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As predicted, it was a straightforward hit-out for the Lions against the Western Force at the weekend. On Wednesday, however, we can expect them to be given a much sterner test. Here’s everything you need to know about the Queensland Reds.
The Reds were founded in 1882, making them one of the two oldest rugby teams in Australia. Based in Brisbane, they have won Super Rugby once, in 2011. They are coached by Les Kiss, who will take over the Wallabies coaching role when Joe Schmidt departs on 2026. They were the 2nd best Australia franchise in 2025, winning 8 out of 15 games and scoring 63 tries on their way to 5th in the standings.
The last time the Reds faced the Lions was in 2013, when they suffered a narrow 12-22 defeat. Ben Youngs was the only try scorer for the Lions as the match was played in wet conditions, although there was still a stunning solo try from the Red’s Luke Morahan. Morahan finished his playing career at Birstol Bears, for whom he scored 30 tries in 89 matches before his retirement in 2023. Quade Cooper was also in the Reds’ starting team that day.
The Reds are a side with many excellent underlying numbers. They topped Super Rugby for 22m entry conversion, tackle success, metre per maul and offloads assisting a try o5 line break. They are also sound defensively, with the best scramble defence in the league and the fewest missed tackles leading to line breaks.
They give away very few penalties at scrum time – just 2% off their own put-ins result in a penalty against – but this is aided by the lenient and somewhat contentious refereeing of scrums in Super Rugby. In the name of speeding the game up, referees tend to allow play to go on even if an offence has been committed.
We saw that interpretation in the Western Force vs Lions game at the weekend, where Super Rugby official Ben O’Keefe opted not to reward an at times dominant Force scrum. Nonetheless, the Reds have played to the same whistle as all the other Super Rugby teams and come out near the top, so deserve some credit.
In terms of weaknesses, the Reds don’t have many. They are the 2nd worst at stealing lineouts in Super Rugby and the 2nd most likely to concede a yellow card, but these are not fundamental issues. As a team, they have the least wide movement in the world and the most short passes. They are also not particularly good at evading tackles. However, these stats tell us more about their style of play than any real weaknesses.
The Reds are blessed with several good ball carriers. Joe Brial, Filipo Daungunu, Hunter Paisami and Josh Canham all have very positive stats in this department. The pick of their carriers is number 8 Harry Wilson, who has 68% gain-line success from 117 carries this season. Ball in hand, scrum half Tate McDermott is their most dangerous man with 11 try involvements and 47% tackle evasion. Hooker Richie Asiate was their top try scorer with 7.
On the other side of the ball, flanker Fraser McReight had an outstanding season defensively. He registered 92% tackle success from 216 attempts along with 11 dominant hits and 18 turnovers won. Sadly, he and many of the aforementioned players will not be present for the Reds this Wednesday as they are held back by Joe Schmidt in the Wallabies preparation camp.
Despite by shorn of many of their top stars, this should be a much better test for the Lions than the lowly Western Force provided a few days ago. From their stats, we can see the Reds are a well coached team with strong fundamentals. Andy Farrell appears to have recognised this by selecting his strongest side of the tour so far. The Lions should still win by 20 or more, but expect them to be under pressure for periods and face a tough physical challenge early on.
Queensland Reds Starting XV (1-15) Aidan Ross, Matt Faessler, Jeff Toomaga-Allen, Josh Canham, Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, Seru Uru, John Bryant, Joe Brial, Kalani Thomas, Harry McLaughlin-Phillips, Tim Ryan, Hunter Paisami, Josh Flook, Lachie Anderson, Jock Campbell
Queensland Reds Replacements (16-23) Josh Nasser, George Blake, Sef Fa'agase, Ryan Smith, Angus Blyth, Connor Vest, Louis Werchon, Isaac Henry
British & Irish Lions Starting XV (1-15) Andrew Porter, Ronan Kelleher, Will Stuart, Maro Itoje, Ollie Chessum, Tom Curry, Jac Morgan, Jack Conan, Jamison Gibson-Park, Finn Russell, Duhan van der Merwe, Bundee Aki, Huw Jones, Tommy Freeman, Hugo Keenan
British & Irish Lions Replacements (16-23) Luke Cowan-Dickie, Ellis Genge, Finlay Bealham, James Ryan, Ben Earl, Alex Mitchell, Fin Smith, Garry Ringrose
