A beaming Les Kiss has batted away questions around his future with the Reds, while also giving a positive update around star flanker Fraser McReight, as he watched his side smash the NSW Waratahs 35-15 to keep hold of the Bob Templeton Cup in Brisbane on Saturday night.

There were fears early in the second half when McReight, who penned a new three-year deal to stay at the Reds earlier this week, got up clutching at his shoulder after scoring a stunning try to help send Queensland on their way.

Those concerns only went up a notch when the star flanker was seen wearing a sling at full-time.

Asked if he was concerned by the pictures of seeing McReight in a sling, Kiss, the former Maroons State of Origin winger, played down any concern the 26-year-old was set for a long stint on the sidelines by saying the early signs were OK, and that he was due to be rested from next week’s visit to Dunedin in any case.

“No, not really,” Kiss responded.

“I don’t think it’s anything sinister, but we’ll do the right thing to make sure we check it out.

“We’ve got an away trip next week. It was on our plan to give Fraser a week off, so maybe it came at the right time.”

Fraser McReight scored a stunning try against the Waratahs at Suncorp Stadium but finished the match on the sidelines after injuring his shoulder in Brisbane. (Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)

Kiss’ update will be music to the ears of not only Reds fans but Wallabies ones too, with the Test onballer one of the world’s best.

His combination with Harry Wilson and Seru Uru was once again on show, as Super Rugby’s Harlem Globetrotters turned it on against the previously unbeaten Waratahs.

The Waratahs might have burst out of the blocks by scoring after just 120 seconds, but Dan McKellar’s side simply couldn’t stay with the Reds on a helter-skelter evening where the game was played at breath-taking pace, especially in the absence of many scrums.

With Uru, as well as outside centre Filipo Daugunu, in vintage form, the Reds continued to grow playing behind the Fijian-born back-row baller.

The Test flanker’s ability to find soft shoulders, free his arms and find space around the edge of the ruck and on the fringes of the Waratahs’ attack allowed Tom Lynagh to pull the strings at fly-half magnificently.

“I thought it was a cracker of a match,” Kiss said.

“They came at us early, scored early and we had to hold fort. We weren’t very tidy early, they were on top of us but we kept hanging in there. I thought it was a cracker.

“We like to think we can play many ways, but we have to play tough and through the middle first.”

Built as a match between two potential Wallabies coaches, Kiss didn’t do his chances of convincing Rugby Australia any harm after the Reds’ emphatic response following last week’s disappointing first loss of the season to the Crusaders.

But Kiss, who has interviewed twice with RA The Roar understands, was doing his best to maintain his thoughts were solely on leading the Reds to a drought-breaking title in 2025.

“That’s where it’s at. It’s in that space. I know they’re talking to people, I don’t know who. I’m just focussed on this,” Kiss told Stan Sport.

“Last week was pretty tough. I’ve just been focussed on what I do for this team.”

Asked specifically about his presentation with the Reds, Kiss added: “All I’m doing is just chatting to them, and I’m also chatting to the Reds. There’s nothing further to that.

“The locker room is absolutely committed to doing what we can to make the Reds better every single week.”

Queensland Reds head coach Les Kiss says his focus is purely on Super Rugby despite being linked to the Wallabies head coaching role. (Photo by Albert Perez/Getty Images)

After the Waratahs put the Reds under a world of pressure early, the turning point in the game came in the 14th minute when Test outside back Andrew Kellaway was shown a yellow card for a dangerous lifting tackle on Harry Wilson.

Kellaway and Wilson exchanged plenty of words as the Waratahs back made his way off, but it was the Reds back-rower who was laughing soon after.

With Kellaway off the field, Reds fullback Heremaia Murray, who’d had a tough opening few matches since switching from the Crusaders, saw space in behind the Waratahs defence and scored a stunning solo try to help turn the momentum.

Although the Waratahs managed to get their noses back in front via a Lawson Creighton penalty, it was their last bit of joy for 50 minutes as the Reds ran in four straight converted tries to blow away their opponents.

The damage was done through up front, with the four converted tries scored by the forwards with Wilson and replacement hooker Richie Asiata scoring before the break, before McReight and lock Angus Blyth scored.

Along the way former Reds star Taniela Tupou was rarely sighted for the Waratahs, as once again his Test front-row teammate Angus Bell shouldered much of the burden of being the side’s main ball-carrier.

The visitors had their chances in the second half, but were twice held up over the line before Langi Gleeson eventually powered his way over from close range.

“It was a tough start to captain life, it wasn’t much fun,” said stand-in captain Hugh Sinclair.

“We were good in some patches but the much better team on the night won.

“They were probably a bit distracted after last week, but they were too good and on song tonight.

“They got on top of us at half time and we couldn’t come back.”

Asked where the Waratahs blew it, Sinclair pointed to the fact their defence couldn’t slow the home side.

“You can’t concede 35 points and expect to win games,” he said.

“Once we got down their end, we had to hold the ball better.”

The Reds’ 20-point win saw them move up into second on the competition standings on 14 points along with the Crusaders and Brumbies, four points adrift of the Chiefs, who earlier held on against the Blues and have yet to have a week off.

The Waratahs are fifth on 13 points, with McKellar’s side to host the Brumbies next Saturday in a massive Australian derby.