Overview
- Queensland confirmed Harry McLaughlin‑Phillips to start at No. 10 in Wellington, with Tom Lynagh named on the bench for his first matchday this season and Carter Gordon out with a minor lower‑leg issue.
- The Reds travel on a four‑match winning run and sit fourth on the Super Rugby ladder, two points behind the first‑placed Hurricanes.
- Head coach Les Kiss called the Wellington assignment their toughest game so far and pointed to the influence of Hurricanes halves Cam Roigard and Ruben Love.
- Lynagh, who started at fly‑half for the Wallabies in the Lions series, returns after a 2025 campaign disrupted by hamstring trouble and concussion, prompting a measured reintroduction.
- Wellington’s stadium known as the Cake Tin has been a graveyard for Queensland, as they have never won there and have not beaten a Wellington‑based side since 2013.