Hardhead Higgers has score to settle
the Reds look to have assembled a pack which can bully Michael Hooper’s Waratahs physically, rather than cave in, at Suncorp Stadium.
“Bringing in guys who knew how to win interstate games and would get in people’s faces was very important to me,” Stiles said.
“You get size and athleticism with Higgers but also a bit of the swagger we have lacked because the confidence he brings to the rest of the team is a key element.
“He’s a guy who loves playing NSW and the brutal truth is that in these crucial derbies of Super Rugby, that you have to win, we have been very bad for years.”
Hardheads such as Hig- ginbotham, crafty veteran George Smith, Stephen Moore and Quade Cooper are the balance to the zeal of the young guns.
The Reds can’t be the dumb team they have been. If the edge is with the pack, bludgeon the advantage in tight rather than fling the ball too early.
The 32-Test Higginbotham was surprisingly ignored for the Wallabies candidates camp called by coach Michael Cheika this month in Canberra. It wasn’t because of February’s police station incident but Cheika still being unconvinced that Higginbotham hits enough rucks to balance his wide-running role.
The ugliness of Queensland’s capitulations to NSW since 2014 must be laid bare to realise how much the subservience to NSW must end.
The Reds were pummelled in five games by an overall total of 150-28 and 18 tries-tofour before fight resurfaced in a tight 15-13 loss last year. THE Griffith Knights have taken steps to bridge the gap between Gold Coast premiers Surfers Paradise and the rest of the clubs in the competition.
Going on early-season results, the Knights definitely look stronger than last season when they eventually lost the grand final to the Dolphins.
The sides clash again in a rematch at Albert Park today and Knights coach Graham Herlihy is quietly confident his side can reverse that result.
Herlihy would not be drawn into making comparisons to last year’s side but outsiders believe the Knights are better.
“Surfers were unbeaten all last year and won again last weekend,” Herlihy said.
“They’ve set the standard for the last 18 months in this competition and it’s up to the rest of the clubs to catch them.
“We have recruited strongly and we have a great coaching line-up headed by Paul ‘Taffy’ Longman.”
A Welshman, Longman has coached Wests, Souths and Norths in Brisbane Premier Rugby and had two premierships in charge of University of Queensland colts.
Today’s rival Kris Burton has noted the number of points – 71 and 55 – the Knights have put on Coolangatta-Tweed and Palm Beach-Currumbin in the first two rounds.
“That indicated they can score points and I expect this one to be tough, very tough,” he said.
In other games today, Bond Pirates play Gold Coast Eagles at Goodwin Park in Coolangatta, Coomera tackle Helensvale at Beattie Road in Coomera, and Palm BeachCurrumbin are up against Coolangatta-Tweed at Bienvenue Drive in Currumbin Waters. THE Highlanders conceded the first try before scoring nine of their own to beat the Stormers 57-14 in their Super Rugby clash in Dunedin last night.
The loss again reflects an alarming disparity between the two countries’ conferences. The Stormers, top team in the Africa 1 conference, lost 57-24 to the Crusaders last week.