Back in the days of the Super 10 and first 2 seasons of the Super 12 the (Queensland) Reds were one of the top sides. They even finished the inaugural season of the Super 12 in first position. Since then a steady loss of top players has seen a decline in standards and results in Queensland rugby.
Initially the large exodus was due to retirements of Wallabies, eg Michael Lynagh, Tim Horan, John Eales etc, but there have also been many defections eg Jason Little, Toutai Kefu, Chris Latham interstate or overseas, whilst the Reds were the Australian franchise hit hardest when the Force arrived as many fringe players left a struggling side for the lure of greater dollars and a more promising future eg James O’Connor, Nathan Sharpe.
Eddie Jones and Phil Mooney tried to rebuild the Reds and failed. However this season under Ewen McKenzie the Reds have looked a completely different side, and the results have been impressive. Are the Reds the real deal? And will they return to the former glory of their golden years?
I hope not! But in all seriousness, Ewen McKenzie has done a fantastic job in turning this side around. He has a pack of no names (there is not 1 wallaby) and a young backline. In the past the Reds have been an attacking side with little structure and poor defence (does that remind you of any South African side??).
What McKenzie has done is to use a mentally tough, astute leader in Van Humphries (after Captain James Horwill had his season cut short) and focus on the basics. It’s something he has done before with the Waratahs, (and look at how they’ve kept this up year after year with his structures) and something all the Aussie sides do.
It teaches both the South African and Kiwi sides who have a plethora of better players that talent alone can only take you so far. What matters most is attitude and intelligence.
It’s never easy to rebuild a side that has a losing culture into a team that can consistently stays at the top. The Crusaders did it after coming last in 1996, the Bulls were once the whipping boys and worked hard to overcome their weaknesses, Whilst sides like the Sharks and Stormers have good years and bad years. I suspect the Reds will be consistently better, but more of a mid table side as opposed to log leaders.
The Chiefs had a very similar year in 2009 and have really struggled to replicate their form in 2010. Without top class players, and the opposition becoming smarter I forecast the Reds will go through a similar ordeal to what the Chiefs are currently experiencing.
Ewen McKenzie is certainly no messiah, and it’s high time the Lions (especially Dick Muir) and Cheetahs (especially Naka Drotske) produced the same. It’s not rocket science, but when you are looking to rebuild a side, don’t look for excuses.
I feel the Lions especially, continually feed us dribble as to having a 3 year plan, are changing their playing style etc etc. The world doesn’t care about the labour pains, it just wants to see the baby! It has more to do with having the right attitude, putting in the hard yards, and focussing on the basics. Do that and you’ll awlays be competitive.
In Australia, where there is less talent and brawn, they do this well. They consistently play above themselves, matching the South Africans and New Zealanders. It’s why the Bulls, and now Stormers are consistently good. They have a very good work ethic. That produces results.
The Lions last year released their fitness results. What a joke! How can professional rugby players have such low standards, and secondly how can the coaches and administrators allow their players to be so poorly conditioned?
The answers are not that complex, and the Lions and Cheetahs (in my opinion should be gone or merged and the Southern Kings instated)
embarrassingly can gain some valuable lessons by looking at a mediocre rubble at the Reds.
