One of the unique moments of any tour is the presentation of a Queensland Reds cap to debutants who’ve seen a career highlight unfold.
The tour of Japan ushered four more Reds players into an exclusive club which has been around for more than 140 years.
Frankie Goldsbrough, Kohan Herbert, Heremaia Murray and Hamish Muller all became first-time Reds in Monday’s victory over the Saitama Panasonic Wild Knights in Kumagaya.
Let's take a peek into the dressing room and hear their own words in the Instagram post below.
Let’s dive into our final Reds Tour Diary to finish a season that has stretched from the first trial game at Ballymore in January to the clear skies of Japan in November.
Day 11: Sunday, November 3
It’s captain’s run day, a staple with game rehearsals at the match venue.
It’s often a walkthrough of attack and defensive positioning.
When you are playing a fast, attacking outfit like the Wild Knights it’s essential for defenders to know the cues to sweep left or right to cover an attacker. Spectators are no good in defence because off-the-ball alertness is almost as valuable as making the tackle.
Interesting stat. The speed of game with ground covered in the Reds-Wild Knights trial a week earlier was higher than in any Super Rugby Pacific game played by the Reds this season.
Fast. Expect it.
Devoted Reds fans Rodney and Ben Guest have made the trip from Ballina and Brisbane to watch their team play in Kumagaya via a few hearty eating and drinking stops in Tokyo.
The players appreciate the effort too and chat with them after the captain’s run when they spot the supportive jerseys.
It’s a quiet night at the team hotel. Players crave their pre-game sleep.
The team jenga challenge has reached the quarter-final stage with Floyd Aubrey, Alex Hodgman, Harry McLaughlin-Phillips and Head of Athletic Performance Matt Ireton all still in the hunt.
Day 12: Monday, November 4
Match day is all about individual prep. Some players like an early breakkie, some a late one.
The pop-up medical and strapping centre of physio Karl Denvir is in full swing.
Some like to be strapped early. Others strap parts of the body injured five years earlier out of habit or care. Younger players generally feel more bulletproof and don’t use as much strapping. They learn quickly about injury prevention.
Head phones are on for many as match day unfolds. Some players like to soothe themselves inside their bubble with music.
This a rare set-up in Kumagaya.
The players walk from the team hotel to the ground. It’s a shorter distance than from Caxton Street to the dressing room at Suncorp Stadium.
The team meeting at 12:05pm reinforces the big themes of the match and key detail. Kick-off is just 55 minutes away.
Full-time. The Reds have put on five tries, resisted a Wild Knights rally and kept the Saitama-Queensland Shield with a 42-28 victory.
It’s a noisy, upbeat dressing room. The Wild Knights players come into the Reds’ room to share a beer, food and a chat.
Wild Knights coach Robbie Deans is a big driver of such moments. Forget them being old school. They should never have gone away.
Skipper Ryan Smith leads the team song with gusto.
A special part of the post-match is the presentation of new caps.
The quartet of new Reds come up one at a time. A teammate introduces each.
Connor Vest intros flanker Herbert as a guy who deserves this. “Last to finish training at Souths, the guy across all the detail, the non-stop worker…,” Vest says eloquently.
Herbert's pilfering work was first class early on.
Smith intros Brothers teammate Hamish Muller, another club goer on this tour who has made it count. He got a 10-minute debut in the backrow.
Muller has already brushed away tears. His parents Ross and Lisa made the snap call to leave the family horse farm, outside Clifton on the Darling Downs, to hop a plane to Tokyo for this.
Their arrival was kept a secret.
“We were circling the ground thanking the Japanese fans when I hear my name being called from up in the stand. It was mum and dad,” Muller said.
“It was very emotional. Yeah, a few tears.
“I got in a few ball-carries in 10 minutes. It was a great feeling to get on for Queensland and something for ‘Smithy’ to present my cap because I look up to him.”
Muller is forever Queensland Red #1408.
Hours have passed, there’s a healthy buzz in the team room.
The jenga challenge has been run and won. The dextrous Hodgman beats Aubrey in the final when his blocks tumble. Roars go up.
Herbert, Goldsbrough, Murray and Muller are still wearing their honour caps.
