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Queensland’s struggling Reds take on the Rebels of Melbourne tonight at Suncorp Stadium. Join The Roar for live scores and commentary from 7:40pm AEST.
Nobody saw the Reds’ dismal season coming. They’re currently languishing in 13th place, above only the Cheetahs and last-placed Stormers.
Yet it’s the manner in which they’ve been losing and the players who’ve contributed to their poor form that’s taken most of the attention.
Quade Cooper appears out of sorts, Will Genia is a shadow of his former self, while James Horwill has developed a demeanour that could be described as petulant. Not a good look for a captain.
Only the Cheetahs (32.8) have conceded more points per game than the Reds (31.6). And it’s not as though their attack is making up for their average defence. They’re near the bottom of the table for clean breaks, metres gained, and defenders beaten.
A crowd of 34,000 turned up at Suncorp last week to see the Reds play their old foes the Crusaders, only to see their team get smashed like a guitar. They were unceremoniously defeated 57-29 by a rampaging Crusaders team which appears to have slipped into sixth gear.
One recent positive for the Reds is their discipline, with their penalty count being greatly reduced of late.
They may need to spend the next couple of evenings pushing scrum machines over dew-laden grasses, as the Crusaders scrum was nothing short of dominating. They dispersed the Reds forwards like parents at a house party.
The Rebels (12th) are off a couple of recent losses to the Hurricanes and Sharks. They’ll be looking to leverage their solid defence as they possess the best tackle percentage rate in the competition.
While the Rebels are at the bottom of the log for just about every attacking stat, they’re playing exciting footy this year and developing an almost ominous maturity.
The Reds have won all six of their matches against the Rebels, scoring over 32 points in four of those games.
But the Australian conference is on its head this year, and anything can happen tonight.
Join The Roar for live scores and commentary from 7:40pm AEST.
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.