Super Rugby round four wrap: Reds coach Richard Graham under pressure after another poor showing

QUEENSLAND Reds coach Richard Graham is under enormous pressure after his side produced another poor showing in their 23-5 loss to the Waratahs.

Michael Hooper of NSW during the Super Rugby match between the Queensland Reds and the NSW Waratahs. Pic Darren England.

THE Queensland Reds produced another disappointing display, the Waratahs produced an ugly win, the Brumbies were clinical and the Badge scored on his Force return.

It’s all in our Super Rugby round four wrap.

REDS ROLLED IN SUNCORP SHOCKER

Queensland coach Richard Graham is fighting for his job after the Reds put in an abysmal performance against the Waratahs on Saturday night.

The 23-5 scoreline flattered the home side whose defence was sloppy at best, missing 33 tackles throughout the night.

The Reds were also unable to gather any momentum in attack and found themselves pinned down in their own half for much of the match.

But the 18-point margin was also aided by the wasteful Waratahs whose appalling ball handling allowed the Reds to remain in the hunt until Peter Betham put the result beyond doubt in the 67th minute.

Betham’s try, and that of Bernard Foley in the 25th minute, indicated that hiding behind the butter fingers was the slick Waratahs of 2014.

But to be serious title contenders this term, the Waratahs will need to produce more consistent displays and improve their discipline across the park.

At the Reds, the spotlight is now firmly focused on embattled coach Richard Graham and his underperforming side. There will be no let up though, with the Queenslanders facing the Brumbies next week before a much-needed bye in round six.

TURNER HITS THE DECK

A wave of concern rushed around Suncorp Stadium in the 73rd minute of Saturday night’s clash after Dave Dennis floored Lachie Turner with a brutal tackle.

The Reds winger was in top gear as he ran straight at the Waratahs skipper but came off second best after ducking his head into the tackle.

Dennis’ actions were neither illegal nor sinister, but the blow left Turner in a world of pain on the deck.

Carefully placed in a stretcher and taken from the field on a medicab, the former Waratah managed a thumbs up to acknowledge the applause from his adopted home crowd.

Turner was said to be on his feet in the dressing room shortly after, no doubt to the relief of players, officials and fans.

BRUMBIES SOLID, FORCE IMPROVE

Momentum is steadily building in Canberra after another solid win by the Brumbies over the Force, to make it three from four in 2015.

The home side opened the scoring in the seventh minute through two-metre lock Rory Arnold and were never headed, piling on four tries to two in their 27-15 victory.

But once again it was the Brumbies’ defensive effort which will have brought a smile to Stephen Larkham’s face, with the Force owning 63% of the ball and making 137 runs but producing just two tries.

Regardless of their poor conversion against the Brumbies defence, it was an improved showing by the Force after their shellacking at home by the Hurricanes last weekend.

Alby Mathewson of the Force is tackled by the Brumbies’ Nic White.

Michael Foley’s men appeared more assured with the ball in hand in Canberra, consistently threatening the Brumbies with their dogged, hard-running style. They were simply outclassed by potentially Super rugby’s best defensive side.

The Force’s defence also showed improvement itself, halving its missed tackle count from a whopping 37 against the Hurricanes to 20 this weekend.

Nonetheless it was a third straight loss for the Force, making this weekend’s match-up with the Rebels a must-win if they are to keep their season alive.

The Brumbies on the other hand have now won ten straight at GIO Stadium, but will hit the road for their next two fixtures against the Reds and Waratahs.

BADGE GETS SOME MEAT

He may have been playing on Brumbies turf but the Canberra crowd went off like a cut snake when Nick Cummins crossed for a try in his first match back in Super Rugby.

Even more impressive was the meat pie came with just his second touch of the ball, 11 minutes into the clash.

The Honey Badger showed a good turn of foot in his first competitive match for some months, powering past Nic White and Henry Speight to dive over in the corner.

The Force have found points hard to come by in recent weeks and will need every ounce of Cummins’ strength and explosive pace if they are to resurrect their flagging season.

THROW YOUR FORM GUIDES OUT

Two weeks ago, the Crusaders got the better of the Highlanders. Last week, the Sonny Bill’s Chiefs mauled the Crusaders.

The form guide heading into Friday’s Chiefs v Highlanders match painted a pretty clear picture of how this match should have gone.

But despite being rank outsiders, the Highlanders produced a gallant first half effort to lead at the interval, before the Chiefs staged a stunning comeback to force two penalty tries and level the game a 17 points apiece heading into the final minute.

The Highlanders were out on their feet but somehow earned a last-minute penalty and sharp shooter Marty Banks did the rest from 45 metres out.

The Chiefs’ unbeaten streak is over, but things are looking up for the Highlanders who will now enter this weekend’s match against the winless Blues as raging favourites.

But as Friday night proved, anything is possible in Super Rugby.

Marty Banks of the Highlanders celebrates after kicking the winning penalty.

AROUND THE GROUNDS

From the weekend’s three other matches:

•The Stormers have jumped to the top of the overall super rugby standings after making it four from four with a 29-13 victory over the Sharks.

•Neither the Blues nor the Lions had registered a win in 2015 heading into their encounter on Saturday night, but it was the Lions who upset the Blues on their own patch, scoring a gutsy 13-10 win in Albany.

•The Bulls made a meal of the Cheetahs, with Handre Pollard’s 29-point haul guiding them to a 39-20 victory at Vodacom Park.

Originally published as Super Rugby round four wrap: Reds coach Richard Graham under pressure after another poor showing