Reds’ Gold Coast wing duo setting bar higher
THEY say wingers only score so many tries because they’re defended by other wingers but the Queensland Reds’ Gold Coast duo of Henry Speight and Jock Campbell are out to disprove that dated theory.
Speight is the grizzled veteran of 119 Super Rugby games with the Brumbies, who adopted Bond University as his club when he moved to Queensland this off-season.
Campbell, a TSS graduate who rose from the school’s Second XV to become the Reds rookie of the year last year, is on the opposite extreme of the experience scale. Together they have formed an unlikely contender to become the best defensive wing combination in the competition.
On Friday night the Reds held the Waratahs’ Wallabiesstacked backline to a single try, scored in the 77th minute.
“I think it was just our unit as a whole,” Speight said in praise of the outside backs’ defensive work. “We knew the threats they posed with Kurtley Beale coming in and Karmichael Hunt organising the threats on the edges.
“If we could get up in their face and limit their time with the ball, there was a big focus on that tonight.”
It took exciting Waratahs youngster Mark Nawaqanitawase – whom Speight described as Folau-like after the match – all of 76 minutes to breach the Reds’ defence.
Campbell agreed: Nawaqanitawase’s reputation was well-earned. “I thought as a team we handled him quite well because we knew he could do some pretty special things,” the 24-year-old said.
The Reds have allowed just one backline try in 160 minutes of pre-season action.