Reds head coach Les Kiss has revealed that a suggestion from the Brisbane-based outfit\u2019s former skipper Tate McDermott has resulted in Fraser McReight taking over the side\u2019s captaincy.<\/p>\n
It was announced on Friday that star openside flanker McReight has been appointed as the Reds\u2019 captain for their 2026 Super Rugby Pacific campaign, and he takes over the leadership role from former co-captains McDermott and Liam Wright, who left the club during the off-season.<\/p>\n
McReight<\/a> has become Australia<\/a>\u2018s first-choice openside flanker in recent years, and he has already made 39 Test appearances for the Wallabies.<\/p>\n The 26-year-old is no stranger to captaincy. He stepped up to captain the Wallabies for the first time against South Africa in Cape Town last year \u2013 as a replacement for regular skipper Harry Wilson, who was injured at the time \u2013 after leading the Australia Under-20s in 2019.<\/p>\n McDermott is in a race to be fit for the Reds<\/a>\u2018 Super Rugby Pacific<\/a> opener against arch-rivals the Waratahs in Sydney on February 13 as he is still struggling to overcome a hamstring tear sustained during last year\u2019s first Bledisloe Cup Test at Eden Park in Auckland.<\/p>\n McDermott\u2019s idea for a different voice as Reds\u2019 leader<\/p>\n Kiss<\/a> said the selfless act from McDermott was the experienced scrum-half\u2019s idea for a different voice as the Reds\u2019 on-field leader.<\/p>\n \u201cTate was very agreeable and actually suggested the idea that we look at how we can broaden the leadership group,\u201d Kiss told reporters in Brisbane.<\/p>\n \u201cHe was involved with the whole process and very keen to make sure it moved on.<\/p>\n \u201cFraser\u2019s been under Liam and Tate for a while, knows the wisdoms that came from them, and now he\u2019ll take this forward and lead in his own right.\u201d<\/p>\n Wallabies scrum-half\u2019s \u2018don\u2019t really care\u2019 verdict on NRL\u2019s star\u2019s possible code switch<\/a><\/p>\n McReight\u2019s promotion to the role of Reds captain and the fact that he is a first-choice player for the Wallabies should put him in the frame to lead his country in the build-up to the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia.<\/p>\n Kiss, who will replace Joe Schmidt as the Wallabies\u2019 head coach mid-year after finishing the Super Rugby Pacific season with the Reds, said that he expects Wilson to continue being Australia\u2019s captain.<\/p>\n \u201cNo, no indication at all in that area, this is totally about the Reds,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cI think Fraser\u2019s just in that right part of his career now to step forward \u2013 he\u2019s probably one of the best sevens in world rugby, and he\u2019s shown his wares on the pitch there for the Wallabies and for the Reds for a number of years.<\/p>\n \u2018Really rapt that Fraser accepted the position\u2019<\/p>\n \u201cSo from a Reds perspective, we\u2019re really, really rapt that Fraser accepted the position.\u201d<\/p>\n Despite leading the Wallabies in that one Test against the Springboks during last year\u2019s Rugby Championship, McReight also said he has no ambition to replace Wilson as the team\u2019s leader on a permanent basis.<\/p>\n \u201cNo, definitely not. This is 2026 for the Reds and Wilso\u2019s one of my best mates, and I\u2019ve learnt so much from him as the captain of the Wallabies,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n \u201cHe backs me here, I back him there and we work together really well so I\u2019m not looking for Wallabies right now, I\u2019m here at the Reds.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m super grateful that I\u2019ve been given the opportunity and the belief from the coaches and management and also my peers.\u201d<\/p>\n Want more from Planet Rugby? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list<\/a> for world-class coverage you can trust.<\/p>\n