Brisbane Global Rugby Tens: Queensland Reds’ big men set to feel the heat as temperatures soar

EXTREME heat will melt more than 30kg from skipper James Slipper and his Reds team when they tackle the cauldron for the Brisbane Global Rugby Tens.

EXTREME heat will melt more than 30kg from skipper James Slipper and his Reds team on Saturday when they tackle the cauldron for the Brisbane Global Rugby Tens.

The Reds’ strategy to cope with playing in 36 degrees at Suncorp Stadium is as refined as any of the moves they have rehearsed to launch the 10-a-side try-fest.

“I lose 4-6kg playing an 80-minute game on a hot night so I’m going to be losing a fair bit in a day game with this heat for the Tens,” 117kg Slipper said.

The humid heat will likely strip 2kg-plus per game from the prop’s frame in this sprint format because unlimited interchange will protect the big boppers in the 20-minute games.

Across 10 starters plus six or seven subs, that’s a staggering 30kg or more being stripped through fluid loss and weight burn in the Reds’ scorcher against the Blues at 12.56pm.

James Slipper will lead a Reds side containing two former Test captains.

Iced towels and demisting fans on the sidelines plus mass hydration and ice baths in cooled dressingrooms are just the start of the Reds’ plan.

Coach Nick Stiles will bus his team from the ground to the team’s air-conditioned player lounge at Ballymore to best cool down in their four-hour break between pool games.

“Our advantage is training in this all the time and good hydration management,” Slipper said.

“It could slow down the Kiwis and their high-tempo game a bit ... I hope.’’

Hulking 133kg prop Sosefo Kautai (Chiefs) and 122kg “Tongan Bear” Loni Uhila (Hurricanes) will feel the unfamiliar heat even more as giant Kiwi visitors.

On Sunday, the winning team could play four matches in six hours when 39 degrees is the heatwave high predicted. Brisbane’s Dr Richard Brown will be one of five doctors monitoring every game.

Quade Cooper will play his part in the Reds’ five-strong leadership group.

“There are lots of precautions in place, rugby’s heat guidelines will be followed and good communal judgments will be made on player welfare,” Dr Brown said.

Slipper is delighted to be leading from the front after being reinstalled as Reds skipper in a strong show of faith from new coach Nick Stiles.

Slipper’s allies in a new four-man leadership group are as impressive, with support to come from Wallabies captain Stephen Moore, 105-game flyhalf Quade Cooper, centre Samu Kerevi and prop Sam Talakai.

Stiles said the strong move to more formal leaders was partly a response to the Reds not actively developing more leaders in recent seasons.

“To do absolutely everything can be draining and the leadership model we have adopted means we are not just relying on James but the balance of qualities of a very powerful group on and off the field,” Stiles said.

Reds’ coach Nick Stiles has opted to share the leadership responsibilities this year.

Including Cooper in the leadership group is a good move because he has such vast knowledge of the game and commands the ears of the team in so many situations.

“We all mature, don’t we? Quade is a pretty competitive person and we want him to be the driver of our game plan,” Stiles said.

Slipper agreed it was “surreal’’ to be guiding a Reds team containing Moore and George Smith, two Wallabies greats and former Test captains.

Flanker Smith will lead in other ways because his arrival at training this week from his off-season stint in Japan has already stirred positives and feedback for Stiles.

“You feel the pick-up in intensity around training and standards because he comes in commanding a lot of respect,” Slipper said.

Originally published as Brisbane Global Rugby Tens: Queensland Reds’ big men set to feel the heat as temperatures soar