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Bring back the real Scott Higginbotham

18th March, 2019
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18th March, 2019
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Last week on The Roar, David Lord suggested that Scott Higginbotham could have made more of an effort to support hard-working captain Samu Kerevi during the Reds’ 29-17 loss to the Waratahs.

Looking at Higginbotham’s stats for the game, Lordy was absolutely right.

Seven runs for five metres and three tackles is an anemic effort for a No.8 of Higginbotham’s calibre, a player who many have rated and still rate as the best in Australia in that position.

In this week’s winning effort against the Sunwolves, Higginbotham slightly improved his defensive work rate with seven tackles (and one miss), but still only managed six runs for a slight improvement in metres gained to 16.

Still pretty modest, especially when lock Lukhan Salakaia-Loto managed 17 runs on top of dealing with the rigours of being in the engine room of the scrum.

Perhaps Higginbotham has fallen into the trap of complacency after handing over the captaincy to Kerevi?

Perhaps he thinks that at 32 years old and without having had much luck at Wallabies selection under Michael Cheika, that this opportunity is passing him by?

Whatever the case, Higginbotham looks as fit as he ever did and he can do far better than he has in the last couple of games.

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I hope he gets selected for next week’s game against the Brumbies at Suncorp, because I want to see the real Scott Higginbotham back.

I want to see the bloke who makes game-changing statements like whacking a South African centre so hard to shut down an overlap and an almost certain try, that the sound of the hit reverberates into the stands and the ball is coughed up.

I want to see the bloke who last year intercepted a Tahs pass to diffuse another overlap, to bullock up the park and set up a try for the chasing winger.

We saw a bit of that bloke with a monstrous tackle on a Sunwolves attacker this weekend, with Higginbotham peeling the bloke backwards away from the try line and preventing the ball being touched down, but he can only be really influential if he gets far more involved.

Higginbotham has a bloody long highlight reel from his 12-season Super Rugby and Wallabies career, and perhaps he isn’t that far off the end of it, at least with the Reds.

But there is no reason why he can’t add to it.

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The season so far has showed that the Reds have a couple of excellent developing young playmakers at No.10 and No.15 in Isaac Lucas and Hamish Stewart, who both create space for big ball-runners.

Lucas’ fast feet in his first couple of games are already breaking the line and keeping defenders guessing, while Stewart takes the ball fearlessly to the line and has perfected getting the pass away right on contact.

Higginbotham could latch on to either of these lads during attacking phases and have them set him up to punch through any defence in the competition, getting the Reds’ attack rolling for tries.

He has the experience and the Reds need him to use it to their best advantage.

We don’t know whether or not this is going to be Scott Higginbotham’s swansong at the Reds and whether he is a real chance for Wallabies selection.

Though as Lordy pointed out, with the new national selection arrangements, he would surely have as good a chance as any if he does his best.

But he should do his best anyway, because imagine the personal satisfaction of being the difference that proves the doubters wrong and gets this young Reds team into the finals for the first time in six seasons.

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We fans will be waiting expectantly in the stand to see the real Higgers back in action on Saturday night.

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