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The Queensland Reds have been nothing short of horrific this season, with the glory days of the Ewen McKenzie era are now but a distant memory.
Where under McKenzie the Reds were genuine Super Rugby contenders, winning it in 2011 with some style, under Richard Graham they are a shadow of themselves.
With thirteen rounds gone the Reds find themselves bottom of the Australian conference and in 13th place. Though many felt the Reds would not have enough to reach the playoffs, no one thought this season would be such a wreck.
Throughout this season the Reds have been guilty of costly lapses in concentration that have stifled what promise they had shown. After their encouraging opening win against the Brumbies in Canberra, the following game against the Waratahs in Sydney was a disaster as they were torn to pieces 32-5.
On their South African tour, the Lions-Reds game would sum up their season so far. In the first half the Queenslanders blew the Johannesburg outfit away and were leading 20-0 at one stage. But through a mixture of taking their eye off the ball, battling spirit by the Lions and dubious decision-making by referee Stuart Berry, the Reds lost 23-20.
The looks of bewilderment from the coaching staff after the final whistle said a thousand words.
Since the demoralising defeat in Johannesburg, the Reds’ season has veered off badly. Defeats against the Western Force (29-32), Brumbies (20-23), Hurricanes (35-21), Blues (44-14) and recently the Crusaders (29-57) have put rookie coach Graham under serious pressure. Though 34,000 came to watch the Reds lose heavily to the Crusaders on the weekend, these numbers will drop if the Reds continue this wretched run.
No doubt their five-game winless run has ended their season. Moreover, it will be interesting to see the financial results for 2014 and whether the Reds can maintain the honour of being the only Australian franchise to post a profit.
The players that performed brilliantly when the Reds won the title in 2011 are not repeating that form. Will Genia’s sniping runs of old were such a threat, which managed to push over the gainline, draw opposition players towards him and created space out onto the wings. He seems to kick more now, and while kicking can be good if done right it seems a waste of his talents merely just gambling possession.
Fly-half Quade Cooper blows hot and cold at the moment. When he gets it right Cooper can be dynamite, helping to create line breaks and direct the team forward, but when it goes cold the results are not pretty.
Cooper is a maverick and is known to play risky moves such as his devilishly flat balls, but it has not paid off of late. Cooper’s flat passes have led to opposition tries, such as when the Cheetahs’ Boom Prinsloo ran away to score a try or against the Crusaders when winger Johnny McNicholl caught Cooper’s wild forward pass and chased his own kick to score his second try of the game.
Cooper’s kicking game was off key against the Crusaders. He did not find touch and just invited the Crusaders to counterattack with devastating impact. His chip kicks were also ineffective, as he had no support runners chasing the ball to try and take advantage of the space behind the line.
At least one of those chip kicks led to opposition tries that merely hit the nail on the coffin that is the Queensland Reds’ 2014 season.
As a result of the Reds’ dithering campaign, the stuttering form of Genia and Cooper could find their starting places in the June internationals against the French under threat. There are other players in good form that coach Ewen McKenzie could have a look at against the French.
Genia faces competition from the Brumbies’ Nic White. The scrum-half is enjoying a good season with the Canberra franchise so far, and with the help of George Gregan has improved his game even more from last season. He showed it again on the weekend against the Sharks. His awareness at a gap to the right of the Sharks ruck allowed him to slip Sam Carter to run through for the try that helped the Brumbies go top of the Australian conference.
Nic White reminds me of Wales’ Mike Phillips – an irritant that is hard to get off. He’s always sniping at the opposition but also his fellow players to improve, and never lets up on harassing opposition players within the laws of the game. If White continues his form he will cement his place in the Wallabies 23-man squad and stake a claim for the No. 9 jersey.
Cooper finds himself under threat from Matt Toomua. The two players cannot be more different – while Cooper can make reckless decisions that sometimes do not pay off and lead to hurting his team, Toomua is poised and calmness personified for the Brumbies.
Under the coaching of Wallabies legend Stephen Larkham, Toomua has improved his game and has been part of an intelligent side which are well on their way to the playoffs. The only possible saving grace for Cooper is Toomua might play at 12, and they could possibly form a 10-12 axis to give tactical kicking options if McKenzie sees it workable.
But on current form there would be little argument if Nic White and Matt Toomua were the halves pairing in against the French in Brisbane on 7 June.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.