The Reds simply need to be better when it matters, openside flanker Liam Gill says.
Queensland fought way into the match, to trail by just five points with 15 minutes to go, before a late flurry of points relegated them to a 19-point loss.
Gill said it was “frustrating” to finish with a score line like they did, through their own decision making.
“It was hugely disappointing,” he said.
“We were certainly in it up until the 65th minute. It was frustrating, we let ourselves down a bit and weren’t as clinical as we needed to be.”
The openside flanker provided one of the more surprising highlights of the match, slotting a 40-metre drop goal just on half-time, though he admits that was a gamble.
“It was almost a brain explosion if it missed but we had advantage and we knew it was halftime so I thought I’d step back, get in position and have a crack,” he said.
“I’ve put five years of practice into it so it was awesome to see it come off.”
Gill’s form has been hard to miss since he returned to the Reds side in round five but he hasn’t let himself get distracted with the thought of a Wallabies shot in the June Test series.
The 23-year-old has signed with Toulon beyond this season and will not be eligible for Tests once overseas, but he’s not preoccupied with having a Test swansong.
“Not at the moment. All I’m worried about is playing quality football for the Reds and trying to turn this team around into a winning team again," he said.
“We’re taking huge steps in the right direction.
“It was a little bit frustrating we didn’t get the result on the weekend but if we can be a bit more clinical and some of our big players play the football they’ve been playing, then hopefully we can get the result this week.”
The Test debate is an intriguing one, with Gill one of the Super Rugby standouts, along with Rebels’ Sean McMahon, putting pressure on incumbent Michael Hooper as the England series draws closer.
The Reds play the Stormers in Cape Town on Sunday morning (AEST), a venue where they haven’t tasted victory since 2011.
Flanker Michael Gunn will join the squad today, replacing the injured Jake Schatz who will miss up to six weeks with a knee injury.
