made more tackles than the midfielder by the time he was replaced. Flook left the match about 10 minutes into the second half with a heavily strapped boot.

14. Lachie Anderson – 7
Lachie Anderson got the ball more than most from the Reds, but only managed 14 metres from nine carries. Without getting the ball in space, fans didn’t get to see the best of Anderson on Wednesday evening, although nobody can say the winger didn’t work incredibly hard in a bid to make something happen.

15. Jock Campbell – 6
Fresh off signing a one-year extension with the Queensland Rugby Union, Jock Campbell led the Reds into battle as the team’s captain for this historic fixture. Campbell had some memorable involvements but was largely kept out of the game as the Lions ran away with a big win.

Replacements

16. Josh Nasser – 5
17. George Blake – 4
18. Sef Fa’agase – 4
19. Ryan Smith – 6
20. Angus Blyth – 5
21. Connor Vest – 4
22. Louis Werchon – 4
23. Isaac Henry – 5