The Queensland Reds’ preparation for the 2025 SMARTECH Super Rugby Women’s season has continued at Ballymore on Saturday, with the Reds going down 41-12 to a physical Western Force side.
The visitors from the West had the lion’s share of both territory and possession and were able to capitalise during a couple of purple patches with back-to-back scores.
Despite the scoreline there were some positives amongst the work-on’s for Reds Head Coach Andrew Fraser, as his new coaching team continue to test different combinations within a new-look squad.
“Today was a learning day for us,” Fraser said. “We continue to learn about what it is to test ourselves against Super Rugby opponents, and we’re excited to continue to build on that.
“We got a great indication of how we respond when pressure is put upon us. We saw some good signs in those moments at times, but also lots to keep working upon.
“To hold on defensively for long passages of play is pleasing, but our discipline did also let us down and they capitalised with field position, so we need to tidy up that discipline.”
Co-Captain Ivania Wong said that the Reds’ impatience in possession at times made it hard to build momentum but also stressed that a tough outing in pre-season will help the team to grow.
“Today was a really good test for us,” Wong said. “Our forwards did some great work defensively at times and we had some strong turnovers, but our discipline was poor at the back end of the first half and that led into the start of the second half as well.
“You can’t really play footy when you don’t have the ball, so we need to make sure we are patient when we are in possession and build phases. Trial games don’t count for points, they are games to see where we are at and build towards the season where our gains actually will count.
“We want to see who works well together and build combinations so we can attack the season proper with good connection and depth.”
Reds centre Melanie Wilks scored the first try of the afternoon, beating off four defenders to score under the posts.
The Force had plenty of opportunities to hit back, looking to their trademark maul but unable to penetrate strong Reds defence within the opening half hour.
The pressure eventually told, with three tries in quick succession towards the end of the first half through Nicole Ledington, Allana Sikimeti and Tamika Jones, the visitors leading 17-7 at the break.
Both sides rotated plenty of players at half time, but the Force maintained the ascendancy with a try to winger Brooklyn Teki Jones not long after the restart.
Half-time replacement Michelle Curry hit straight back for the Reds, finding the corner for her first try of the year, but the Force scored the final three tries to secure the win; Halley Derera, Tizanae Kovacs and Pia Tapsell the tryscorers.
A late foray forward for the Reds saw Piper Flynn just forced into touch, after a quick lineout throw saw the hosts catch the Force napping, but the visitors were the deserved victors of a contest played in good spirits and steamy conditions.
Today’s result follows last week’s 47-15 victory against the Brumbies, with a third trial against Rugby Victoria in Melbourne next weekend to come before hosting Penina Pasifika in a development fixture at Ballymore on March 1.
Penina Pasifika is an amalgam of talent from the Pacific region, most particularly Samoa and Tonga, and are funded through the Australian Government's PacificAus Sports program.
The Reds’ first match for points will be against the Fijian Drua in Lautoka on March 8, with home games at Ballymore against the NSW Waratahs and Western Force again sandwiching a trip to Canberra to face the Brumbies. Click here to see the Queensland Reds’ 2025 SMARTECH Super Rugby Women’s draw.
Tries: Melanie Wilks, Michelle Curry
Conversions: Lori Cramer (1)
Tries: Nicole Ledington, Allana Sikimeti, Tamika Jones, Brooklyn Teki Joyce, Halley Derera, Tizanae Kovacs, Pia Tapsell
Conversions: Nicole Ledington (1), Grace Freeman (2)
