St.George Queensland Reds Form
The Queensland Reds return to Suncorp Stadium on Saturday night to face 2014 Asteron Life Super Rugby Champions the NSW Waratahs, in the oldest rivalry in Australian Rugby. This will be the 299th match between the two sides, as the Queensland Reds look to remain undefeated at home in 2015.
The Reds have won just one of their opening three games of 2015, defeating the Western Force 18-6 in round two. However, the Reds went down 47-3 to the Aquis Brumbies in round one & 20-13 to the Highlanders last weekend. The return to form of halfback Will Genia has been one of the highlights of their season to date.
NSW Waratahs Form
It has been mixed results for the NSW Waratahs to start their 2015 campaign, going down to a determined Western Force side in round one, but turned it around with a 38-28 victory over the Melbourne Rebels in round two. Michael Cheika’s charges will be well rested coming off a bye last weekend, and will be keen to get their season back on track.
Last time they met
The NSW Waratahs recorded their biggest ever win against the Queensland Reds in July last year recording a 34-3 victory at Suncorp Stadium. Kurtley Beale dominated in attack, scoring two tries in three minutes to set the victory, however the Reds were without influential playmakers Quade Cooper & Will Genia.
What they said – Queensland Reds
“We continue to drive change in our game and are progressing areas each week. The outcome of the game will be determined by the collective effort of the group, not the actions of an individual.
“The rivalry between the two states goes back over a 100 years. We cannot forget all those past players who have represented Queensland, only 1,300 in total. Before Super Rugby this fixture would have been the biggest game most of them played in during their Rugby careers and while today’s players have the opportunity to play a lot more games against many other teams we cannot forget the tradition of this game and those players who put Queensland Rugby on the map.
What they said – NSW Waratahs
NSW Waratahs halfback Brendan McKibbin highlighted Queensland Reds halves combination Will Genia & James O’Connor as ones to watch on Saturday night after a solid first hit-out last weekend.
“I thought for a first hit-out they were relatively good. They’re both world class players and the more they can get front foot-ball, the more you’ll likely see them shine,”
Key Match-up
Queensland Reds captain James Slipper will battle it out with Qantas Wallabies teammate and milestone man, Benn Robinson in the front row on Saturday night. Robinson makes history this weekend, becoming the most capped Waratah when he runs out for his 137th appearance.
