Queensland Reds on right track despite flogging from Waratahs

Strip away all the emotion and the reality was that the Waratahs were far superior to Queensland on Saturday night.

Strip away all the emotion and the reality was the NSW side were far superior to Queensland at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday night, for the ninth match in ­succession.

Reds captain Scott Higginbotham’s face at the post-match press conference said it all. Yes, there was fight from his team until the very end. And yes, they have some truly admirable qualities. But he’s an old pro, Higginbotham — which is not to say that he should not, again, be in the Wallabies side to play ­Ireland — and he recognised the Waratahs’ superiority on the night.

For a long while, it really did look like men playing boys which, in reality, was not far from the truth. It had shaped as a battle of the generations but the ­reality was the Reds were not yet ready to confront NSW.

To watch Taqele Naiyaravoro accept the ball from Michael Wells and then, in turn, to bump off Hamish Stewart, Moses Sorovi and Jayden Ngamanu — the three lightest players in the Reds team — was simply a lesson in physics. Something about irresistible force.

NSW were much, much more than mere brute strength, even if they were prepared to resort to muscle when it suited them. They attacked in a way that simply picked Queensland apart. The Reds tried the rush defence, but foolishly, because they ­deployed it against quick ball. And when Bernard Foley and Kurtley Beale see defenders rushing out of the line, their eyes light up.

So the Reds attempted to be a bit more subtle, to hold and slide and then pounce. That’s the correct tactic when a team is dropping the ball out the back. But, as Brad Thorn admitted, that ­requires some “smarts” and there are only so many lessons a coach can cram into young minds. The Reds tackled as individuals. No one seemed to be co-ordinating the defence. The inside man and the outside man appeared to be strangers. And the Waratahs carved them up.

Trouble was, the Waratahs did it so easily that their concentration strayed and all season-long the Reds have punished sides for taking them too lightly. And even as 15 tries were being scored, Thorn took the time to analyse the behaviour of the crowd, to see how many of them were heading early for the exits. He was pleased to discover there were no bailouts.

Queensland are, in many ways, a mesmerising side. Even someone who was watching them extremely closely, like Waratahs captain Michael ­Hooper, was constantly asking himself: how on Earth did they get that pass away?

So, quickly, because there is much to discuss, the Reds have some refinement to do before they can truly hope to unseat NSW. First up, their kicking game is lamentable. No, wait, they have no kicking game. They have no idea what is required in what quadrant of the field. And then they have no idea how to execute it. Thorn’s first task today should be to pick up the phone and call Ben Perkins, John Eales’ old kicking coach. He may be eccentric, he may be someone totally foreign to Thorn and his coaching methods, but he knows not only how to kick but why and when.

Perkins can start with Sorovi because he gives every indication he will be Queensland’s halfback for the next decade. Every ruck, he buys his outside men an extra half-second with the speed of his pass. And he seems inexhaustible. But he needs refinement and he needs to be taught to kick. Not mindless box kicks but real kicks, that transfer pressure, not just possession. And then Perkins can go to work on Stewart, who is clearly a wonderful player but one whose confidence is shaken when he is not kicking well — which he clearly wasn’t on Saturday night.

NSW now have until June 29 to prepare themselves for the blockbuster against the Melbourne Rebels, which will go a long way towards determining which of these two sides contests the Super Rugby finals. Ten of the Tahs’ number have been chosen in the Wallabies squad, with an 11th, Tolu Latu, being asked to remain in Brisbane as a possible replacement for injured Rebels hooker, Jordan Uelese.

What Damien Fitzpatrick, NSW’s first-choice hooker, has done to get offside with Michael Cheika is anyone’s guess but he can’t get a look-in. Perhaps being good at everything, without being great at any one thing, fails the test.

Whoever the Wallabies select at hooker should measure up, particularly since Ireland have lost Rory Best, while the backrow ­dilemma looks to have been solved by Caleb Timu. True, he was a fresh player coming on against a tiring opposition but he looks to have answered the Wallabies need for a dynamic ball-carrier whose work ethic is second to none.

The alternative is to use ­Lukhan Tui at blindside flanker with David Pocock at No 8 but this involves playing two players out of position. And Australia have been down this road too many times ­before, thinking locks will adapt to the backrow while strengthening the lineout.

Just about every coach has ­experimented in this way and while there have been some successes — Troy Coker, for example — generally the experiments have been abandoned in short order. Mark Chisholm played six of his 58 Tests in the backrow, even Rob Simmons has played there three times. It doesn’t work. Besides, in a desperate bid to get Tui up to speed, Rugby Australia had to get permission from the QRU for him to play second grade for Souths against Logan City, who don’t field a first grade team. That’s no preparation for Ireland.

While the Wallabies forwards still need some tinkering, Saturday night proved that the core of the Australian backline — Foley, Beale and Israel Folau — is on fire. Now it is a case of filling in around them — Will Genia at halfback (though he hasn’t played for a month), Reece Hodge and Marika Koroibete on the wings and either Samu Kerevi or Curtis Rona at 13.

Rona has the advantage of having started for NSW in all but one match this season and he certainly played well on Saturday night. ­Kerevi underplayed his hand but still delivered a stunning backhand pass for Timu’s try and slammed the door shut on a try-bound Foley with a shuddering tackle in the 16th minute.

Interesting, though, that Tevita Kuridrani isn’t really coming into the conversation.