Reds v Chiefs: Five takeaways as All Blacks star ‘shows his class’ and Wallabies playmaker sends ‘timely reminder’ to Joe Schmidt
Chiefs number eight Wallace Sititi and Reds playmaker Carter Gordon (inset).
Following the Chiefs’ 31-21 win over the Reds in their Super Rugby Pacific clash at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane on Friday, Planet Rugby picks out five takeaways from the thrilling action.
The top line
This was an entertaining encounter played with great intensity and the result was in the balance until the game’s closing stages but the Chiefs eventually got the rub of the green and outscored the Reds by four tries to three.
The Reds made a superb start as Lachie Anderson crossed for the opening try after just eight minutes, but the visitors struck back when Wallace Sititi crossed for a well-taken five-pointer.
The rest of the half was an arm wrestle as the sides battled to gain the ascendancy and a penalty from Damian McKenzie was the only other points scored before half-time which meant the Chiefs held a slender 10-7 lead at the interval.
The second half started brightly for the men from Hamilton as a converted try from Samisoni Taukei’aho in the 51st minute gave them a 17-7 lead before the Reds struck back with Joe Brial’s five-pointer and when Louis Werchon added the extras it meant the match was in the balance as the Chiefs were leading by three points again.
Another Taukei’aho try after 71 minutes saw the Chiefs regaining the initiative, but the Reds would not surrender and struck back shortly afterwards when rookie flyer Treyvon Pritchard dotted down which meant we were set for a thrilling finish.
And although the Reds went in search of the victory, it was the Chiefs who finished stronger and secured the result when Sititi crossed again in the game’s closing stages.
Wallace Sititi back to his best
After bursting onto the scene with several outstanding performances in 2024, Sititi’s career has been plagued by injuries and he only returned to action last month after being kept on the sidelines with a hamstring issue earlier this year.
The 23-year-old has shown flashes of brilliance since his return to action, but he was back to his best against the Reds as he came to the fore with a superb all-round display and made little mistakes during the full 80 minutes.
Sititi was in the thick of the action from the outset and took the fight to the Reds on both sides of the ball. He showed his class on attack, gaining 43 metres from 14 carries which included two clean breaks, three defenders beaten and was rewarded with a brace of tries for his efforts.
Meanwhile, he emptied the tank on defence as he made a match-high 22 tackles and also won a crucial turnover.
Critical error from match officials
Although the Chiefs finished this encounter as deserved winners, the Reds were left scratching their heads after a costly error from referee Marcus Playle and his television match official Glenn Newman.
On the stroke of half-time, the home side were hammering away at the Chiefs’ try-line when Seru Uru gathered the ball at a ruck before diving over under a mass of bodies.
The Reds started celebrating what they thought that a try was scored but Playle indicated that Uru was held up before consulting Newman, who looked at some replays before ruling that it was inconclusive whether Uru had dotted down.
That was a strange decision as it looked like the Wallabies lock did ground the ball and when Playle blew his whistle shortly afterwards, there was a cacophony of boos from Reds fans inside Suncorp Stadium as they expressed their dissatisfaction with the match officials’ decision.
In the end, that call did not affect the end result but the Reds will be very unhappy as it means they finish this match empty handed.
Superb cameo from Carter Gordon
The Reds are blessed with three outstanding fly-halves in Harry McLaughlin-Phillips, Carter Gordon and Tom Lynagh and with the latter currently sidelined through injury, McLaughlin-Phillips wore the number 10 jersey in this clash while Gordon started on the bench.
He was solid during his 50 minutes on the field but Gordon, who made his return to rugby union at the end of last year after an 18-month stint in the NRL, send a timely reminder to Wallabies head coach Joe Schmidt of his ability when he entered the fray.
This was the 25-year-old’s first game back after being sidelined with a knee injury for the past month and he hit the ground running as he caught the eye with a superb line break soon after he came onto the field.
With the Reds chasing the game during the second half, Gordon showed some deft touches on attack as he played a hand in the build-up to Brial and Pritchard’s tries. The Wallaby’s impressive showing off the bench, should see him earning a promotion to the run-on side soon.
Want more from Planet Rugby? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for world-class coverage you can trust.
Ollie Norris delivers the goods for Chiefs
There were several players amongst the Chiefs forwards who caught the eye and while Sititi led the way, rookie All Blacks loosehead Norris was not far behind as he emptied the tank during his 60 minutes on the field.
The 26-year-old put in a solid scrummaging display and won his direct battle in that department against Zane Nonggorr as Norris had the Wallabies tighthead on the back foot on a few occasions.
Apart from his excellent scrummaging, Norris also impressed as a ball carrier, especially at close quarters where he gave the Chiefs good momentum, and on defence where he made 13 hits and won two turnovers.
With Crusaders counterpart Tamaiti Williams, who finished last year as New Zealand’s first choice loosehead, currently sidelined due to a serious spinal injury, Norris showed in this game that he will not disgrace himself if he starts for the All Blacks in their upcoming Nations Championship Tests later this year.
READ MORE: Hurricanes suffer setback as All Blacks star sidelined in build-up to Super Rugby Pacific play-offs
