Queensland Reds winger Ivania Wong has played a starring role as she helped ensure the Western Force's return to Super W ended in a 43-7 home defeat at HBF Park.
Wong scored a try and unleashed a series of dazzling runs in the Reds' seven-tries-to-one romp on Friday, while 16-year-old playmaker Skyla Adams was also influential with a try of her own to secure the bonus-point win.
It marked a tough return to competitive rugby for the Force, who pulled out of last year's Super W competition after just one round to ensure they didn't get stranded over east due to border restrictions.
Force playmaker Trilleen Pomare tried her best to spark her team, but the Reds simply had too many attacking weapons.
The scoreboard read 31-0 when the Force crossed for their first try in the 62nd minute, with substitute Tui Cope taking a quick tap and spinning her body over an opponent to touch down.
By then the damage had already been done, with Wong in the thick of the action throughout.
"Disappointing start to the season for us, it's not what we were hoping for," Pomare said.
"We're just lucky to get some game time in front of family and friends, so it's good to be back playing rugby on home soil."
Wong provided the highlight of the match in the 44th minute when she blocked the ball with her legs and took off for a long-range sprint to the line.
Although she was brought down just short, she was back on the wing a few recycles later to pick up a wayward pass, dodge two tacklers and crash over.
Wong almost scored a second in the 51st minute when she took off on a length-of-the-field sprint, but she ran out of gas 25m from the line and was run down by Madeline Putz.
Resolute defence at least limited the early damage for the Force, but a cut-out pass from Adams in the 17th minute opened the door for the Reds.
The ball made its way to winger Caitlyn Costello, who unleashed a Dustin Martin-like fend-off to get past Paihau Pomare and crash over the line.
The Force had a try disallowed in the 20th minute for what was deemed a forward pass.
The Reds made the most of the numerical advantage when Force No.8 Tamika Jones was sin binned in the 31st minute, with Adams slicing through the defence two minutes later to make it 12-0.
A try to Reds fullback Ellie Draper on the stroke of half-time was a hammer blow that the Force never recovered from, with the visitors scoring four more tries in the second half.
