Queensland Reds coach Les Kiss was impressed with prop Aidan Ross' debut as the former Chief made home instantly at Suncorp Stadium.
Ross was thrown into the starting side just two weeks after featuring in the Super Rugby Pacific Final for the Hamilton-based side.
Watch every game of the 2025 British & Irish Lions Tour live and on-demand via Stan Sport.
The 29-year-old made an impact from the opening minutes, winning a scrum penalty from his first involvement.
Ross formed a solid base for a powerful Reds scrum alongside Matt Faessler and Jeffery Toomaga-Allen, winning multiple penalties on the night as they gained ascendecy.
“He was exactly what we thought he'd be, to tell you the truth," coach Les Kiss said post-match.
“With him and Fez [Matt Faessler] on his first game back I thought the scrums were really good.
“You then had Jeffery [Toomaga-Allen] on the other side, who had been covering our loose head for a lot of the second part of the year and went back to tight end, and I thought he did a great job there as well.
“We certainly had some good locks behind them as well, just to hold and stabilise our scrum.”
Ross is technically still ineligible for the Wallabies for another six days, having last played for the All Blacks in 2022 against Ireland.
It would make him a prime candidate for the AUNZ invitational XV game, with Ross also able to press his case in Super Rugby AUS in September.
“Rossy's been awesome. He's only been here a short while, but he's fit straight into the group,” second-row Ryan Smith added.
“I think the Reds have got a great signing there and he'll be great for a few years to come.”
The loosehead spoke of his desire to pull on the gold jersey and follow in the path of fellow Reds prop Alex Hodgman and play for both trans-Tasman nations.
"It'd be awesome," Ross said last week. "I was born here and I've got plans ... to set up a life here with my family post-rugby.
"There's been no chat there (with Schmidt), no comms. I've just been doing my thing and if the opportunity arises then so be it - she'd be a pretty full-on month."
