The Reds will no doubt think long and hard about how and why their season petered out, as it was clear for the past month they looked flat compared to the momentum that was building in many of the rivals. Was the preseason tour to the UK too much, as it had been for the Crusaders before their poor 2024? Did they get it wrong in having two young No 10s? Do they have enough genuine X-factor in the back three? Les Kiss has plenty to sort through, which is probably why Queensland were so keen to keep him on next year before he joins the Wallabies. The loss to the Brumbies in round nine in Brisbane was the most significant of their campaign. It was brutal in nature, showing an unexpected gap between the two sides, and it could be argued that the Reds never really recovered. ‘Lucky loser’ system has some real flaws We were spared the prospect of a Brumbies-Hurricanes playoff that would have seen both sides progress, but that does not mean new ‘lucky loser’ playoff system is off the hook. While moans about format changes are often overblown, it did become apparent in the leadup to the weekend that the new system was hanging over every game. The Crusaders hosted the Reds in the knowledge that a loss wouldn’t necessarily eliminate them, the Chiefs knew they had a home semi-final even with a loss, and the Brumbies and Hurricanes were a whisker away from playing a playoff game with minimal consequences. The lucky loser system, therefore, has created a first week of playoffs that lacks the ‘go hard or go home’ edge that fans want from playoffs. The competition organisers will surely take a look at it in the offseason. Beware Fiji