Reds topple Chiefs in warm up

WING recruit Lachie Turner's first touch of the footy in a Reds jersey produced a try in Toowoomba on Friday night as an exciting preview of the team's attacking mood for 2014.

The Reds rattled on four tries in a convincing 31-20 win over New Zealand's Chiefs, the 2013 Super Rugby champions, as a confidence-lifting first trial for 7438 fans.

The 15-Test finisher's shift from the blue of NSW was the single big-name addition to the Reds ranks and he relished the slickness of his first outing in excellent conditions last night.

There was mid-season slickness to the Reds first try in the second minute and it's only early February.

Quade Cooper threw a lovely double cutout pass to super-sharp fullback Aidan Toua, whose angled dash set play up nicely for his inside ball to put Turner over.

Just 10 days ago, Cooper was belting a 40-year-old martial arts exponent in his second fight as a boxer.

He was fighting in a higher weight division last night and excelled as if picking up from his fine tour with the Wallabies to Europe late last year.

Another Cooper ball, this time a short one, arrowed burly outside centre Chris Feauai-Sautia to the tryline under the sticks. Cooper also banged over five-from-five with the boot and made an excellent tackle in the frontline on Chiefs centre Charlie Ngatai.

Cooper was upbeat about the trial performance and the side being able to mix up their attacking tactics and play at speed, especially in the first half.

"Things got quite compact in attack at times last year. We wanted to change up the options and keep the opposition guessing because it's important all teams evolve," Cooper said.

It didn't stop there. The backrow seemed more willing to back their passing game to unlock little rushes.

"That game was very positive for us with some young guys coming in, some old guys coming back. It's a little different not seeing our old coach (Ewen McKenzie) but we are all excited by the new ideas Richard is bringing," Cooper added.

Quade Cooper dances round several Chiefs defenders. Picture: Darren England.Source: News Limited

New coach Richard Graham will be relieved the team just evolved into making a winning start in the first game beyond the successful Ewen McKenzie era.

He might have talked of not feeling pressure but it was there.

"Yeah, I think Richard was a bit nervous," Toua said.

"It was really important to us to start 2014 with a win, especially against a very good team like the Chiefs."

Cooper's positioning in the frontline as a defender, rather than at fullback as McKenzie used him, has opened up new dimensions for the Reds attack.

Instead of a defensive stopper in the No.15 jersey to plug into the frontline, the Reds unleashed Toua for 40 exhilerating minutes at fullback and also trialled Turner and young Jonah Placid there.

Toua is a dynamite runner and made several breaks. Centre Mike Harris looks far sharper than in his injury-riddled 2013 while winger Dom Shipperley was also hungry for work under the 1970s-style tape keeping his big hair in place.

The Chiefs left frontline All Blacks forwards Brodie Retallick and Liam Messam at home. The Reds played the first half with 12 Wallabies as opposed to the All Blacks fielding just two.

While the first quarter produced some excellent, fast attack, Toua and prop James Slipper put on big tackles in the second quarter.

The Reds' set piece also put a marker down. The pack generated a scrum penalty they turned into a maulling lineout drive for the Ben Daley try and lock Rob Simmons poached several lineout throws.

A bullocking Curtis Browning showed good pace in a 30m run in the final quarter. The Reds will be back at Ballymore on Sunday morning from 10am-noon to push the season at their annual fan day.

Reds 31 (L Turner, C Feauai-Sautia, M Harris, B Daley tries; Q Cooper 4 conv, pen goal) bt Chiefs 20 (I West, Jarrod Firth, S Cane tries; I West conv, pen goal)

 Wardad

I am really not too interested in these pre-season matches - they normally are there to get combinations right and blood some younsters to see how they are likely to shape in the games to come. 

My own assessment of the Chiefs is that thy have a very good backline and loosies (even without Messam) but their tight five is not really the top one around.   NZ supporters rate Retallick extremely high - he is good in looser phrases of the game - but otherwise really I almost say pathetic.   For instance his line out play is not really acceptable and his power in tight play not up to standard. 

If the Chiefs are going to have a problem - and I think there is every chance of that - the tight 5 forwards will be the problem.

That being said - this match (like all pre-season matches) is really meaningless.  

 Oh Dearie me....is NZ rugby on the slide?

It's just a question.

 I note your rather conciliatory tone Susuke - I will by all means endeavour to maintain one too until the first rigged ref call this season - then likely all bets will be off...

Its funny that QC always seems to have a blinder v  the chiefs maybe shows his dominance over little crudes...

I would like to think Reds will be in the mix this year - but I think it maybe a bit tougher than previous years as the aussie conference is actually looking like being decently competitive with both Tahs and Brumbies definite contenders and Rebels new look outfit hungry for some wins...

As for Tahs - they always receive hype from the media here as Sydney is the most important rugby market in the country... but for once (since Ewen coaching days) they are seriously looking like a complete package - good backs and some serious forwards...

Hoping they don't do too much damage to any key wallabies....

Agree re the format of the competition - not as much interest when domestic teams are playing each other twice and the fact that Reds aren't even playing the Chiefs highlights this scheduling debacle...