I’ve had enough! Ever since Saturday night, all I’ve heard and read is a lot of complaining and mean spirited comments against the Reds and their supporters.
Below are a few of the comments I have had to endure since Saturday night’s loss to the Sharks at Suncorp Stadium:
“What a pathetic performance. Didn’t deserve to even be there…. Remember you were standing up for Aussie rugby.”
“Reds you are terrible, Australian rugby is a joke!”
But the online vitriol didn’t stop there.
“Hahahahahhah….. that’s what you get all arrogant fans of the reds, Sharks absolutely screwed the Reds, and you deserve what you get. This just shows how poor the Australian conference is, your top team can’t even beat sixth place – justice is now served. So now please go crawl back into your hole and shut up. Thank you!”
These are just a few of the comments posted online by rugby fans from around the world since the loss and I’ve had a gutful. As a passionate Reds supporter, I was gutted by the loss and dumbfounded by the amount of hate towards the team, the players and their supporters.
Yes, I probably should have stayed away from the forums and websites, but I couldn’t help myself.
But what astounded me more than anything is the hate from Australian rugby fans toward us. Comments that the players and fans are arrogant, that we are bogans and don’t know the rules and that we are pathetic.
I know that we didn’t play to our usual standard and that the Sharks played a better game on the night, so rightly deserved the win. However, do we deserve the amount of hate laid at our feet?
The Reds, like the Sharks, had come into the qualifying final having won their last six matches in a row. One of those matches was against the Chiefs who were at the top of the table at the time of the clash.
We had won the Australian Conference rightfully after securing a bonus point win against the Waratahs, while the much favoured Brumbies lost at the final hurdle to the lowly ranked Blues.
We had suffered cruelly at the hand of the injury gods with our no. 10 jersey seemingly cursed. We lost our captain at the business end of the season, and yet we still made it to the finals.
We had two of our top players face the SANZAR judiciary and receive, in my humble opinion, suspensions that were not fitting the crime. As Quade Cooper tweeted earlier this week SANZAR = Lottery!
We achieved a record average crowd of 34,000 and increased memberships by 100% this season.
We are also the team who came from second last on the ladder in 2009 to Super Rugby Champions in 2011 so we have a right to be proud of the team after so many years in the wilderness.
I for one am proud of how far we got with everything that happened this season. Just a few weeks before the finals, it didn’t event look like we would make it. It was a great achievement to make the playoffs from that situation.
Yes, I’ll admit we are in the weakest conference, especially with the Waratahs having one of their worst seasons this year. But we all must remember that South Africa also has two of the lowest ranked teams in their conference in the Cheetahs and the wooden spoon Lions.
It was also South Africa who demanded the home final for all of the conference winners, not Australia. The fact that the Reds are the ones who have taken advantage of this situation this season is purely out of their hands, so it’s time to move on.
The Reds have made the best of the situation and worked hard despite everything that was thrown at them this year and they still made it to the finals.
By most other teams’ standards, the Reds had a great year. So, rugby fans, lay off my Reds!
Jackie Smit
Guest
That's cricket you're talking about
Rugby guy from Fiji
Guest
Irene, you stated in your article that: Yes, I’ll admit we are in the weakest conference, especially with the Waratahs having one of their worst seasons this year. But we all must remember that South Africa also has two of the lowest ranked teams in their conference in the Cheetahs and the wooden spoon Lions. If you look at the table again at the end of the regular season, you will notice that the bottom 5 teams are: 11. Waratahs 12. Blues 13. Rebels 14. Force 15. Lions The Cheetahs aren't even in the bottom 5 so how can they be one of the lowest ranked teams?? The Cheetahs also won 1 more game that the Waratahs.
jumpers
Guest
Rather disappointing to see the Reds bow out without a decent fight, pity they were really hampered by injuries and suspensions which didn't help their cause. Oh well theres always 2013 to look forward to
The Bush
Roar Guru
Didn't say it wasn't - try reading my post - I'm talking about the amount of kicking the Reds do, with or without Quade.
stillmatic1
Guest
cheers!! now cant we all just get along..........
SandBox
Roar Guru
or George Mallory, and maybe Norgay
Bakkies
Guest
Irene I suggest you should read the tripe that the Reds fans have been posting on the Foxsports articles this season (and they are still at it). It got to the point that I was cheering for the Sharks last weekend so they could be knocked off their perch. Some have forgotten how they dragged Australian Rugby down for years forcing the ARU to bail them out. Boy we could do with that money right now to fund junior development rather than having the money spent on a bail out of an old boy's union that couldn't organise a booze up in a brewery.
Bear
Guest
Totally disagree. It is obvious the style of rugby that the reds play when Quade is at 10 is far more attacking than when he is sitting on the sideline. I think that is fairly obvious. Did the reds even lose a game when Quade was playing this year? "All rubbish based on perception" Who are you kidding.
SandBox
Roar Guru
anyone mentioned BMX bandits yet?
Jerry
Guest
Ok, I was just joking about the film comment but I don't think I can let Jeznez citing the director of Free Willy and Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man go. Shame on you Jez. Shame.
SandBox
Roar Guru
the Proposition is much under-rated. Ashamed to admit I hadn't heard of it until an American friend put me on to it. Daniel Nettheim - the Hunter (great movie also) Jackson got lucky getting the rights to a book voted the best of the 20th Century Worldwide. He got rich off Tolkien's coat tails. If you know anything about Tolkien, at no stage did he say it was based on NZ scenery (nice spin to market NZ tourism). Stick with Rugby guys.
Cattledog
Roar Guru
We wish you wouldn't, but we're sure you will...
AWCMONREF
Guest
Irene a thousand apologies from the lowly ranked Blues team and myself, I really had no intention of hurting your feelings or Cattle Dogs........Yes we walk amongst you, so do my bros, Quade, Digby, Mike, just to name but a few, need I say more....
Sage
Guest
Ahhh, now it all makes sense. Harry has shone a light on this and it's now all so clear. OJ left his heart in Tokoroa and all that nasty OJ - Quadey talk is simply unrequited OJ man-lurv. Explains the interest in the wrestling too OJ.......... Do you like gladiator movies too ?
PeterK
Roar Guru
IMO the major reason for the reds not performing was Cooper was out for so long. They won every game he played in.
PeterK
Roar Guru
Show me where I attack AB or Kiwi fans when their teams lose (or win, you confused me which way). Or even show when I gloat when the team loses. In the main my criticism has been against very poor refereeing or systematic cheating which are quite different things. I agree that I should of stated that they played a different brand of rugby to aussie teams that has been missing since the glory days of the brumbies. The canes, auck and chiefs also play a similar style of exciting rugby (and have for a while). That said the reds still played a different brand to them in that they played the highest risk rugby IMO (in most games not all). Why bring intl rugby into this , I was limiting my discussion to super rugby, as they say super rugby is differnt to intl. Maybe what got up your nose then was how highly regarded cooper was. Cooper did play well in the TN's, a crucial part to them winning it. By far the majority of posters attacking and questioning reds victory last year were kiwis or sa , I recognise the tags they use.
Cattledog
Roar Guru
You're absolutely correct, Ryan. I was being inclusive rather than exclusive when I included the southerners...just that they're smart enough to know where I'm coming from... ;)
Cattledog
Roar Guru
Whatever ;)
Cattledog
Roar Guru
Thought you guys would have been across these issues earlier :)
BROOKE48
Guest
sam,i think you are right .this was probably the reason behind reds tactician parting company with reds after their dismal showings against the bulls and force as some players were more interested in self and contracts than team.Guess he was right!!