Queensland Reds coach Brad Thorn ‘very tempted’ for Tens run

NEW Reds coach Brad Thorn has played 452 first class games over a storied career with the All Blacks, Crusaders, Kangaroos, Maroons and Broncos. But could we see him in a Reds jersey?

Will Thorn come out of retirement at Tens?

FORMER Wallabies coach Robbie Deans believes Brad Thorn can be a success as Reds boss because of his ruthless winners’ make-up and ability to inspire.

The fast, frenetic footy in store over the weekend will give Queensland fans a glimpse of the future when the Brisbane Global Rugby Tens take over Suncorp Stadium.

Ten-a-side is far removed from Super Rugby but coaching novice Thorn’s demand for his players to fight harder in defence and as a team should resonate in any form of footy.

Will Thorn come out of retirement at Tens?

Thorn’s big call to sideline Quade Cooper from his squad came four years after Deans did the same when jettisoning the playmaker from the 2013 British and Irish Lions Test series.

Deans was not commenting on the right or wrong of Thorn’s call when he said being able to make big decisions was imperative.

“That’s the coach’s life ... that’s reality,” said Deans, who will coach Japan’s pacy dangermen from the Panasonic Wild Knights at the Tens.

“Brad’s a bloke who likes to win, he’ll make a plan and commit to it.

“He’ll find ways to win and he’ll take players with him who want the same thing.”

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With former All Blacks whiz Carlos Spencer in the Blues line-up at 42, Thorn admitted with a grin that there was appeal to lacing on the boots as a Tens wildcard at 43 for the Reds.

“Very tempting but I don’t see it as my format unless it was maybe 20-a-side and I could pick-and-go for 20m,” Thorn said.

“It’s the Tens, a good carnival atmosphere and I’m just saying have a good crack and ‘play some footy, boys’.”

Powerhouse prop Taniela Tupou, quicksilver wingers Izaia Perese and Filipo Daugunu, line-busting captain Samu Kerevi and wild-haired new hooker Brandon Paenga-Amosa shape as strong Tens factors for the Reds.

Former Wallaby coach Robbie Deans backs Thorn’s winning mentality. Photo: Claudia Baxter

The home side faces the Blues (2.44pm) and Melbourne Rebels (6.36pm) in pool play today.

The Tens tournament for 12 top sides is a useful step towards what Thorn wants the new-look Reds to stand for in their Super Rugby opener in Melbourne on February 23.

“I want to see competitive spirit, I want to see fight in the team and I want our supporters to see a team giving their best effort to plus-80 minutes if that’s what it takes,” Thorn said.

Thorn said he hadn’t caught up with comments from Karmichael Hunt’s lawyer Adam Magill that he held written confirmation that a drug possession charge would be dropped because of insufficient evidence.

“I’m head down coaching and trying not to be distracted but that would be good news from Karmichael’s point of view,” Thorn said.

The Courier-Mail understands 0.7 of a gram of cocaine was found in a bag on the ground in a Fortitude Valley car park within a few metres of fullback Hunt late last year.

Hunt will return to court on February 19 on two lesser charges but the prospect of Rugby Australia’s integrity unit taking a strong stance on him bringing the game into disrepute still exists.