The bonds and experiences built in Cheltenham and Belfast on the second week of the Queensland Reds’ pre-season tour of the UK were all aimed at paying off against Moana Pasifika on Friday, February 21 at Suncorp Stadium.
The moon in the chill sky at 11:30am, playing on an artificial 3G pitch, northern hemisphere opposition, getting to know new teammates…there was resilience being built to unfamiliar factors at every turn.
After the first-up win over Bristol, it was back to training on Sunday, February 2 but at a new location. Staying in Cheltenham at the beautiful Queens Hotel, training was at Kingsholm, home of English Premiership side Gloucester.
Besides it’s close proximity to Bristol, Kingsholm also has a 3G pitch – just like our upcoming opponents Ulster in Belfast. Many of the players haven’t trained or played on one of these pitches, so spending time at Gloucester represented the ideal chance to begin to get familiar.
After a Round One bye, the Reds host Moana Pasifika on Friday, February 21. Queensland Reds memberships have already surpassed 2024 levels. A big home crowd will certainly go a long way to giving us an edge.
Monday saw a second session at Kingsholm, but this one had a twist – it was an opposed session against Gloucester themselves. It included some integrated drills alongside one another for the backs and some set piece scenarios for the forwards.
Following that, the two sides ran against each other in 15 v 15 contests, and while the spirits and intent were good there was still plenty of physicality on show. Backrower John Bryant was sporting a lovely little black eye but after being named as a reserve the day before there was never any doubt he’d make his first appearance of the tour this week.
Waking up in Belfast on Tuesday morning, after a late night flight from Bristol the night before, the boys were keen to enjoy their one full day off of the week.
Les Kiss, who previously spent time living in Belfast as Director of Rugby at Ulster, made sure that the players understood some of the sensitivities that remain in the city to this day. Importantly, he encouraged them to go and learn about the troubles.
Some groups hired private black cab tours to learn about the Troubles, visit famous murals, see the Peace Walls and travel into famous areas like Falls Road and The Shankill. The double decker bus tour was similarly popular with players like Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, Hunter Paisami and Sef Fa’agase jumping on-board and sitting upstairs in the sunshine.
Both nature and golf came up trumps for other players. Connor Vest and a cohort including Tate McDermott, John Bryant and Liam Wright rented a lovely little Peugeot and headed out to the stunning Giants Causeway.
Zane Nonggorr and Josh Canham, among others, took in the Titanic Museum, while Jock Campbell, Tom Lynagh and Lachie Anderson were amongst those humbled by the winds when playing on the beautiful Ardglass Golf Club, a beautiful links course where the Irish Sea comes into play on new fewer than eight holes.
Hooker Matt Faessler headed down to Ravenhill Stadium for media commitments on the Tuesday afternoon, chatting to the BBC and also facing questions about his former Queensland Schoolboys teammate Tom O’Toole, now a full Irish international and Ulster player. Unfortunately, O’Toole was suspended for this match.
It was back to work on Wednesday for training at Newforge Sports Complex, where the moon was still clearly visible at 11:30am as the boys trained in clear, crisp conditions.
The weather across the tour had been excellent, to be fair, with the exception of a wet day in Bath on the first weekend. Nowhere was this more true than Belfast where every local reminded us of how poor the weather had been with tropical storms just one week earlier.
There was a treat on Wednesday night with a visit to a famous local pizza restaurant Flout as a whole team and staff. People have been known to line up for two hours to get a slice, and Reds Head of Medical Karl Denvir had been talking it up in the Reds’ rugby offices for seemingly months on end. There was a lot riding on this!
An advance party arrived at Flout ahead of schedule from a Canterbury appearance at a local sports store where plenty of balls were signed and plenty of selfies taken with fans. Tate McDermott, Tim Ryan and Liam Wright were able to spend time with the owner of Flout, Peter, and hear about how hosting a group of this scale and size was quite uncharted territory for him.
He needn’t have worried, as he and his team delivered a memorable meal, from hot chilli to Detroit-style and Newhaven-style pizzas. The food just kept coming, and the boys just kept eating. An easy night to get to sleep early at the hotel.
Game prep stepped up another level on Thursday, with game rehearsal taking place at Ravenhill after plenty of meetings designed to finalise the approach for the following day’s game.
The soccer ball came out as part of the warmup at Ravenhill, with Lukhan Salakaia-Loto showly plenty of distance and accuracy with his goal kicks, and Tom Lynagh showing some of the skills that led him to contemplate chasing a professional football career as a youngster. The less said about some of the other forwards, however, the better.
On Thursday evening, the entire traveling staff joined the Reds Donor tour for dinner, a group of men and women who had travelled alongside the team for large parts of the tour. It was a great opportunity for Les to provide some insights into the following day’s match, and a nice way for the staff to celebrate the tour.
With gameday came happiness, as opposed to nerves. Players and staff alike were aware of the significant challenge to come but everybody was looking forward to testing themselves against a strong Ulster unit. There was also excitement that this represented the last piece of business for the tour and that the long return home to loved ones was drawing nearer.
A gripping contest eventually saw the Reds victorious, a bit more of that epic Flout Pizza a bonus when the team returned to the hotel. Saturday morning saw the beginning of travel home, many taking the chance to watch the Italian and English Six Nations victories from Heathrow Airport.
The importance of this trip cannot be underestimated. Developing cohesion on and off the field, including not only integrating new signings such as Heremaia Murray, Mason Gordon and Lachie Anderson, but also re-integrating returning Reds (Lukhan Salakaia-Loto and Filipo Daugunu) and Wallabies players who spent the majority of the last five months away from Ballymore.
This group, and this staff, are aligned in an ambition to be better year on year and to improve on last year’s fifth-placed finish. They know that won’t just happen.
There is no doubt that players being concentrated into four, rather than five, Australian teams will raise the bar all over the country. The Drua and Moana Pasifika, who’ve welcomed Ardie Savea, will continue to rise, and the New Zealand teams have been the most successful in recent seasons, so to achieve something special is going to take ideal preparation.
This tour has provided an excellent springboard into the season. It’s a unique prep for sure, but care has been taken to ensure player performance has been at the forefront of everything. The strength of the connection of this group is clearly apparent, and we’re excited for our fans at home to experience that again at Suncorp Stadium.
Bring your mates, bring your family, bring as many as you can, because we need you there and we’re better when you’re there. Rugby Runs Red in 2025.
