Wallabies teammates Harry Wilson and Andrew Kellaway have reignited Australian rugby’s greatest rivalry before the Queensland Reds ended the NSW Waratahs’ unbeaten Super Rugby Pacific start.
But a potentially serious shoulder injury to star Reds and Wallabies No.7 Fraser McReight was a sore point in their 35-15 bonus point win on Saturday night at Suncorp Stadium.
There was no love lost as the Waratahs, boasting former longtime Reds Taniela Tupou and Lawson Creighton, arrived looking to dent their rivals’ top-four aspirations.
It was the visitors who breathed fire in the early exchanges, to a fault when fullback Kellaway was sin-binned for dangerously lifting and tipping backrower and Test captain Wilson after making a crunching tackle that dislodged the ball.
Play continued and the Waratahs threatened to score, before a review saw Test back Kellaway yellow-carded.
Kellaway engaged Wilson with some pointed chat on his way to the bench, bloody-nosed Wilson responding with some of his own as he directed his Test colleague to the sin-bin.
The incident sparked the Reds, who steadied with an opportunistic try to fullback Heremiah Murray that cancelled out Tristan Reilly’s opener for the Waratahs.
The Waratahs had dominated the opening 15 minutes but the Reds tipped the scales.
Wilson bumped and spun over for a try of his own, then replacement hooker Richie Asiata finished a 20-metre driving maul less than a minute after Matt Faessler went off injured.
The hosts, in front of 20,072 fans, then hit top gear with re-signed flanker McReight finishing a sharp sequence that passed through five sets of hands.
The No.7 grabbed the point of his left shoulder after diving to ground the ball though, McReight substituted after briefly trying to play through the pain.
The Reds defended desperately to thwart the Tahs’ reply, Wilson winning a turnover to get the hosts out of trouble.
Replacement Angus Blyth then burrowed over at the other end to ice the result, Langi Gleeson with some late consolation try as the Reds joined the Waratahs at 3-1 this season.
Fit-again lock Seru Uru was impressive in his return for the Reds while Max Jorgensen was a threat all night for the Waratahs.
https://thewest.com.au/sport/rugby-union/mcreight-hurt-sparks-fly-as-reds-end-tahs-super-start-c-18050816
