With the departure of Reds captain Samu Kerevi to Japanese club rugby and Duncan Paia’aua to France, the Reds have a very big hole to fill at inside centre.
A number of current Reds players have the ability to play No.12, such as Isaac Lucas, Matt McGahan and Hamish Stewart. However, none of them bring the sort of powerful ball-running combined with the traditional skills that Kerevi brings to the position, which is a major asset to any rugby team.
But do the Reds have another option in their newly acquired winger and sometimes outside centre, the experienced Wallaby Henry Speight from the Brumbies?
At 31, Speight is no spring chicken, which is a consideration for the Reds coaching staff when thinking about where to play him. He might lose some of the elite speed required to play winger while he is at the Reds, which wouldn’t matter if he was playing No.12.
Also, he has moved to Brisbane for family reasons and while he has always come across as a committed professional, a new challenge for a player who has already done it all on the international stage could be be refreshing for his enthusiasm.
Finally, playing inside centre might add to Speight’s marketability and prolong his career if he wants to eventually take a contract at an overseas club.
(Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)
Speight has a skill set to bring to the Reds’ No.12 jersey that none of the other candidates to replace Kerevi can offer. While Kerevi is a wrecking ball, Speight is a fire cracker. He is incredibly quick off the mark, has fast feet, incredible leg drive and is strong in contact, making him very difficult for any defender to contain.
He also has an excellent offload and has a capable short kicking game, which he could employ more often at No.12. Of the potential replacements for Kerevi, he has the most potential to fulfill Kerevi’s attacking role by getting them across the advantage line, sucking in defenders and getting the ball away for those outside him to exploit.
Speight is also an outstanding defender, with the second highest tackle completion rate of the Brumbies backs in 2019 at 77 per cent and has breakdown skills that most wingers do not, having forced several ruck and maul turnovers and penalties this season.
In defence he would most likely be better than Kerevi was for the Reds and could make a big contribution towards improving the Reds’ defence in 2020, which could still do with a lot of improvement from the 2019 effort.
Finally, of all the candidates available at the Reds or available to recruit from elsewhere, Speight is the only one who would bring at least 19 Test matches worth of experience to the back line.
Having a player who is used to keeping a calm head in the furnace of international rugby in the pivotal No.12 role – and who can provide that example and guidance to the less experienced Reds backs – could be just the thing the Queenslanders need to turn the tight losses that they have conceded in 2019 into wins and a finals runs in 2020.
Speight has all the qualities necessary to fill the gap at No.12, without having to part with extra money purchasing another player.
It would be great to see Speight, the Reds and their supporters get the most out his stay with the club through imaginative use of his skills and experience.
Rhys Bosley
Roar Pro
This post reflects the unusual mindset in Aussie rugby that the beat players are “wasted on the wing” and should be put somewhere where they will get more ball. This is despite the fact that our best backs, like Campese, have done brilliantly as wingers. Being a roving winger is an incredibly challenging role, the most instinctively creative players should go there and Petaia fits that mould. Players like Speight and CSF can do the more defined roles in the centres to free up the talent out wide.
Mungbean74
Roar Rookie
I Think CFS could go well at 12. He needs to take the next step in his career. He showed some good signs this year but needs more consistency
Mungbean74
Roar Rookie
The Reds need could well do with O’Conner and maybe the Wallabies too! Go for it I say!
Oblonsky‘s Other Pun
Roar Guru
To be honest I think all of the Reds, Brumbies, Tahs and Rebels will have more cash to splash about, with Reds getting Quade and co off their books, Brumbies losing Poey, Tahs losing all and sundry it seems and Rebels losing Genia.
Rhys Bosley
Roar Pro
I would only be keen on the idea if the Reds got a very good deal on his contract. If he is signed for a lot of money then some other player is not, we don’t want to lose a player like Tom Banks again for JOC.
Oblonsky‘s Other Pun
Roar Guru
Fair, Rhys. But if he was to sign for more than a single season, that would be a good sign, no? Even if it is only a one season deal (maybe that will be all he is offered), my personal opinion is it is better trust what he has been saying for a few years - that he is serious about wanting to rekindle his career. I totally understand why people may feel otherwise in JOC's case though.
Rhys Bosley
Roar Pro
If he is fair dinkum about sticking around after the World Cup it would be ok, but how do you tell?
Oblonsky‘s Other Pun
Roar Guru
Rhys, I think you're prpbably right that he is wanting to come back to rekindle his Wallaby career, but is that such a bad thing (presuming he has cleaned up his act)?
Rhys Bosley
Roar Pro
I rate O’Connor as the most talented all round back Australian Rugby has produced in the modern era. However, this stinks of 2015 all over again when he came home to try and get a World Cup spot, then buggered off when that didn’t happen. Very sceptical.
Rhys Bosley
Roar Pro
The average age of the Reds backs is 23 and Petaia was 18 when Thorn started him. The suggestion that he will not give young backs a go is simply not true.
Rat
Roar Rookie
Yeah,there's a reason few would have come up with that thought,,,,Speight is slow and is nothing like a good centre. Petaia on the other hand is already the next biggest thing in Aust Rugby.If he is fit we will ,unfortunately,have forgotten about Kerevi by this time next year. For anyone to suggest he should be played on the wing (roving or otherwise)...well,same draw as Speight taking a centre spot. Reds have a fleet of young wingers, and an old one now. O'Connor was the obvious choice to bring in to strengthen the centres (have a look at his stats when he last played for REDS in an injury plagued season) but Thorn has quickly gone for Meakes,to ensure his recruitment/exclusion selections arent again exposed to public scrutiny.
stillmissit
Roar Guru
Rhys: Good thinking, a thought that few here would have come up with. I thought they would try to get Magnay or at least a younger centre to build the team. It is impossible to replace Kerevi and one experienced back particularly at centre will not a winning team make. They also need a replacement captain to guide these youngsters and I am not sure Speight is that man. Is McReight too young to be captain? How old was Eales when he became captain? BTW anyone know how Petaia is going? Can he make the RWC?
stillmissit
Roar Guru
Fionn: That’s typical Cheika, bring in O’Connor, AAC etc etc and build a team of mostly old heads. Good for one out of 3 games. Someone should tell him you need players at their peak not looking back at it.
Oblonsky‘s Other Pun
Roar Guru
Rhys, your prayers (or is that the wrong word given the article below?) could be answered it seems: https://www.theaustralian.com.au/sport/rugby-union/bad-boy-oconnor-could-be-a-world-cup-bolter/news-story/41852e63b92171ddf00f436ce742f95d
savant
Roar Rookie
I must confess I was critical of Henry's signing by the Reds. Not because I dont like Henry. I do. I was critical because I couldn't understand why they would waste big money on a winger when 1) thats not their problem area and 2) they need a 12! If this core group of Reds is ever to contend it wont be for 2 or 3 years. By then Henry will be 33 or 34 and probably two slow. So what the Reds need is to get some serious game time into younger players like Campbell, Daugunu, Hardy etc so that when the Reds can contend they have both speed and enough experience on the wings. I felt it was a strategically dumb decision. I probably still feel the same way about Henry playing 12. Its more evidence that Thorn has no idea about the backs. He has no problem playing youth to get experience in the forward pack but cant do the same in the backs. Having said that Im sure Henry will be a great player for he Reds next year.
Rhys Bosley
Roar Pro
Thanks Bill, that would be a good alternative scenario if Stewart was at 12.
Rhys Bosley
Roar Pro
Thanks Fionn. I had thought of CFS and Peteia, but I think the 12 needs to have authority and be a good communicator. From what I have seen I am not sure that that is either of their strengths, at least at this stage. In any case I would rather see Peteia in particular with more space, his aerial ability in particular is likely to be wasted at 12. I reckon CFS is an excellent 13 and that Petaia should be given a license to roam off the wing, he could be a genuine star there. If I Speight wasn’t at 12 I would prefer Stewart. He is a strong communicator, a strong defender and that excellent cutout pass could bring the outside backs into the game better than they have been this year. It would be interesting to see how both he and Speight go there, each would bring something different.
BillPosters
Roar Rookie
Good insight Rhys, thank you. My instinct is that Speight’s short acceleration and tackle busting would be more suited to space on the flanks rather than in the centre of the pitch, also his offload game too. I can already see it in my mind - Speight receiving a long cut out pass, busting the first tackler and drawing the second, making the one arm offload inside to a completely unmarked Petaia who goes in to score easy as you like.
Oblonsky‘s Other Pun
Roar Guru
Interesting musings, Rhys. I personally feel Speight does his best work in space, due to his elusiveness in attack and speed and accuracy at the breakdown rather than his power there. I would have thought it would be more beneficial for the Reds to look to move move CFS or Petaia to 12 (with the other at 13), with Speight running off them at 14. Regardless of how it goes, I hope Henry contributes a lot to the Reds next year. Canberra is a small place and I’ve never heard anyone say anything but positives about him. I think he will make go well up in Brisbane.
bigbaz
Roar Guru
Hair is all wrong