Rising backrower Joe Brial has been re-signed for 2026 by the Queensland Rugby Union to continue his strong development with the Queensland Reds.
Today’s exciting announcement flows from Brial, 23, showing his class and influence as a 114kg forward since his Reds debut in April last year.
Brial has featured in 11 of the Reds’ 12 matches this season in Smartech Super Rugby Pacific and has now played 20 matches in all in the maroon jersey.
“We have a quality playing group and I have great mates here as well. The coaching staff is world class and has also built a really good team culture,” Brial said.
“You get good and honest feedback (from the coaches) which makes getting better enjoyable.
“All the factors made it pretty easy to re-sign when the opportunity came up.”
Brial’s progress in 2024 was recognised when he was selected for the Australia XV which played England A in London last November.
Brial has played six times in the starting backrow for the Reds in 2025, including his standout 80-minute display against the top-placed Chiefs in Hamilton. Against the ACT Brumbies last weekend, he was the top ground-gainer in the Reds pack with 93 running metres from eight carries to go with 12 tackles.
“For sure, good consistent minutes have, personally, helped with good growth in my game and given me a lot more confidence at this level,” Brial said.
“We have some international-level backrowers at the club and learning stuff from them has definitely been part of that growth.”
Fans are absorbing all that Brial can bring to a game with physical ball-carries, strong defence and the foot speed to chase his own kick for 35m to score a try against the Chiefs.
“Obviously, we have a game model at the Reds but being you and being free within it is a strength that is encouraged,” Brial said.
Brial has built on his strong upbringing in rugby which saw him represent the 2019 Australian Schools & Under-18s team and the New Zealand Under-20s in 2022.
The son of former Wallabies forward Michael Brial also developed his game through the Crusaders Academy and Canterbury in New Zealand’s National Provincial Championship before signing with the Reds in September, 2023.
Reds Head Coach Les Kiss is delighted to see Brial on board at Ballymore for 2026.
“The growth in Joe’s game over the past 12-18 months has been massive and we've seen it come to the fore with his performance against the Chiefs and other opponents,” Kiss said.
“To have his qualities in our backrow depth, game on game, is brilliant.”
Brial said the whole Reds squad appreciated the significance of Friday night’s clash against the Hurricanes at Suncorp Stadium and the home game against the Fijian Drua on May 31.
“We want to make the most of playing at home with the crowd behind us and earn the best possible position into the finals,” Brial said.
Position: Backrow
Height: 195cm
Weight: 114kg
Birth date: 07/01/2002
Place of Birth: Sydney
Club: University of Queensland
Junior Club: Eastern Suburbs Rugby Club (Sydney)
School: Scots College, Sydney
Queensland debut: 2024 v Highlanders, Brisbane
Queensland caps: 20
