Reds v Western Force: Five takeaways as Wallabies rookie leads the way for hosts while visitors’ forward’s superb try-scoring form continues
Reds fly-half Tom Lynagh and Western Force flanker Carlo Tizzano.
Following the Reds victory over the Western Force in their Super Rugby Pacific clash at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane on Saturday, Planet Rugby picks out five takeaways from the thrilling action.
The top line
As the scoreline suggests, this match’s result was in the balance until its dying moments but in the end the Reds took the spoils, which means they move to the top of the Super Rugby Pacific table.
The opening half was an exciting affair, with the two sides giving their all in a bid to gain the ascendancy.
Momentum between the sides ebbed and flowed during the opening half with Filipo Daugunu and Tom Robertson trading early tries, which meant the sides were level at 7-7 by the eighth minute.
It was a similar story during the rest of the half as Heremaia Murray and Dre Pakeho crossed the whitewash for the home side while Carlo Tizzano scored two tries for the Force, which meant the sides were deadlocked at 21-21 at half-time.
The second half was a tighter affair, and we had to wait until the 58th minute for the first points after the interva,l which came via a penalty from Ben Donaldson.
The Reds upped the ante on attack during the game’s final quarter and clinched their victory in the 73rd minute when Tate McDermott went over for the match-winning try.
Tom Lynagh shines for the Reds
Wallabies rookie Tom Lynagh deserves plenty of credit for the Reds’ victory as he came to the fore with an outstanding all-round performance in this encounter.
The 21-year-old showed why he is so highly rated in Australia as he caught the eye with excellent game management and a solid performance off the kicking tee while he also showed off his vast array of skills on attack.
In the 25th minute, Lynagh caught the visitors’ defence napping as he beat a couple of defenders with deft footwork in the build-up to Dre Pakeho’s try, and he continued to impress with ball in hand as the game progressed.
He did not overdo that though, finishing with 20 metres gained on attack – after making three runs, including one clean break and two defenders beaten – as he put his team-mates into gaps with his excellent distribution skills.
Lynagh also showed his class with his tactical kicking and finished with an eight-point contribution after converting all four of his team’s tries.
Reds’ bench impact prove decisive
The second half was characterised by excellent defensive efforts from both teams, but Reds head coach Les Kiss deserves praise for introducing his replacements at the right time and the impact they had on the end result.
With the match turning into an arm wrestle after the interval, the introduction of experienced players like Jeff Toomaga-Allen, Angus Blyth and Tate McDermott had the desired effect and eventually helped the hosts over the line.
Toomaga-Allen and Blyth delivered solid performances at the forefront of the Reds’ forward onslaught, while McDermott kept the defence honest with his superb playmaking skills and dangerous line breaks around the fringes of the rucks.
And the Wallabies scrum-half eventually won the game for the hosts when he crossed for his try from close quarters in the game’s closing stages.
Tom Robertson’s moment of magic
It’s not often that front-rowers are in the spotlight for their attacking ability, but that’s exactly the case for the experienced campaigner, who left his stamp on this fixture with a magical moment early in the opening half.
The 30-year-old did what most props only dream of when he scored a sensational try, which drew his side level with the Reds.
Shortly after Daugunu gave the Reds the lead, the Force launched an attack close to the halfway line, and Nick Champion de Crespigny gave the visitors momentum with a strong carry.
He was brought to ground five metres inside the Reds’ half but offloaded to the on-rushing Robertson, who pinned his ears back and set off towards his opponents’ try-line.
He still had plenty of work to do and was eventually hauled in by the cover defence deep inside the Reds’ 22 but despite hitting the deck, his momentum eventually took him over the whitewash.
It was a spectacular but deserved score from the Wallaby, which he is sure to remember for the rest of his life.
Carlo Tizzano’s superb try-scoring streak continues
Tizzano came into this fixture sitting pretty at the top of Super Rugby Pacific’s try-scoring charts with eight five-pointers to his name after five matches played so far this season.
That is an excellent return considering the fact that he was not in action in the Force’s Round Five defeat to the Crusaders in Christchurch and that the season has not reached its halfway stage yet.
The young Wallabies flanker continued with his remarkable run when he crossed the whitewash with two more tries in the first half against the Reds, which means he has now scored 10 five-pointers!
This is the fourth time that Tizzano has scored a brace of tries after also doing it against Moana Pasifika, the Fijian Drua and in the corresponding fixture against the Reds in Perth earlier this season.
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