Queensland Reds to play Brumbies in round one and NSW in round four of new Super Rugby season
REDS recruits Karmichael Hunt and James O’Connor will the Brumbies and Waratahs in the first month of next year’s Super Rugby season.
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PRIZED Reds recruits Karmichael Hunt and James O’Connor will have little time to adjust to the ferocity of local derbies, with grudge matches against the Brumbies and Waratahs locked into the opening month of next year’s Super Rugby season.
Winning their conference must be the benchmark for coach Richard Graham after last season’s failures against local opponents saw the side finish as the fourth-ranked Australian outfit.
Queensland’s improvement will be measured against the Brumbies in Round 1 and the champion Waratahs in Round 4.
No longer can the Reds pencil in wins against the Western Force and the Melbourne Rebels, both of whom enjoyed success at Suncorp stadium in 2014.
“Winning the conference is important every year,” Graham said. “No doubt it will be a challenge having the Brumbies twice and the 2014 winner in the first five rounds, but we’re really comfortable where we’ve drawn everyone.”
The Reds open their campaign away to the Brumbies before hosting their first home game of the season against the Western Force in Round 2.
But it will be the March 7 derby against the champion Waratahs outfit that will establish how much ground, if any, the side has made since last season.
The Reds lost both blockbusters against the Waratahs last season by a combined score of 66-8.
Hunt and O’Connor will be shoehorned into a backline that will have Quade Cooper and Will Genia returning from injury-interrupted seasons.
Graham is confident the midfield machinations will be ready by Round 1, but there is no pressure on any of the new faces to dazzle in their first start.
“We’d like to go into the season with a little familiarity in the combinations,” he said.
“But it’s going to be competitive andguys will be under pressure for their spots on a weekly basis.
“And that’s what we want.”
Other features of the 2015 draw includes an afternoon Anzac Round match against the Hurricanes on Sunday, April 26.
With the Anzac Centenary occurring in 2015, SANZAR has ensured five matches involving Australian and New Zealand teams are played across this hugely significant weekend.
The Reds’ South African tour will also take place in April, with the Bulls in Pretoria and Cheetahs in Bloemfontein.
A quirk of the draw means Queensland misses out on facing the Blues and Stormers but is scheduled to tackle New Zealand heavyweights the Crusaders and the Chiefs.
Originally published as Queensland Reds to play Brumbies in round one and NSW in round four of new Super Rugby season
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