Super Rugby: Reds just what we need, says Tahs coach

Waratahs coach Daryl Gibson is delighted to be playing the Reds on Saturday at Suncorp.

Daryl Gibson watches his forwards scrummage at Moore Park yesterday. Picture: Gregg Porteous.

Queensland would never want to do any favours for NSW, especially in the lead-up to an interstate clash, so they must be really gnashing their teeth that Waratahs coach Daryl Gibson is delighted to be playing them on Saturday at Suncorp.

The Waratahs slumped to one of their worst defeats not just of this season but of the past decade when they were beaten 26-24 by the Southern Kings on Saturday night at Allianz Stadium, showing no signs that any immediate recovery was even remotely possible.

But by a fortuitous piece of luck their next opponents are Queensland — and they don’t require any motivation at all.

“I don’t think we could have found a better opposition than the Reds this week,” Gibson said. “We’re looking forward to getting back out there and fortunately it’s against a traditional rival there with a hundred plus-year history and it’s not a difficult one to get up for.”

The Tahs will be forced to make at least one change to their side, with in-form hooker Tolu Latu out of action for at least a week with a shoulder injury. There was almost universal expectation that Gibson would make mass changes, but he indicated he was not thinking quite along those lines.

“I believe the effort and energy can change quickly, so at this stage, no,” he said.

But while the media came expecting talk of a quick fix, Gibson was talking of NSW getting it right in the long haul.

“We’ve had 10 years of changing our development systems, from a centralised system to a decentralised system and only recently, up till 2013, this state got its development system back again.

“Right now, in Australian rugby, I don’t think we’ve got that right. I know all the media is around the fifth team but I truly believe that the area we have to address is the development area.”

NSW will lose two international locks at the end of this season, when Will Skelton and Dean Mumm head overseas, and yet the Waratahs don’t have second-rowers of similar ability to replace them, Gibson said. Certainly it is a compelling argument for Australia to move to four teams.

“We’re very open to getting it right. If we don’t, we’ll keep repeating the cycle that we’re in for many years to come.”

Both NSW and Queensland come into this match with two wins and six losses and Gibson warned that the consequences for the loser would be pretty grim. Certainly the Reds are well aware that five-eighth Bernard Foley is the centrepiece of the Waratahs attack, the man they have to halt if they are to consolidate their position as second in the Australian conference behind the Brumbies.

“If we stop the ball at him, then Izzy (Israel Folau) doesn’t get the ball and he’s probably their best attacking weapon,” said Foley’s counterpart in the Queensland side, Quade Cooper.

“He (Foley) is the cornerstone of their attack for a long period. Obviously with Kurtley Beale being there in the past few years, those two have developed a good combination. But it’s been a little bit different not having Kurtley there so there’s more responsibility on Foley’s shoulders.”

Meanwhile, the Western Force have lost two of their most experienced backs with Wallabies utility Dane Haylett-Petty out for at least four weeks with a torn hamstring and Test winger Luke Morahan suffering a fractured eye-socket.

Former Springbok five-eighth Peter Grant could be pressed into service at fullback, although coach Dave Wessels could do worse than to stick with the combination that served him in the latter stages of the Chiefs match when he continued with Luke Burton in the playmaking role, while Jono Lance filled in at fullback.