Super Rugby report card: Best is still to come from Queensland Reds says Brad Thorn
THE Reds have just completed their best season since 2013 but there remains plenty of work to do. JIM TUCKER looks at the good, bad and ugly of Super Rugby 2018 for Queensland.
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SIX wins from 16 starts can be spun as the Queensland Reds’ best season since 2013 but hard-marking coach Brad Thorn has a blunt perspective.
“That says it’s been lean times, doesn’t it?” Thorn said after Queensland’s 48-27 sign-off to the Super Rugby season.
Thorn is adamant the best is still to come from the youngest squad in Super Rugby after 13 Reds debuts this season, including the discovery of 18-year-old Jordan Petaia.
Thorn jumped in at the deep end as a first-time Super Rugby coach and admitted he was learning on the run just like his youngest players.
“There have been challenges the whole way so I wouldn’t say it was ‘yippee, this is fun’,” Thorn said.
“It’s been a war, but a worthy one, and tested me as much as anything I’ve ever done.
“The closest thing would be my switch from rugby league to rugby as a player the first time (in 2001) with the frustrations and the need to persevere.
“There have been a lot of holes at times but we have improved, blooded some great young guys, shown fight and we’ve seen something for the future.”
THE GOOD
1. Taniela Tupou
The destructive rise of “Tongan Thor” as a scrum monster was huge. He is now a Wallaby-class weapon with four strong tries as a bonus plus his eye-popping 20m run against the Hurricanes.
2. Generation Next
In the Reds’ final game a 19-year-old halfback (Tate McDermott) was feeding a 20-year-old fly half (Hamish Stewart). Thorn was fearless when grooming his young guns. New flanker Liam Wright (12 games), Jordan Petaia (11) and co now know what Super Rugby is really about.
3. Consequences
Coach Thorn definitely made players more accountable. Drug-soiled Karmichael Hunt was given no easy way back.
4. Juggernaut scrum
Beyond Tupou, the fairytale for hooker Brandon Paenga-Amosa was remarkable. The former Sydney garbo-turned-Wallaby played all 16 games. Eight scrum penalties against the Blues was the heady high for a pack brilliantly drilled by scrum coach Cameron Lillicrap.
5. Game of Thorns
Brad Thorn drilled high standards, created a tight team spirit and the excellent pack moments reflected his strengths as a player.
6. The confidence game
The 24-0 first half to set up the upset of the Lions, 2017 finalists, was the high point of the season.
7. Standouts
Taniela Tupou, Caleb Timu, Brandon Paenga-Amosa, JP Smith, Jordan Petaia, Samu Kerevi, Kane Douglas.
THE BAD
1. Tackling technique
The Reds will moan about dud refereeing calls but there was plenty of poor technique mixed into a crippling count of 10 yellow cards and a red card.
2. Naive attack
The attacking system needs a shake-up. Twelve tries in the final two games inflated a 49-try season that had plenty of laboured periods.
3. Tokyo tumble
A wasteful switch-off for a 63-28 debacle.
THE UGLY
1. Drugs dramas
Paying a $300,000 contract share of Karmichael Hunt’s non-season was pure waste while James Slipper’s two out-of-competition positives for cocaine will likely never see him play at the Reds again.
2. Defensive lulls
Plenty of rattling, highly-physical tackles to set the tone for wins but some poor lapses to concede way too many tries (66).
3. Crowd numbers
Financial struggles were inflamed by poor crowds with only 14,452 for the Reds-Waratahs showpiece at Suncorp Stadium.
4. Hoodoos
No win in New Zealand and no win over the enemy from NSW.
... AND FINALLY
1. The Quade Conundrum
Quade Cooper keeps admirably stepping up for Souths in club rugby after Thorn decided to move on. Cooper might have grabbed six wins too but the future is in the hands of Hamish Stewart, a season shrewder, and a yet-to-be-signed back-up fly half.
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Originally published as Super Rugby report card: Best is still to come from Queensland Reds says Brad Thorn
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