Reds fail test of mettle
QUEENSLAND Reds coach Brad Thorn has labelled his team’s Super Rugby capitulation to the Brumbies on Saturday night as “immature”.
The Reds went up 15- 0 at GIO Stadium, despite Thorn sensing they were a “little bit flat” in the warm- up.
That lead went up in smoke as the Brumbies ran in seven unanswered tries, including 38 straight points, to claim a vital 45- 21 victory.
“It was probably a bit of an immature performance from our team,” Thorn said.
“When you get in those strong positions, you need to keep putting the pressure on and keep the foot on the throat.
“There’s some learning out there, there’s some learning for our group.
“You’re not always going to feel fizzing as a team ... but I’ve played plenty of games where I felt flat, that’s fine, but you’ve still got to get the job done.”
The Brumbies secured the bonus point out of the game, which jumped them ahead of the Reds into third in the Australian conference.
Their dirty night got worse when captain Scott Higginbotham went down with a calf injury on his return to the starting XV, while Ben Lucas was knocked out and will go through concussion protocols this week.
The pair could be missing for another Australian Derby when the Reds clash with the NSW Waratahs at the SCG on April 14.
Brumbies coach Dan McKellar said his team’s faith in their new attacking game style never wavered despite some discouraging early outcomes.
The Brumbies entered the match with the worst attacking record in the competition and had suffered losses to the Reds, Waratahs and Rebels.
A second defeat against the Reds this season would have seen their finals hopes all but dashed.
But the Brumbies were able to score more tries in 80 minutes than they had in their three previous clashes combined, which included a victory over the Sharks. McKellar was pleased to see the changes click into gear before it was too late.
“It’s been challenging for some boys because they haven’t played that style of footy before,” McKellar said.
“They’ve all believed in the changes we’re trying to make, we’ve just got to stick at it and I was confident it would come.
“At 15- 0 down you can tighten up and get nervous, but we didn’t do that.
“Our scrum was good and our maul was the best it’s been all year, so it’s definitely a step forward.”
The Brumbies face the task of breaking an Australian hoodoo against their New Zealand counterparts when they face the Highlanders in Dunedin.