A try-of-the-year contender has kicked the Queensland Reds’ Super Rugby Pacific season into gear as they produced some razzle-dazzle attack and a series of brave defensive plays to defeat the Highlanders 31-14 at Suncorp Stadium on Friday night.

Key moments

2 mins – HIGHLANDERS HELD UP: Will Stodart powers towards the line after an early penalty but Harry Wilson scrambles desperately to hold him up. Goal-line dropout for the Reds, who survive the opening onslaught. (Reds 0–0 Highlanders)

3 mins – TRY DISALLOWED REDS: Tim Ryan appears to score after grubbering ahead a loose ball and racing 60 metres untouched. The TMO spots Hunter Paisami knocked the ball forward in the tackle that created the loose ball. Highlanders scrum. (Reds 0–0 Highlanders)

14 mins – 50-22 HIGHLANDERS: Jack Taylor produces a rare hooker’s 50-22, rolling his kick perfectly into touch inside the Reds’ 22. The visitors can’t capitalise, though, knocking on in the subsequent attack.

18 mins – TRY REDS: Fraser McReight finishes a stunning team try. Harry Wilson somehow flicks a miracle ball through his legs to Josh Flook, who stabs a kick infield. Tim Ryan claims it and kicks further ahead, with McReight flying through to collect the bounce and dive over beside the posts. Louis Werchon converts. (Reds 7–0 Highlanders)

27 mins – TRY REDS: Matt Faessler brings Suncorp Stadium to life. The Reds set the driving maul 5m out and the hooker makes a heads-up play, peeling off at the perfect moment to stroll over untouched in the left corner. Werchon’s conversion drifts wide. (Reds 12–0 Highlanders)

31 mins – TRY HIGHLANDERS: Adam Lennox strikes back for the visitors. Jack Taylor spots no one in front of him at the ruck, tears off into space and pops a ball to his halfback, who shows a clean pair of heels to dive over next to the sticks. Cameron Millar converts. (Reds 12–7 Highlanders)

35 mins – TRY REDS: Tim Ryan finally gets the try he deserves. Carter Gordon fires it wide left, Josh Flook double-pumps and sends Joe Brial into space. Brial finds McReight, who draws the final defender and sends Ryan streaking away to score in the corner. Werchon converts from the sideline. (Reds 19–7 Highlanders)

36 mins – SALAKAIA-LOTO’S THUMPER: Lukhan Salakaia-Loto produces a bell-ringer tackle on Rohan Wingham, dislodging the ball and forcing a turnover on halfway. Massive defensive play from the lock.

Half-time: Reds 19–7 Highlanders. The Reds have brought Suncorp to life with a high-energy opening 40. McReight’s try cracked it open, and the home side have been clinical in converting their opportunities. The Highlanders hit back through Lennox but have been guilty of too many errors and costly penalties.

42 mins – CAMPBELL TRY-SAVER: Timoci Tavatavanawai bulldozes through several defenders and explodes past halfway. He links with Adam Lennox on the right wing, but Jock Campbell runs him down and bundles him into touch 10m short. Crucial covering tackle.

52 mins – TRY HIGHLANDERS: Lucas Casey powers through soft defence for a crucial try. The number eight splits two tacklers and drives his way to the line after sustained pressure from a 5m scrum. Millar converts. (Reds 19–14 Highlanders)

57 mins – TRY REDS: Lukhan Salakaia-Loto strikes from nowhere. Josh Flook puts a grubber in behind after Fraser McReight wins a turnover, and Louis Werchon’s pressure forces the Highlanders to put a foot in touch. The Reds go quick with the lineout and the lock barrels over from close range. Werchon’s conversion drifts wide. (Reds 24–14 Highlanders)

62 mins – TRY REDS: Vaiuta Latu scores the simplest of tries. Filipo Daugunu stabs a nothing grubber into the 22 and Folau Fakatava fumbles it metres from his line. Latu is in the perfect spot to collect the loose ball and dive over under the sticks with his first touch. Jock Campbell converts. (Reds 31–14 Highlanders)

70 mins – BRIAL STOPS CERTAIN TRY: Te Kamaka Howden appears to have crashed over but Joe Brial somehow gets his hand under the ball to hold it up. Magnificent scramble defence from the blindside flanker.

78 mins – WITHY DENIED LATE: Sean Withy storms onto a short ball and appears to dot down on the line, but the TMO rules he lost control for a knock-on. The rain has arrived and conditions are slippery. Fraser McReight reels away from a tackle with a shoulder stinger but doesn’t go off for an HIA.

Full-time: Queensland Reds 31–14 Highlanders

The Reds were back at Suncorp Stadium for the first time in seven months and they revelled in the support of 13,016 fans, delivering the response Les Kiss demanded after their chastening 36-12 defeat to the Waratahs in Round 1. The return of Harry Wilson, Carter Gordon and a host of other Wallabies transformed the hosts into a different beast entirely, with Fraser McReight inspirational as captain at Suncorp for the first time.

Wilson’s impact was felt immediately. Inside two minutes, the Wallabies skipper produced a try-saving tackle, holding up Will Stodart over the line to deny the Highlanders an early lead. It was the first of three times the visitors would cross the stripe without scoring—a statistic that told the story of a frustrating night for Jamie Joseph’s side.

The moment that cracked the game open came in the 18th minute—a wild passage of play that will be replayed for years to come. A Jock Campbell cut-out pass found Wilson near the sideline, and with Cameron Millar about to tackle him, the Wallabies skipper decided to play tunnel ball. Wilson somehow flicked a no-look pass through his legs to Josh Flook, who gathered cleanly and immediately put boot to ball, stabbing a kick back infield. Tim Ryan was alive to the situation, collecting and hoofing it further ahead towards the goal line. McReight, showing the work rate that earned him 17 tackles on the night, flew through to win the race to the bouncing ball and dive over beside the posts.

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McReight was equally delighted with the attacking innovation. “We got the foot to the ball a few times and ran the fat man line, through the middle,” the skipper laughed. “But after that Tahs game, we were hard on ourselves. We got coached well, the senior boys stood up and had a great game plan and trusted it and reaped the rewards.”

The crowd barely had time to settle before the forwards got in on the act. The Reds won a lineout 5m out in the left corner and set the driving maul, rumbling towards the line with real momentum. The Highlanders defended it well initially, forcing the ball sideways, but hooker Matt Faessler made a heads-up play to peel off at the perfect moment, strolling over untouched as the defence scrambled to cover the maul. At 12-0, the hosts were purring.

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Gordon, making his Queensland debut eight years after first signing with the club as a 17-year-old, showed glimpses of the unpredictable spark the Reds lacked in Sydney. He dropped the ball early as he found his feet, but grew into the contest and his bullet grubber in the 25th minute earned a lineout on the Highlanders’ 22 that set up the platform for Faessler’s score.

“This is a special day for him,” Kiss said of Gordon’s debut. “I thought he directed us around the park pretty well. Wasn’t quite clean with every pass, a few fumbles there, but I do think his composure was strong for us. He played strong and physical and that’s important.”

The Highlanders hit back to their credit. After early stumbles that saw Stodart held up and Tavatavanawai drop a tough pass from Withy off a lineout play, they finally found rhythm through the middle. Jack Taylor, the best of the visitors on the night, looked up at the ruck in the 31st minute and spotted no one in front of him. The hooker tore off into space, popped a ball to halfback Adam Lennox, and the scrumhalf showed a clean pair of heels to dive over next to the sticks. Millar’s conversion cut the deficit to five.

But just as it felt like the visitors might settle, the Reds struck again before the break. Gordon fired it wide left, Flook double-pumped brilliantly to fix the defence, and sent Joe Brial bursting into space. Brial found McReight on his shoulder, and the skipper drew the final defender before sending Ryan streaking away down the left touchline. The winger, who had been busy on both sides of the ball all evening, scorched around the cover defence to dot down in the corner. Louis Werchon’s conversion from the sideline was pure, and the Reds took a deserved 19-7 lead into the sheds.

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The Highlanders showed real fight early in the second half. Tavatavanawai, the powerhouse centre who had been kept relatively quiet by Hunter Paisami in the first 40, exploded through several defenders and sprinted past halfway. He linked with Lennox on the right wing, but Campbell produced a desperate covering tackle to bundle him into touch 10m short. It was a crucial intervention.

The visitors kept coming. After winning a scrum 5m out following a Ryan knock-on, the Highlanders went through the phases patiently. Tavatavanawai carried hard, Taylor burrowed close, and eventually number eight Lucas Casey spotted his moment. The big man split two tacklers and drove his way powerfully to the line, grounding it under the posts. Millar converted and suddenly it was 19-14—game on.

Needing to reverse the momentum, two excellent pieces of individual brilliance delivered Queensland’s fourth try. McReight pilfered possession at the breakdown on halfway—a classic turnover when the Reds needed it most. Flook then produced a pinpoint grubber down the left sideline that forced panic at the back, with Werchon’s pressure pushing the Highlanders into touch 5m from their line. Paisami caught the visitors napping, taking a quick throw to Ryan, who was hauled down metres short. The Reds shifted left and Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, who had earlier produced a bone-rattling tackle on Rohan Wingham that forced a turnover on halfway, bulldozed through two defenders to plant the ball on the line.

The Reds bench then combined to ice the match. Filipo Daugunu, urgent since coming on, stabbed a speculative grubber into the Highlanders’ 22. It should have been routine for Folau Fakatava to clean up, but the replacement halfback fumbled it metres from his line. Vaiuta Latu was in the perfect position, scooping up the loose ball and diving over for his first Super Rugby try with his first touch on the field. Campbell, who had moved to fly-half following Werchon’s substitution, nailed the conversion from in front.

The final quarter saw the Highlanders camped on the Reds’ line, desperate for a consolation that would deny the hosts a bonus point. Te Kamaka Howden, who had worked tirelessly all night, appeared to have crashed over in the 70th minute, but Brial somehow got his hand under the ball to hold it up—a magnificent piece of scramble defence. Eight minutes later, co-captain Sean Withy stormed onto a short ball and reached for the line, but the TMO ruled he had lost control as rain bucketed down on Suncorp. The conditions had turned slippery, and McReight reeled away from a tackle with a shoulder stinger but refused to leave the field.

Salakaia-Loto was a standout with nine short, forceful carries and some crunching tackles to complement his try. The back three of Lachie Anderson, Campbell and Ryan chased kicks relentlessly, with Anderson making nine tackles and as many carries. The bench added real punch—replacement hooker Josh Nasser finished with 14 tackles, Harry McLaughlin-Phillips probed effectively late, and Daugunu’s urgency in the centres proved decisive.

The Highlanders’ miserable recent record in Australia continued—they had won just one of their past 13 Super Rugby matches across the Tasman before Friday night and have now won just four times at Suncorp in 30 years. They missed 26 tackles compared to the Reds’ 17 and lost too many breakdown contests in promising positions.

“The fact we’ve only won four times here in 30 years tells you something,” a frustrated Jamie Joseph said. “It’s not just this year, last year, year before—the Highlanders have really struggled here. The Reds, they really took it to us, good luck to them.”

Kiss was pleased with his side’s work ethic. “The boys’ industry was brilliant. It wasn’t perfect but the boys stuck at it and got in front of the game when they needed to,” the Reds coach said. “Our back three were chasing everything, working hard off the ball and on it. Our locks and backrow were very strong and set a good platform. Keeping their No.12 (Tavatavanawai) quiet was critical too.”

The bonus-point victory lifts the Reds to 1-1 and restores confidence ahead of a mouthwatering trip to Canberra, while the Highlanders slip to 1-2 with the season-ending losses of Fabian Holland and Dylan Pledger starting to bite.

What’s next

The Reds travel to Canberra next weekend to face Stephen Larkham’s ladder-leading ACT Brumbies in a mouthwatering clash, while the Highlanders return home to Dunedin to host the Western Force.

Teams

Queensland Reds: 15 Jock Campbell, 14 Lachie Anderson, 13 Josh Flook, 12 Hunter Paisami, 11 Tim Ryan, 10 Carter Gordon, 9 Louis Werchon, 8 Harry Wilson, 7 Fraser McReight (c), 6 Joe Brial, 5 Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, 4 Josh Canham, 3 Zane Nonggorr, 2 Matt Faessler, 1 Aidan Ross.
Replacements: 16 Josh Nasser, 17 George Blake, 18 Jeffery Toomaga-Allen, 19 Hamish Muller, 20 Vaiuta Latu, 21 Kalani Thomas, 22 Harry McLaughlin-Phillips, 23 Filipo Daugunu.

Highlanders: 15 Jacob Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens, 14 Caleb Tangitau, 13 Jonah Lowe, 12 Timoci Tavatavanawai (co-c), 11 Jona Nareki, 10 Cameron Millar, 9 Adam Lennox, 8 Lucas Casey, 7 Sean Withy (co-c), 6 Te Kamaka Howden, 5 Mitch Dunshea, 4 Will Stodart, 3 Rohan Wingham, 2 Jack Taylor, 1 Ethan de Groot.
Replacements: 16 Soane Vikena, 17 Daniel Lienert-Brown, 18 Sosefo Kautai, 19 Oliver Haig, 20 Veveni Lasaqa, 21 Folau Fakatava, 22 Reesjan Pasitoa, 23 Tanielu Tele’a.

Match details

Queensland Reds 31 (Tries: Fraser McReight, Matt Faessler, Tim Ryan, Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, Vaiuta Latu; Conversions: Louis Werchon 2/4, Jock Campbell 1/1)
Highlanders 14 (Tries: Adam Lennox, Lucas Casey; Conversions: Cameron Millar 2/2)
Half-time: 19–7

Venue: Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
Attendance: 13,016
Referee: Paul Williams (New Zealand)
Assistant Referees: Angus Mabey, Michael Winter
TMO: Aaron Paterson