Queensland winger Mac Grealy ended his 2024 drought in spectacular fashion, but Wales found a last-gasp way out to deny the Reds a repeat of their famous 1991 victory over the tourists.
The underdogs were defeated 36-35 at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane on Friday night after dreaming of a major upset in the final 90 seconds of play when they were down 35-31. With 33 minutes to go, the Reds had overcome a 31-14 deficit to surprise the far more experienced Welsh side with their young blood and plenty of heart. The 23,164 spectators were the largest crowd to attend a Reds game in three years and the 11-try spectacle made for fast-paced and exciting action. When Welsh replacement scrum-half Kieran Hardy dived over the goal with seconds left, he rescued a national side that had suffered nine consecutive Test defeats from disgrace. The Reds were on the verge of repeating their victory over Wales in 1991, the last time the two teams met. The night was a rousing confirmation of the first game between the Reds and a national team in Brisbane for two decades. The loss was a great honour, with the Reds playing without the nine Wallabies selected for Saturday's test match against Georgia in Sydney, as well as several injured frontliners. Grealy has been one of the Reds' best players in Super Rugby Pacific all year, but went 13 games without a try. He scored two in 10 minutes during the Reds' second-half comeback. The Reds were brave throughout, always finding a counterattack, and did so in their usual style. Hooker Richie Asiata, whose Super Rugby season had been ruined by knee ligament problems before it even began, scored three tries. All three were patient mauls from lineout drives, leaving the Reds 31-21 down with just under 30 minutes to go. Flyhalf James O'Connor was a composed playmaker in his first start of the season, having played just 69 minutes in his three guest appearances in Super Rugby Pacific. He looked to have scored himself with a dart at the line on 23 minutes, but the ball was lost to him in a tackle as he attempted to bring it down to the ground. The first-time midfield pairing of debutant inside centre Dre Pakeho and winger turned outside centre Tim Ryan performed excellently. Ryan's defence was terrific and it was his one-handed throw after running onto a pass from O'Connor that gave Grealy his first try. Pakeho was crisp and decisive in his distribution. In the 69th minute, Grealy ran across for a second time after a sweeping move that had started in the Reds' own quarter. Backrow forward Seru Uru burst out from the ruckbase. O'Connor's deft pass and neat passes from Jock Campbell and Jeffery Toomaga-Allen brought Grealy up the field. Lock Ryan Smith was a commanding presence at the lineout, former All Blacks prop Toomaga-Allen was a dominant figure and No.8 Joe Brial ran direct and often.