Wallabies star Hunter Paisami injured on eve of Super Rugby Pacific finals
There are concerns that striking center Hunter Paisami may have played his last game with the Queensland Reds kicker; The Super Rugby finals are in jeopardy after he suffered a knee injury during the team’s 45-24 win over Fijian Drua.
The Wallabies No.12 was seen limping off the pitch in pain in the 28th minute of Friday night’s match at Suncorp Stadium after bending backwards awkwardly during a tackle and immediately signaling for medical attention.
He eventually returned to the sidelines wearing a knee brace, but Reds coach Les Kiss confirmed it was a precautionary measure.
Paisami, who is out of contract at the end of the season, has been strongly linked with a move to Japanese rugby for the full year and is yet to confirm his future at a time when the Reds have added centers Dre Pakeho and Isaac Henry while also trying to keep breakout flyer Treyvon Pritchard out of the clutches of the NRL.
Kiss, who will take the reins of the Wallabies in mid-year, was unsure whether the 28-year-old would be eligible to make the squad for next week’s do-or-die quarter-final clash with the Hurricanes or Chiefs; That will depend on the outcome of the Brumbies’ upcoming clash with Moana Pacifica.
In Pasaimi’s absence, Filipo Daugunu has formed a lethal midfield partnership with teammate Josh Flook, who will leave for Benetton at the end of the Reds’ season.
“We’ll have scans to check again tomorrow,” he said. [Pasaimi] He had a little problem with his knee so we decided to pull him out right away,” Kiss said.
“Last week we put Filipo at 12 – we’re just trying to maintain that position – and we also have Dre Pakeho who is ready to go. We’ll see how he does, but I’ve just spoken to the doctors and at this stage we won’t know until we see something in the scans.”
After Queensland opened their account through Matt Faessler behind a rolling maul, Daugunu scored with his first touch thanks to Flook’s superb late throw inches from the ground. The veteran of 20 Tests for Australia returned the favor minutes later with a deft short pass, allowing the latter to walk away untouched.
In the early stages of the competition all eyes were on rookie phenom Pritchard, who has shown signs of excellence on the wing this year, making his Super Rugby debut at full-back.
The 18-year-old, currently caught in a cross-code war over his services with the incoming Papua New Guinea Chiefs for the 2028 NRL season, had a shaky night with his kicking game, including a penalty kick attempt that went goalwards from the sideline. Without getting too caught up in the contest, he ran 53 meters and made two tackles.
However, the fight for Pritchard’s services is unlikely to abate, as some magical moments against Moana Pacifica and Chiefs have shown; Kiss strongly supports the growth of the Brisbane product through experience.
“One of the greatest learnings [experiences is] For him it’s 55, 60 minutes. It wasn’t perfect, but there were good moments there, and like I told him after the game, it’s the kind of game you have to feel,” Kiss said.
“It wasn’t exactly his style where he was shooting, he needed to feel a mishit on the sideline, he needed to feel himself tipping over at the breakdown – he needed to feel those things and those are the experiences that are required.
“He’s in good shape, he knows he’s got some learning to do, but it was important for us to see how he goes in that position. He’s level-headed, he’s balanced… it’s just going to be an upward curve for him.”
Although the Reds would enter the final series with consecutive victories, the situation was far from smooth.
Drua carried the match on wildly, distributing the ball at every stage and at times completely dominating the half with her sheer physicality. Queensland were forced to make a further 96 tackles, but three of the four tries they conceded came from impromptu moments of magic.
Winger Manasa Mataele had a field day; He scored with his first try of the night with a tackle, then went ahead with his second try and used a Virimi Olayatawa chip to complete his hat-trick.
“Look at the tries they scored, Fiji’s flash. They kept the ball bouncing, we kept them out and were physical and we knew the chances would turn and the momentum would change,” said Reds captain Fraser McReight.
The Reds have managed to rectify an inconsistent non-squad situation in the absence of Josh Canham, who returned last week with a hamstring issue after being sidelined for nearly three months.
While Queensland won all but one series with Faessler scoring twice and Richie Asiata scoring one via rolling mauls, they also had 12 turnovers to their six.
Lock Lukhan Salakaia-Loto’s return from personal leave after welcoming his third child with Canham also comes at the perfect time; He had a ferocity that rivaled his old Fijian rivals.
News, results and expert analysis from the sports weekend delivered every Monday. Sign up for our sports newsletter.
