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!
No comments:
Post a Comment