Reds count setbacks ahead of tough clash

THE Reds would have been hoping for just a hint of a smile from lady luck this week going into a Super Rugby contest against the seven-time champions Crusaders on the back of four successive defeats.

Instead she appeared to frown on them. On Monday Wallabies prop James Slipper’s citing for a dangerous tackle in last weekend’s 44-14 defeat at the Blues earned him a threeweek ban.

On Tuesday they lost two more Wallabies to injury with influential openside flanker Liam Gill and centre Chris Feauai-Sautia joining loose forward Eddie Quirk in the treat- ment room.

With the Reds languishing third bottom of the standings, their play-off hopes all but extinguished, it is easy to forget that today’s game is the first meeting of the two sides at Lang Park since the 2011 Super Rugby final.

The swashbuckling Reds triumphed on that day and the likes of lock James Horwill, scrumhalf Will Genia and flyhalf Quade Cooper went on to form the core of a Wallabies side that won the Tri-Nations and finished third at the World Cup.

The Reds lost in the semifinals in 2012 and last year, with coach Ewen McKenzie on his way out of the door to take the Wallabies job, were thumped 38-9 in the first round of the play-offs — by the Crusaders.

This year they have managed three wins in 10 games.

“It’s obviously very disappointing, but that’s part of sport, there’s always winners and losers,” Genia said.

“The match against the Crusaders is an easy one to get up for, a benchmark side for many years now, and we’re obviously very motivated.”

Motivation might not be enough for under-fire coach Richard Graham’s side.

The notoriously slow-starting Crusaders looked to have finally hit their stride in a 40-20 demolition of Australian conference leaders the Brumbies in Christchurch last week. It was their fourth straight win.

And as a result of the injuries to Gill and Quirk, Curtis Browning will be pitched into his first Super Rugby start in a back-row battle against threetimes World Player of the Year Richie McCaw.

The Reds will, however, be spared the presence of last year’s winner of the most prestigious individual award in rugby with No 8 Kieran Read missing another week because of concussion.

Genia, who was among the six nominees for the award in 2011, at least has experience of what it takes to turn around a struggling team, having played in Reds teams that finished 14th, 12th and 13th in his first three seasons in Super 14.

“The message to the team from guys like James, Quade and myself is to keep backing ourselves and keep working,” he said. —