While most of the Australian rugby community is hoping that the Waratahs will be hosting the Super Rugby final at ANZ Stadium on August 2, the season is already over for the Reds.
This is the first of my two-part ‘Rebuilding the Reds’ article. The first part today will focus on the coaching, while second part tomorrow will focus on the playing roster.
When Ewen McKenzie joined the Reds, they had just finished 13th in the 2009 Super 14 competition and posted their seventh-straight losing season, with a less than 30 per cent winning record of 25 wins from 85 matches since 2003.
With McKenzie at the helm, the Reds recorded four-straight winning seasons at a touch over 67 per cent (44 wins from 65 matches) finishing fifth (just outside the finals) in 2010, and making the finals in each subsequent year, including topping the table and winning the title in 2011.
It is a pretty sad indictment of the organisation that just three years after being champions and in the wake of their much vaunted succession plan, the Reds need such a revival all over again.
The Reds’ 2014 season has been woeful, finishing just above the wooden spoon with 5 wins from 16 games, in the bottom third of the ladder.
Jim Tucker noted in his piece on July 6 that “The upside is that powerful two-year plans turned the Brumbies into finalists last year and the NSW Waratahs into minor premiers this year.”
What Tucker failed to mention was that in both cases the change was affected by a strong coach, Jake White at the Brumbies and Michael Cheika at the Waratahs. Similar to Ewen McKenzie at the Reds, both men came in with a clear vision of not just what was required in a rugby sense, but also the cultural shift that needed to happen within the team.
A common refrain from people who shy away from assigning blame to coaches is that it is the players on the field who are missing tackles, dropping passes and losing the game, not the coach.
That is an incredibly naive and simplistic statement that while factually accurate reveals a fundamental lack of understanding of the effect that both good and bad coaching has on any team.
Good coaches do more than just run training sessions and make game plans week to week – they create an environment in which the talent of their team is encouraged to flourish. A good coach is what makes a team greater than the sum of its parts.
The elephant in the room of course is whether or not Richard Graham is capable of being such a coach. Despite the fact he has worked as an assistant under John Connolly, Robbie Deans, John Mitchell, and Ewen McKenzie, Graham appears to have learned very little about winning rugby.
His record in charge of Super Rugby teams speaks for itself. At the Force he posted 7 wins from 24 matches (29 per cent). At the Reds it stands at five wins from 16 matches (31per cent)
The hard truth of professional sports is that the buck stops with the person in charge. Whether or not a coach is the root cause of any problem within a team – fixing those problems is the coach’s responsibility, and any known problems that are not fixed are the coach’s fault.
Graham is a capable coach. While he was defensive coordinator of the Reds in 2013 the team boasted one of the best defences in the competition, conceding only 23 tries (a record bettered only by the Stormers).
However that came while Ewen McKenzie was in overall control of the rugby program (with the title Director of Rugby to Graham’s Head Coach), taking care of the hundred other details that are the responsibility of the manager of a professional sporting side. Once Graham had to take over in his own right, the defence suffered. The Reds let in 52 tries this year – Graham still looks after the defence, with Nick Stiles replacing McKenzie looking after the forwards and Steve Meehan replacing Jim McKay looking after the attack.
It isn’t particularly difficult to determine what is wrong with the Reds when watching them play. They have a passive and porous defensive line, a lack of physicality and accuracy at the breakdown leading to slow ball recycle, and tame attacking structure lacking basic features such as bodies in motion, multiple options running different angles, and support players following the ball in a position to accept an offload.
Essentially three of the four main areas of the game find the Reds lacking. About the only facet of play in which the team holds its own is at set piece time, where the 2014 Reds have rarely been dominated.
Similarly, it is not particularly difficult to articulate solutions to these problems. The team needs to take a leaf out of the Waratahs’ book and remember what they themselves did in 2010 before they tasted success in 2011.
How do they do it? 1. Get fitter. Both the 2011 Reds and the 2014 Waratahs were the fittest teams in the competition. 2. Focus on physicality at the breakdown, and once this has been established, complement it with accuracy and then speed. 3. Strip the game plan back to basics: a fast and heavy hitting line on defence; and quickly recycled clean ball played through the hands on attack. Build the basics first. Add the finesse later.
Few, if any, Reds fans have faith that Richard Graham is the man to fix the team’s problems and reclaim “Fortress Suncorp”.
Whether or not Graham is replaced, and I judge it unlikely, coaching is only part of the puzzle, albeit the major one. In Part Two of this article tomorrow, I will cast an eye over the squad and identify how the Reds can strengthen their playing roster for next season.
So Cal Ray
Guest
SJ had a good first go around with Scotland in 2013, but this year was a struggle with a fair few new players and knew Vern Cotter was coming in. Kinda laid the groundwork for Cotter - and Scotland had a pretty good June Test window, apart from the hammering by the Boks. Mooney has greater experience now, and is a through and through Queenslander - and he signed most of the top players during his tenure.
Harry Jones
Guest
Good article, Kev. Cannot argue with the premise and conclusion. Being a skills coach or focusing on one facet is very distinct from being the head coach. Some guys are just good at that; others don't have the patience or vision or executive skills.
Bakkies
Guest
Does Scott have the qualifications and ambitions to step up? He has stated that he doesn't have the necessary badges.
Bakkies
Guest
This is what the IRFU state in what the role of the DoR entails http://www.irishrugby.ie/downloads/IRFU_Roles-Responsibilities.pdf To me Head Coach in a pro team is responsible for - Overall game and training plans. - Accountable for his coaching staff and ensuring that they are on the same page. - Observe all goings on and assist when needed. That means do not try and take over as that is how you can alienate your assistants. I see this time and time again. Someone comes in and takes over while there is a drill in progress run by a coach who knows the players. Tries to do everything on their own. - Must attend press conferences. - Approves selections. - Responsible for his side and culture.
niwdEyaJ
Roar Guru
Scott Allen??
Yogi
Guest
Red Kev - great effort I can't wait for part 2. Worth noting that Jim C seems to have taken responsibility for recruitment away from RG. I heard RG make a comment to that effect the other day. That can't be a good sign for RG. Maybe the continual support for the current coaches that is coming out of QRU is the old cliche you hear before a coach or politician or CEO gets the sack ( "we have complete confidence in ....")
Kerry
Guest
As I see it, the Reds have a problem with Head Coach and Defence Coach. I have observed Richard Graham in the Coach's Box at games and he appears to me, to be "one of the lost boys" in the story of Peter Pan. I feel that his calling should be in the Defensive Coach Role as he has performed reasonably well in this position in the past. In my opinion, he should be relegated to the role of Defensive coach of the Reds and be given a time frame to produce results. Then a new Head Coach be appointed from outside. In regards to JOC and Karmichael Hunt, the logical positions to have them play is - James as Centre and Karmichael as Full Back and concentrate on building the Back Line around these two exceptional players. I also feel that the new Reds should not have James Horwill, Will Genia and the Faianga Boys connection as part of the team as these players, from my observation, appear to be the weakest links.
Yogi
Guest
yep I'm with you.
Yogi
Guest
JJ is leaving for Eurpoe.
Yogi
Guest
NM I hope you are wrong I had not heard that Genia was leaving. I will believe it when I hear him say it. He will have RWC aspirations. Unfinished business from 2011. when does his contract with reds finish? I thought he had another year? Has anyone heard the rumour that quirk is going to the Force?
Yogi
Guest
PK - have you considered what would happen if they got rid of the salary cap?
Yogi
Guest
SJ was highly rated before he went to scotland but has been heavily critisised for his performance there. Options that I can think of would be Meehan, Mooney, O'Connor.
Comrade Bear
Roar Rookie
Wayne Bennet? :)
Jerry
Guest
He does get results. Mostly losses, from what I've seen.
So Cal Ray
Guest
Just a thought - what is Scott Johnson up to. Great coach, get's results and creates an atmosphere where the players want to play. Could be a good fit........
Wombat
Guest
I suspect the writing was on the wall when Chook Fowler left after a fall out with Ewan McKenzie. The guy has talent- he is even making Axle Foley look half decent.
Combesy
Roar Guru
and playing that stupid sound effect when we are in defence and/or attack
Hoy
Roar Guru
What bothers me is at the ground, they keep calling Suncorp Stadium a "fortress"... Certianly not with the defence we have had this year.
redbull
Guest
I think you are right about the DoR position Bakkies. It seems more suited to a Big Club rather than a franchise. Though with the NRC kicking off it would be conceivable for QRU to install this role as there will be a SR team and two NRC teams. But what exactly is the role of DoR? Talent selection and retention? A check on the processes within the coaching structure? If the Head Coach is responsible for strategy and direction of technical coaching, the DoR should have no influence on the game preparation. The Head Coach really seems to me to be a managerial role and to hear that they are also holding a technical position sounds alarm bells. Surely they would have enough to do in running through game analyses to develop strategy, reviewing conditioning results and performance statistics to form selection, and planning training regimes to address past results and upcoming tactics. And on top of this the Head Coach needs to have some degree of hands-on involvement in all training sessions to provide both the players and the technical coaches with their support. It is easy to point the finger at a single individual within the organisation, but if the organisation is not properly structured then the results will not be favourable. In saying that, sometimes it is the individual blocking the development of the organisation by refusing to allow a proper organisation to be developed.
Hertryk
Guest
We have many FIFO workers in the West....maybe RugbyWA should consider this type of membership where FIFO can purchase a membership for the games they are in town for!