The Queensland Reds are ‘playing for’ departing coach Brad Thorn in quarter-final clash
The Reds are the only team to have beaten the Chiefs this season, but repeating the accomplishment on Saturday won’t be easy.
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The “embarrassed” Queensland Reds are desperate to prevent departing coach Brad Thorn’s tenure ending with four successive losses,
Having scraped into the Super Rugby Pacific finals series despite being thrashed 41-17 by Fijian Drua last weekend, the Reds face a tough quarter-final task against the Chiefs in Waikato on Saturday.
Giving the Reds some much-needed belief is that they were the only team to beat the top-of-the New Zealand outfit during the regular season.
While it was an understrength Chiefs that Queensland defeated 25-22 on May 12 in New Plymouth, it was a drought-breaking win on Kiwi soil for Thorn’s side.
But since then, the Reds have suffered a hat-trick of defeats, including last Saturday’s demoralising loss in Suva.
“We were embarrassed last week and we took that personally,” Reds centre Josh Flook said.
“We just want to play for pride this week and put a really good performance that we’re proud of.
“It’s a good thing to know that we can go over (to New Zealand) and do it. All the boys are really confident. We’re excited to go back over there and face them with their full-strength side, and put it to them.
“We’ve got to really turn up in defence this week, which we didn’t last week, which was really disappointing.”
Flook said the Reds also owed Thorn – who guided team to the 2021 Super Rugby AU title – the favour of extending his stint as Queensland coach by at least one more week.
“All of us have in the back of our mind that we’re playing for (Thorn). He’s done a lot for this club,” he said.
“This is the fourth year in a row that we’ve made the finals … so he’s done a really good job.
“He’s not a selfish person. He’s making it all about us.”
Originally published as The Queensland Reds are ‘playing for’ departing coach Brad Thorn in quarter-final clash
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