Revamped Reds look to impress... at Sharks’ expense

THE Sharks are anticipating a frenzied battle in Brisbane on Friday against a reinvented Reds team desperate to put three very disappointing Super Rugby seasons behind them.

The Queenslanders finished in 13th place in both 2014 and 2015 and were 15th last year. They have been a on a major recruitment drive that will result in them fielding eight current Wallabies against the Sharks.

Speaking from the Sharks’ hotel in Brisbane, backline coach Sean Everitt said his side was expecting a “total onslaught” from the home side, who are now coached by Nick Stiles, who played 96 times for the Reds as a prop (and on 11 occasions for the Wallabies) and has stepped up to head coach after being forwards coach at the Reds since 2014.

“They have a transformed squad, headed by a born-andbred Brisbane man in Stephen Moore (the current Wallabies captain), who has returned home from the Brumbies,” Everitt said. “Obviously they also have (loose forwards) George Smith and Scott Higganbotham back in Brisbane but as a backline coach the player I have identified as being a major threat is centre Samu Kerevi.”

The 23-year-old Fijian is a midfield giant at 108kg and 1.86m and made his debut for the Wallabies last year. Much of the Reds’ backline play will centre around the slick Quade Cooper trying to put heavyweight Kerevi into position to bulldoze over the advantage line.

Opposite him will be the Sharks’ Andre Esterhuizen, who is no lightweight himself, so the battle in the midfield between those two will be appetising in itself.

“We know how clever Cooper can be, and he has a new scrumhalf partner in Nick Frisby (succeeding Will Genia), who has a beautiful pass, so we have to get up quickly on defence (to shut down Cooper and Kerevi),” Everitt said. “There is also a big threat at fullback in Karmichael Hunt (a big name in Australian sport after stellar careers both in Rugby League and Aussie Rules).”

Hunt owes the Reds a big season after missing much of his cross-over season into rugby union last year because of a suspension following a drugs transgression.

Everitt said that the weather in Brisbane was as intense as it has been in Durban for most of February.

“Our three-month pre-season in these conditions has prepared us well. The weather prediction for Friday evening in Brisbane is 30 degrees with high humidity, so it won’t be anything we are not accustomed too,” Everitt said.

“We know how to play in these conditions and while our stated intent is to play attacking rugby, we have to be sensible in not risking handling errors in vulnerable parts of the field,” Everitt added. “We want to attack, and if the opportunity is in front of us, regardless of field position, we will look to keep ball in hand, but if we have to kick then we will.”

Everitt said that the biggest smile in the Sharks camp was on the face of captain Patrick Lambie.

“He has mentioned that he has not made a Sharks Super Rugby tour since 2013 because of injury. He is just so pleased to be here and the players are feeding off his enthusiasm. He is a really popular captain,” Everitt concluded. “And by the same token (scrumhalf) Cobus Reinach is holding thumbs. He has been on the last three tours but left each one of them early because of serious injury.”