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As a player, in both codes of rugby, Brad Thorn never backed down, winning widespread admiration for charging head first into conflict for the sake of his team.
On the field he always knew where the enemy stood. So it’s little wonder if the gruff former All Blacks and Kangaroos player felt blindsided by an anonymous “highly placed Rugby Australia source” – in the words of Wayne Smith in the SMH – who jabbed him from the shadows this week.
In an otherwise feel good story about Thorn’s ambitions to one day helm the Wallabies, the Queensland Reds coach copped a shiv between the ribs.
“In the context of getting greater changes around high-performance coaching, Thorn has not been good to work with,” the source told Smith.
“He has not been a team player. A decision doesn’t have to be made now but he had better turn that around – and quickly.”
The QRU chief David Hanham has raised his concerns with RA CEO Andy Marinos over the incident, while Thorn addressed it at his press conference on Thursday.
“It’s always interesting when someone says somthing like that but if there’s no name to it – who am I talking to?” said Thorn.
“If someone close to me, my staff or my family were critiquing me in that way then it hurts, but who are you talking to?
“From my playing career, in league and union, I wasn’t scoring lots of tries or flash stuff, I was often head in breakdowns or taking hit ups in league – more the team stuff.
“I’ve been big on team here. I don’t really know what to say.”
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Thorn said he could go on all day about the way he and his staff had connected with Wallabies coach Dave Rennie and other Rugby Australia staff, but would prefer it wasn’t a topic of discussion.
“Why am I having to talk about it. I’m just living my life doing my thing,” said Thorn. “It’s annoying. I’m happy to talk about something if I feel strongly about something, have a chat, communicate, but if you don’t have a name to it…
“It sucks for me I’m standing here talking about this.
“I just said what I’d like to think most Super Rugby coaches in Australia would say – they hold the Wallabies and the coaching role in high esteem, it would be an honour and a privilege and a responsibility if you ever got that opportunity.
“Sometime down the track who knows where you’d end up – maybe not coaching the Wallabies but doing something else in your life. Maybe stay in coaching – and wouldn’t that be a positive thing to represent your country in that way?
“That’s the words I’ve said and my name’s next to it.”
: (Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)
“On behalf of the Queensland Rugby Union, I would like to refute recent comments made by an unnamed Rugby Australia source in The Sydney Morning Herald,” said Hanham.
“It’s disappointing to see these comments and after reading this, I have raised my concerns with RA CEO Andy Marinos and he will follow up directly.
“From the QRU’s perspective, Brad is doing a wonderful job here in Queensland leading our football program and developing our players to be best prepared for both national and international success with the Queensland Reds and Wallabies.“
For now, Thorn is eager to return to the job at hand, not the one that might eventually be in his grasp in the future.
He was preparing his team for a match against the Rebels this weekend, with former Melbourne Storm star Suli Vunivalu making his return for the first time this season.
“He’s excited but also a little bit nervous, but that’s normal, he’s been out for a long time,” Thorn said. “We’re just really pleased for Suli. He’s a really good guy – geez he’s a specimen isn’t he?
“We’re just hoping he gets through the game. There will be no pressure on him – enjoy the game and we’ll move on.”
Vunivalu is seen as a potential part of Rennie’s World Cup squad but with his contract up at the end of this year there is talk he could be headed back to rugby league.
“I just want to see him get out and play some footy. You do all that rehab, months and months, do all that training… Footy’s not about endless training and rehab, it’s about playing. Hopefully he just gets to go out and enjoy a game of footy – that’s a good result in my opinion.”
Thorn has also brought 39-year-old former Wallabies hooker Stephen Moore into training camp as short term injury coverage with the Reds down a couple of hookers.
“I approached him. We’re down a couple of hookers. We get George Blake back in a week’s time so just to cover the week. It’s a cool thing having an experienced guy like him – 100-plus Test player and Super Rugby player and a real Queenslander and great to have him around.
“Steve’s got work so it’s probably okay for a week or so but he’s got commitments. But I imagine it’s a cool thing for him as well. When you’re an older player you can play a few games but if you’re asked to play four or five games in a row that’s when it can become a challenge.”