Super Rugby Pacific: Five takeaways from Chiefs v Reds as Brad Thorn answers his critics

David Skippers
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Following the Reds’ 25-22 triumph over the Chiefs in New Plymouth on Friday, Planet Rugby picks out five takeaways from the action.

Brad Thorn answers his critics

It was announced last month that the former All Black’s stint as the Reds head coach would come to an end after he came in for criticism following the Reds’ poor start to Super Rugby Pacific.

Thorn has been at the helm since 2018, and during his stint in charge, the Reds were regularly amongst the top two teams in Australia, and he guided the team to a Super Rugby AU title in 2021.

Granted, the team have not been in fine form this season, and when it was announced that he would be stepping down, the Reds had won three and lost five of their eight matches played.

Since then, they have beaten the Western Force and the Chiefs and lost to the Waratahs, but their latest victory will give Thorn great satisfaction as it ended the Chiefs’ 10-match winning run in Super Rugby Pacific and also clinched the Reds’ first win on New Zealand soil since 2013, ending a 21-game losing streak against Kiwi opposition.

Reds’ bench makes big impact

The Brisbane-based outfit’s starting line-up did well to hold their own in most facets of play, especially during the early stages, but there were also areas in which they struggled in, and it did not take long for head coach Thorn to bring on reinforcements.

After battling in the tight exchanges – especially the line-outs where they lost some balls on their own throw-in – Thorn replaced his hooker Richie Asiata and starting props George Blake and Peni Ravai, with Matt Faessler, Sef Fa’agase and Zane Nonggorr coming off the bench and there was an immediate improvement up front.

Elsewhere, Thorn also brought on Tom Lynagh at fly-half at the start of the second half, and the young pivot impressed with his game management while Harry Wilson also shone as a ball carrier and on defence.

Chiefs’ selection plan backfires

Chiefs head coach Clayton McMillan made numerous changes to his starting line-up for this encounter as he rested several first-choice players like co-captains Sam Cane and Brad Weber as well as other stars like Brodie Retallick, Samisoni Taukei’aho, Daniel Rona and Pita Gus Sowakula.

Although they held the upper hand for most of the opening half, the Reds were still in the game at half-time with the score deadlocked at 12-12. After the break, the Chiefs faded somewhat, and the men from Queensland pounced on their hosts mistakes and they were made to pay for those errors.

Although it’s not unusual for stronger teams to make wholesale changes when playing against weaker opposition, the Chiefs’ plan backfired horribly, and they ultimately suffered their first loss of the season.

Tate McDermott continues to shine

Since he was omitted from Australia head coach Eddie Jones’ first training camp on the Gold Coast last month the Reds and Wallabies scrum-half has come to the fore with some impressive performances, and he continued with his fine form against the Chiefs.

McDermott caught the eye with his excellent service to his outside backs and put his forwards on the front foot with some clever offloads, especially in the second half.

Apart from being an excellent link between forwards and backs, the 24-year-old also impressed around the fringes of the rucks and mauls, and he was rewarded with a well-taken try during the latter stages of the first half.

McDermott also impressed on defence with seven tackles made and continues to show Jones that he can still do a job for Australia at Test level.

Too many unforced errors and poor discipline from the Chiefs

After their excellent start to the season – in which they won all 10 of their previous matches – this was a very different showing from their previous performances, and the Ciefs only have themselves to blame for their defeat.

They had the bulk of the possession and also dominated the territorial stakes, but their performance was littered with numerous mistakes on attack and defence, and the Reds ultimately deserved their win.

The Chiefs’ excellent discipline has been an area which has been one of the standout features this season, but that wasn’t evident on Friday as they conceded nine penalties which also contributed to their downfall.

READ MORE: WATCH: Reds claim stunning win over the Chiefs despite BIZARRE conversion error

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