Harry Wilson has done as directed producing a man of the match performance to help pilot the Queensland Reds to a 23-5 victory over the Melbourne Rebels in their Super Rugby Pacific opener in Brisbane.
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The No.8 produced a moment of magic in a game riddled with errors, spinning in a tackle and reaching out through a sea of bodies to somehow plant the ball for a decisive second-half try.
He showed clean hands in the heavy rain and constantly made ground around the ruck, while a try-saving tackle in the first half stopped the Rebels from drawing level.
One of the first picked in Dave Rennie's 2020 Wallabies side, the Gunnedah junior was left in Australia for the Spring Tour last year to instead benefit from a full-preseason of development.
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He's presented in fine form and was a bright spot in a largely forgettable first-round clash on a wet night at Suncorp Stadium.
"He's worked a lot athletically with his running technique, in the gym," Reds coach Brad Thorn said of 22-year-old Wilson.
"And he's another year older; he came in at 20 and it's been foot to floor since then."
Speaking post-match with Stan Sport Wilson said he was "just happy to be back out there and playing good footy", joking that he was "pretty sick of just running up and down the field".
He was asked about his performance around the areas that Rennie had wanted him to work on like his explosiveness and agility - the fruits of which were evident.
"I worked quite hard on it. I guess that was my job the last few months to improve it and I was happy enough with that," he said.
"I guess for me it's just to keep improving, it's not just going to happen in a few months hard work. It's year in-year out, keep on working on it and hopefully I can see the fruits of it."
Australian Associated Press
