The ups and downs of Richard Graham

Richard Graham’s life as a coach may be at the crossroads, but there was a time the former Reds mentor’s career was considered successful.

Graham started his coaching career in 2002 after a short playing tenure with Queensland. His first position was with Bath as skills, backs and defence coach, where he helped the side to the final of the English Premiership in 2004, and the Powergen Cup the following year.

The side reached the semi-finals of the Heineken Cup in 2006, after which Graham accepted a role as assistant coach to Alan Gaffney at Saracens, eventually moving up to coaching coordinator at the club.

At Saracens Graham again enjoyed success without winning any silverware; the team made the semis of the Premiership, Heineken Cup and Challenge Cup between 2006 and 2009.

A move home beckoned, and in 2009 Graham landed a role in Robbie Deans’ backroom staff as Wallabies skills coach. The following year he doubled as the backs coach for the Western Force, a position which led to being named head coach in 2011.

Under Graham the Force went through a torrid time, winning seven times in 24 matches.

It was with some surprise, then, that Graham defected from the Force to join the Reds in 2013, despite having a contract with the Perth-based club which ran until 2014.

Unfortunately the move didn’t pan out for Graham or the Reds, Queensland going from contending for the Super Rugby title to propping up the table.

At the end of the 2015 season, one which saw the Reds squad decimated by a host of injuries to key players, the club made the controversial decision to renew Graham’s contract, despite him only having a 28 per cent winning record with them.

The decision sparked outrage among Reds fans, while commentators were quick to criticise the move.

Former Reds and Wallabies fullback Greg Martin was particularly scathing of the decision.

“He’s a good man Richard Graham, a lovely fella, but that doesn’t make good coaches,” Martin said.

“They did a review that took months. They’re saying there wasn’t a better applicant putting his hand up, I knew some of the people, there were better applicants.

“What it says is the Queensland Rugby Union, well done, you’re accepting mediocrity that’s what you are doing. Nice work, thanks for hurting us all.”

Now punted from the Reds, Graham will be hoping to put his ill-fated foray into Super Rugby behind him before moving onto the next stage of his coaching career.