The Taralga weather did not disappoint, with a windy, sleety eight degree day which greeted the players .

The first half saw the Tigers cross the Redback's line four times as the Redbacks tried to work out their structure and combinations.

Braidwood spent a good majority of the first period in the Taralga half but were unable to covert pressure into points. An accidental high tackle saw captain Jake Holland sin-binned late in the first half with the Tigers taking advantage of a weakened defensive line by crossing over for two late tries. The half-time score was 26-0.

The second half saw some real high points for the Redbacks with some of the backline combinations that the team have work so hard at training to master starting to fall into place.

While Taralga crossed over for two tries in the second half, the Redbacks certainly held their own and were unlucky not to score a number of times themselves on the back of solid forward structure and backline combination. It was really pleasing to see the ball going forward right across the backline which certainly is a good sign of things to come this season.

Coach Box Hayes was happy with the way the team performed, especially in the second half as the team started to show the benefits of a structured and well attended pre-season training. The final score was 38-0.

Three points went to Joel Jordon, two point to Jacob Rose and one point to Dan Hart who played his first ever competition game of rugby union. Players' Player went to Angus Sherriff.

The Redbacks have been overwhelmed with the sponsorship support from the community with over 40 local businesses coming on board. The players, coaching staff and management team look forward to meeting all sponsors at home games during the season.  The Redbacks welcome Crookwell this Saturday at the Rec Ground for the first home game of the season with a 2:30pm Kick off. Get own to the Rec Ground and support your local side. BBQ and drinks will be available.