Queensland's four-point loss on Friday night was a hammer blow for Reds fans, staff and players alike.
The visitors were brave in defence but fell foul of poor discipline and a terrible start against a Moana Pasifika side who left it late to secure a breakthrough win in 2024.
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Here's what we learnt.
Queensland should’ve been refreshed after the bye but played like they were still on holiday in the opening 40 against Moana.
The Reds conceded nine turnovers before oranges and barely fired a shot as Moana shot out to a 10-0 lead in Whangarei.
The scorecard shows a tight game but didn’t get much better in the second half with red cards to McDermott and McReight.
A total 18 turnovers were conceded plus 10 penalties – lots to review for coach Les Kiss ahead of next week’s clash.
Lots has been made about the Fijian Drua’s progression through Super Rugby Pacific but this win marked a new record for Moana Pasifika
Friday’s result was their third win of the season, making it their most successful since joining the revamped Super Rugby Pacific competition in 2022.
Though Moana have endured plenty of adversity and a few tough losses, they’ve still managed to post wins over the Drua, Force and now Reds.
Rivals, be wary of this gutsy outfit under Tana Umaga.
It was the moment that turned this game upside down.
The Reds looked to have scored a second try after halftime through Josh Flook before McDermott saw yellow and had his teammate’s try scrubbed for a swinging arm tackle in the 46th minute.
Referee Angus Mabey confirmed the decision had been upgraded two minutes later, pouring cold water on the spark lit by Peni Ravi’s try after halftime.
McReight’s red card with seven minutes to play was equally jarring following the Petaia hit back and played a massive role in his side’s last-gasp loss as Willi Havili scored out wide.
Queensland were desperate in defence and tackled madly all night – just didn’t have the numbers to cover late in the piece
Reds co-captain Liam Wright summed it best post-game.
“It was incredibly frustrating, a lot of errors and ill discipline. We thought we found our moment towards the back end of the game, we fought right to the end," he told former All Black Jeff Wilson on Sky Sport.
“We can certainly take some heart from that defence.”
Wright was no exception with an 80-min stint and 13 tackles while his forward compatriots piled on 98 tackles in total.
But heart's not enough with players in the bin – something his side can’t afford over the next month’s fixtures against Kiwi rivals.
Make no mistake - Julian Savea has still got it where it counts.
Super Rugby's try-scoring machine extended his lead atop the ladder with a 62nd try in typical fashion, bulldozing over Harry McLaughlin-Phillips in the 33rd minute.
He's evolving his game as an inside centre and showed a few deft touches too, including one perfectly weighted grubber behind the goal-line.
Could we see him back in the international arena this year, albeit outside of a black jersey?
