Les Kiss might have played down the prospect of \u201calarm bells\u201d sounding at Ballymore, but the silence in the sheds at half-time during their shock loss to the Western Force was concerning.<\/p>\n
A week after being hammered by the table-topping Hurricanes in Wellington, the Reds were left shell-shocked against the Force, who came into the match sitting equal last alongside Moana Pasifika on four points after claiming just one of their opening six matches.<\/p>\n
But it was the Reds<\/a> who barely fired a shot and were out enthused and outplayed by Simon Cron\u2019s men despite having a pancake for a scrum.<\/p>\n The Force<\/a> not only won the contact zone, but their shape and accuracy, especially at the lineout, exposed the Reds in the six-tries-to-three victory.<\/p>\n Ultimately, it was the Reds who were out of answers, and the silence that followed was deafening.<\/p>\n Their lacklustre performance also backed up pre-season fears, where the Reds looked directionless, according to sources.<\/p>\n Star Wallabies duo Fraser McReight and Harry Wilson also had little influence on the game and were overshadowed by fringe Argentine lock Franco Molina, who finished with a hat-trick, won two lineout steals and was influential in tight around the ruck.<\/p>\n Wilson\u2019s frustration was particularly evident, with the Test skipper\u2019s frustrations clearly on display after being shown a yellow card for a high shot on Molina in the second half.<\/p>\n The Reds now sit in sixth spot after reaching the halfway point in the season with four wins and three defeats. The defending champion Crusaders are next, too.<\/p>\n And if they drop that match it might not just be the Reds\u2019 hopes of hosting a quarter-final that are shot, but a place in the top six finals altogether.<\/p>\n Indeed, the Waratahs<\/a>, who are four points behind the Reds (18) and will have a bye next weekend, will be hoping to take advantage of their rival\u2019s latest slip-up.<\/p>\n If that occurs, it won\u2019t just be Queensland who are left red-faced but Rugby Australia, given the governing body announced almost a year ago that Kiss will take over from Joe Schmidt as Wallabies<\/a> coach in late July.<\/p>\n At present, it looks like a car crash waiting to happen.<\/p>\n The first thing Kiss<\/a> must do to ensure that doesn\u2019t occur is to get his selection right.<\/p>\n Against the Force, Kiss started in-form half-back Louis Werchon on the bench, while Wallaby-in-waiting midfielder Isaac Henry didn\u2019t even make the 23. Influential prop Jeffery Toomaga-Allen also received limited minutes off the bench despite being the standard bearer and front-row physical steel the Reds needed.<\/p>\n Wallabies captain faces fresh test<\/p>\n He won\u2019t have to make a decision yet, but somewhere in the back of Kiss\u2019s mind, the Wallaby-coach-in-waiting will know it\u2019s a big month for incumbent Test captain Wilson.<\/p>\n Midway through the Super Rugby season, Wilson isn\u2019t in the Wallabies\u2019 best XV, let alone 23.<\/p>\n Rugby Transfers: Bulls could lose Springboks snub without help, All Blacks bruiser to boost World Cup bid and Stormers want to keep Malherbe<\/a><\/p>\n With Tom Hooper making a mark up north in Exeter after a brilliant 2025 campaign for the Brumbie<\/a>s and Wallabies, Rob Valetini back to his physical best, Charlie Cale lighting up Super Rugby after missing last year\u2019s season, Pete Samu back on Australian shores and offering experience and versatility, Nick Champion de Crespigny stepping up last weekend, and Joe Brial knocking on the Test door, Wilson has his work cut out for him.<\/p>\n While the 26-year-old has always been able to do the flashy stuff well and resonates well with the Australian public, the back-rower\u2019s physicality remains his biggest area of improvement.<\/p>\n Wilson was drilled backwards on a couple of occasions against the Force, while his tackle technique was somewhat exposed again as he rushed out of the defence midway through the second half and collected Molina\u2019s jaw on the way through. It wasn\u2019t the first time the number eight was a little reckless in his tackle technique despite the bulk of his attempted tackle making contact with the Argentine\u2019s chest.<\/p>\n And with Will Skelton out for the rest of the year with an Achilles injury, Kiss will be acutely aware that he\u2019ll need to find physicality elsewhere in the pack to ease the blow of the French-based wrecking-ball.<\/p>\n But that won\u2019t be easy and it should have everyone, including Wilson, on notice.<\/p>\n For now, Kiss will be hoping that Wilson returns to his best.<\/p>\n If he does, it won\u2019t just help the Reds\u2019 finals hopes, but also potentially spare Kiss a huge early decision.<\/p>\n Force dilemma rears its head, again<\/p>\n They say if you don\u2019t laugh, you\u2019ll cry. Well, Force coach Cron must have been laughing through tears on Saturday night.<\/p>\n Not just because his team finally delivered an 80-minute performance, but because the sweet victory comes against all the odds.<\/p>\n Take the performance of Pumas lock Molina, for instance: the 28-year-old delivered one of the great performances for the club by scoring a hat-trick and starring across the ground, but in just a few short months, the international lock will be off again.<\/p>\n It comes after the second-rower signed with Newcastle even before he\u2019d pulled on the Force jersey for the first time.<\/p>\n And therein lies the problem for the Force: too often, the club has been viewed as a transit lounge rather than a high-performance, quality, and aspirational club.<\/p>\n With Darcy Swain to join Clermont at season\u2019s end, it\u2019s a double disaster for the club, which finally has a tight five that can challenge some of the better teams in Super Rugby.<\/p>\n Cron, who is in his fourth year at the Force, must be shaking his head.<\/p>\n While the Force have consistently underachieved, it\u2019s no surprise given they\u2019ve never had a strong pathways system, including a flourishing and strong club competition to lean on.<\/p>\n Half-back\u2019s rise helping Wallaby<\/p>\n Ben Donaldson\u2019s injury in South Africa and subsequent lack of form in Super Rugby<\/a> AUS spared Schmidt some questions around the make up of the Wallabies squad last year, but the playmaker\u2019s strong start to 2026 has once again put his name up in lights 18 months out from the World Cup.<\/p>\n Crusaders v Fijian Drua: Five takeaways as Codie Taylor shines in milestone match and Leicester Fainga\u2019anuku sends \u2018reminder\u2019 to Dave Rennie<\/a><\/p>\n Donaldson outshone his World Cup teammate, Carter Gordon, on Saturday night during the Force\u2019s 42-19 win in Brisbane.<\/p>\n The 27-year-old was understated during the 23-point win, with his forwards, Molina particularly, rolling up their sleeves in the win.<\/p>\n But Donaldson\u2019s role shouldn\u2019t be underestimated.<\/p>\n His cross-field kick for in-form winger Darby Lancaster was inch-perfect, as the one-Test Wallaby dotted down to ensure the Force\u2019s momentum continued in the second-half.<\/p>\n He also freed up his backs superbly, with centres Bayley Kuenzle and George Bridge running direct lines and regularly crossing the advantage line.<\/p>\n Donaldson not only benefitted from the forwards aiming up, but the quick service of another former Waratahs half-back, Henry Robertson, who has now strung a series of top-shelf performances together.<\/p>\n The 26-year-old might have been denied a try from a late TMO intervention, but the half-back\u2019s tempo, quality pass, competent box kick, and elite defence, including at the breakdown, will give Wallabies selectors something to think about.<\/p>\n Front-row issues the Tahs\u2019 biggest challenge<\/p>\n Winter is coming, and so is the squeeze on the Waratahs\u2019 front-row.<\/p>\n Last Saturday\u2019s heavy defeat to the Chiefs was an early reality check for the Waratahs and their finals ambitions.<\/p>\n Even against a mediocre Chiefs front-row, the Waratahs were blown off the park at the scrum by James Doleman and they never recovered.<\/p>\n