Queensland Reds

However for young loose forward Miracle Fai’ilagi, the trip home is more than just a game for him.

Having been signed by Moana Pasifka straight out of Samoa at the start of the year, the youngster from Vailele has gone on to impress on the Super Rugby stage.

Fai’ilagi has been a key asset in the team impressing not only rugby pundits but the coaching staff of Moana Pasifika.

“We had ten boys from Lakapi Samoa (Samoa Rugby Union) come and train with us,” says Mauger.

The two-time World Cup forward has played 36 Tests for Fiji and has plied his trade in the first and second divisions in France since 2016, most recently for Top 14 outfit Clermont.

Scrum weapon and tackle buster Tupou has been a focal point of coach Brad Thorn’s plan at Ballymore.

But the Wallabies prop is unlikely to feature this season after tearing his achilles tendon on last year’s European tour.

He is facing a race against time to be fit for September’s World Cup.

Fergus Burke, Will Jordan, Brodie McAlister and Tom Christie scored the tries for the Crusaders on Friday, who will host the seventh-placed Reds for a second successive week in the quarterfinals.

The Crusaders were some way off their machine-like best but shot out to an early 14-0 lead with a two-try burst in four minutes.

Flyhalf Burke was first to cross after the Reds botched a scrum deep in defence, with returned fullback Will Jordan touching down in the 14th minute after a turnover in midfield.

Trailing 17-0 after half-an-hour, they scored 30 unanswered points to complete a 30-17 win over the Queensland Reds in Melbourne on Saturday night.

Two first half yellow cards didn't help the Canes' cause, as the Queensland side scored a pair of early tries to put themselves in the box seat.

However, once the New Zealand side were back to the full complement, they bagged two tries of their own to be just three points adrift at the break.

Mulitalo – himself a late Queensland call-up 24 hours before game two – was withdrawn from the Maroons side at 11am on Sunday with doubts remaining over whether he is eligible to represent the state.

Coates has been called in as replacement in jersey No.20 having been dropped after Origin I's 50-6 thrashing from NSW.

"Heartbroken and lost for words," Mulitalo posted on his Instagram after his withdrawal was made official.

New Zealand teams had won all of the first 13 contests in the competition, a streak continued on Saturday with third straight wins over Australian opposition for the Crusaders and Blues.

A rout looked on the cards when the Super Rugby AU champion Reds raced out to a 33-3 halftime lead after Chiefs playmaker Damian McKenzie had been dismissed for a dangerous tackle in the 22nd minute.

The victory put the Reds back above the ACT Brumbies in the standings and condemned the hapless Waratahs to a fifth successive defeat.

The Reds ran in seven tries to register their biggest win in Sydney - and their first in the city for eight years - while the injury-hampered Waratahs have now conceded 201 points as their horror season continues, heightening concern over the impact on Australian rugby's heartland.

Tate McDermott, Lukhan Salakaia-Loto and Filipo Daugunu all went over in the first half to take the Reds to a 22-9 lead at the interval.

Headlined by a strong Wallabies contingent of James O’Connor, Taniela Tupou, Harry Wilson, Jordan Petaia, Filipo Daugunu, Tate McDermott, Liam Wright, Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, Hunter Paisami, Brandon Paenga-Amosa and Fraser McReight, head coach Brad Thorn has retained the core of the squad that enjoyed plenty of success in 2020.

Factor in the high-profile acquisitions of new rugby league convert Suliasi Vunivalu and teenage sensation Mac Grealy, and the Queensland franchise’s prospects remain bright as they look to challenge for titles both in Australia and across the Tasman.

Petaia was dazed after a tackle gone wrong in last week’s qualifying final defeat of Melbourne Rebels, ending a night that had already included an intercept try and near-miss.

But he has cleared all concussion protocols to face the Brumbies on Saturday night, who welcome their own young gun Noah Lolesio back from injury to steer the ship at No.10.

Petaia will loom large on the flank as the Reds attempt to snap a six-year losing streak in Canberra, while prop JP Smith will start ahead of Harry Hoopert.

The Wallabies utility back struck in the 76th minute, giving the Reds victory after 11 successive defeats by their southern rivals and leaving home fans happy at the end of a scrappy display from both teams.

The first match of Australia's domestic "Super Rugby AU" brought a modest crowd to Lang Park, with groups of fans spaced apart in the terraces to maintain social distancing.

They saw a willing, if error-strewn contest, as players struggled to shake off the rust from a long break following the suspension of the wider Super Rugby competition in March.