Reds Star in British and Irish Lions Rugby Spectacle (Part 2)

In my last blog, I talked about the incredible rugby showcase that was the British and Irish Lions tour of Australia, in which many of the Reds starred. (Click here to read part 1.) There were so many great games that I had to save the Green and Gold games for part 2!

The nine-game Lions tour climaxed with an epic three-game mini-series against the Wallabies. I couldn’t be more proud of the whole team's effort, and I believe the future looks bright for Aussie rugby!

I wanted to profile the Reds players that played for the Wallabies against the Lions. And you’re very welcome to check out my past interviews with these players.

They are right ahead of two games in South Africa and the “Rugby Championship”, so it’s a perfect time to get to know these players! [Update… The Wallabies just beat South Africa, the current world champs. Maybe that needs another blog?)

Tate McDermitt

Tate McDermitt came off the bench in all three matches against the Lions - even playing out of position in the second match, after winger Harry Potter was injured. One of the best halfbacks in Australia, McDermitt is known as the “sniper” and he lived up to his nickname, ESPECIALLY in game three, with this awesome try. (He also scored in the first test in Brisbane, in front of all of us in his home crowd!

Catch up on some of my past interviews with Tate:

* Back in 2022 here.

* Last year during the Wallabies hub here.

* And back in 2018 here!

Fraser McCreight

Fraser played excellent footy at his usual world-class standards!

Check out my interview with him in 2018 here. (Fraser, it sounds like we're due for another official one soon!)

Catching up with Fraser and Harry in 2019 after they beat New Zealand in the Under-20s Oceania Cup

Tom Lynagh

Tom played extremely well in all three games, and I was gutted when he went off with a concussion while the Wallabies were ahead in game three.

Tom made a bold move when he left England for his family's country (and state) of origin. Right after finishing school, he chose to come to Queensland, and his move has paid off!

Check out my 2022 interview with him, a few months into his time here.

Harry Wilson

Reds fans couldn’t be more proud of Harry, who stepped up and answered the call, when Joe Schmidt chose him as Wallabies captain last year. One of the hardest working players on the field whenever he plays, Harry has led our country brilliantly and played with passion as we’ve always known him to. 

Catching up with Harry over a flat white at Ballymore

Check out my very first interview with him at Brothers Rugby club in 2019 and my recent interview with him at Ballymore.

Zane Nongorr

A forward-pack force to be reckoned with, Zane didn’t feature until the third game. Check out my previous interview with Zane here!

James Slipper

James currently plays for another team (we won't mention that...) but James was my very first interview with Reds Rugby Rules back in 2017. (Read that interview here!)

Just like they say: "Once a Red always a Red."

Catching up with James, as well as Harry and Scott Sio
at Wallabies training back in 2023.

Special mention goes to Hunter Paisami, Josh Canham and Filipo Daugunu, who didn’t feature this time around. I'm expecting them all to feature in Wallabies squads in the future though!

Reds Star in British and Irish Lions Rugby Spectacle

I love the Reds, I love Australian rugby, and of course, I love the Wallabies. Every time they play, you can bet I’ll be watching and following closely. So when the Lions came and toured Australia… I was pretty much glued to the screen for every minute!

What an epic chapter of Australian rugby it was. In particular, I was incredibly proud of the Queensland players who stepped up, in basically every game! Let me explain…

The Lions began their nine-game tour playing the Western Force. The Perth-based team includes some notable former Reds players, including BPA and Mac Greely.

The next week, the Queensland Reds took them on at Suncorp Stadium… I was fortunate to get to witness the event from my favourite spot in the stands. Led by Jock Campbell, the squad put on an incredible fight - especially in the first half. Lukhan Salakaia-Lotu, Kalani Thomas, and too many Reds players to name starred in the game.

Catching up with Lukhan during the Reds tour to Samoa back in 2017

The Lions versus Queensland. It was such an epic event. I was blessed to be interviewed by Stan Sport in the lead-up, along with a few other Reds super-fans. Click here to watch!

As soon as that game finished, the Lions were off to Sydney to play the Waratahs. It’s not too often that I support teams wearing light blue, but especially with Taniela Tupou and Lawson Creighton in the mix, I was cheering them on. (I think they lost by a pretty small margin for a game against a team of international superstars. Well done, Tahs!) The Brumbies put up a fight too, almost taking the Lions out. (Feao Fotuaika and Hudson Creighton were just a few of the Queenslanders in their squad!)

The Lions tour would culminate with three Wallabies games, but the build up wasn’t complete yet!

A special “AUNZ” team was put together, and not surprisingly, a number of Reds made the squad giving them valuable international experience. Lukhan Salakaia-Loto was the standout! I always love watching him play.

Then the centrepiece of the tour began in Brisbane… Wallabies vs Lions!!!!

I think I’ll save the three Wallabies tests for my next blog. (Let’s just say for now they were all very memorable!!!! And I am EXTREMELY proud to be a Wallabies supporter.)

Four days after the Suncorp test…. The Lions squared up against some more Reds players that were a part of the First Nations & Pacifica XV!

What a hit-out that game was, with the hosts almost pulling off an upset. Lukhan and Seru Uru were outstanding, along with Kalani Thomas, and Richie Asiata.

With Kalani Thomas during my interview with him late last year

I believe all of these experiences have made the Reds stronger and I'm looking forward to 2026.

See you here next week where I’ll talk about the Reds players that starred in the Wallabies squad in their three-game series!