Tim Ryan's stocks have soared to historic heights and the Queensland Reds hit top gear in a 46-point thumping to all but end the Western Force's Super Rugby Pacific season.
In just his fourth career start the 20-year-old winger made Reds history with his second hat-trick of the season in Saturday's 59-13 win at Suncorp Stadium.Â
Fit-again five-eighth Tom Lynagh and forward Seru Uru also impressed as the Reds piled on nine tries to one to lock in a quarter-final against the Chiefs in Hamilton with one round still to play.
Ryan out-jumped his rival winger to score in the fourth minute, then almost immediately had a second try rubbed out by a forward pass.
He got the double after the break, Ryan pinning his ears back from 40 metres out to finish a brilliant counter-attack.
Ryan then hit a gap and defied cramp to stumble over in the 75th minute and become the first Reds player to notch multiple hat-tricks.
He now has nine tries in just four career starts and seven appearances in total.
Already boasting his own fan club in the stands, Ryan's form is demanding Test consideration ahead of the Wales tour of Australia in July.
"Those things happen every now and then and it's happening for Timmy at the moment," coach Les Kiss said.
"He knows it's on the back of good teamwork, but he finds a way, doesn't he, and that's brilliant.
"He's still very level-headed ... at least now the conversation's about his footy rather than the (nickname) Junkyard Dog.
"That's all part of the theatre, I get it, but he's doing good things on the footy pitch. He's got the sniff, hasn't he."
Lynagh, back from a hamstring complaint, pushed his case too as he ran hard at the line and found gaps with short passes to slice up the visitors.
Flanker Fraser McReight also scored twice, his second another beautiful full-field shift featuring a brilliant show-and-go from 50-game centre Josh Flook.
The Force had won their past two games and beat the Reds 40-31 in Perth earlier this season.
But they barely threatened the Reds' line in the rematch, dominated in all facets to the delight of 12,321 appreciative fans.
Their win came a week after a sapping away loss to Fiji, the Reds (7-6) the first of six teams to achieve that feat this season.
"We wanted momentum into that quarter, to try and get the dice rolling. That's a nice way to do it," co-captain Liam Wright said.
The result left the Force (4-9) in ninth place, needing to beat the Brumbies in Perth next week and hope the eighth-placed Fijian Drua - and equal-ninth Crusaders - lose their remaining games.
Coach Simon Cron admitted they had to change something next season after going through the campaign without an away win.
"The only thing I'd say about travel this week is we had a number of guys stay on the plane," he said.
"There's not a lot of good out of that game.
"Mindset ... we've got to fix it, consistency of performance.
"Also, the Reds played very well, so credit to them."
