It was a different time, place and opponent but for the second week in a row the Queensland Reds were left ruing an ability to turn set piece wins into competition points.
While the Force took control in field position and territory, the Reds dominated in the set piece for a second week in a row but could not convert that into points.
Reds coach Richard Graham said that was something the side would need to dissect after the Force match.
“Potentially we have to view what we do there because we’re not getting the reward for set piece,” he said.
“Our set piece was clearly dominant and we got no reward from the referee, didn’t get any reward from our performances either.”
Graham said he shared the disappointment that Reds fans might be feeling after a 0-2 start to the season.
“They’d probably be as disappointed as I am,” he said.
“We had expectations based on what we‘ve been working hard on and we didn’t deliver on that tonight.”
Reds stand-in captain Rob Simmons, also the side’s chief lineout caller, said his side needed to be smarter off the back of set piece to capitalise on their chances.
“The set piece went well but we didn’t get any reward from it - no points on the board from it, nothing, no cards,” he said.
“So we need to do something smarter there, either do a quick feed and play the ball faster.
“I’m not sure where we’re going to go with it but with the dominance we need to get some sort of pay out of it.”
Veteran hooker Saia Fainga’a is the latest addition to the Reds’ injury list, coming off in the 25th minute after aggravating an existing plantar fascia injury.
Fainga’a joins James Slipper (shoulder), Kane Douglas (ACL) and Liam Gill (back) as potential absentees in the forward pack.
The Reds travel to Melbourne next week to take on the Rebels, still looking to notch their first win of 2016.
