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'It wasn't as clinical as we can be': Reds captain James O'Connor's Super Rugby AU warning following Waratahs thumping
Reds captain James O’Connor has put Super Rugby AU on notice, warning that his side still have plenty of room for improvement despite thumping the Waratahs 41-7 in their season-opener on Friday.
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The Queenslanders put their long-standing traditional rivals to the sword at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, running in five tries to catapult themselves to the top of the Super Rugby AU standings.
Central to their victory was O’Connor, who put in a flawless performance in his first match as captain of the Reds since regular skipper Liam Wright was ruled out for most of the season.
Pulling the strings from No. 10, the 30-year-old set-up two tries and was perfect from the kicking tee, while also proving his worth as a kicker with ball in hand, landing a 50-22 kick to earn his side an attacking lineout deep inside enemy territory.
Others, such as young flanker Fraser McReight and exciting wing Filipo Daugunu, were also instrumental in guiding the Reds to a big first-up win, but O’Connor told media post-match that there is still plenty of work to be done moving forward.
“Good start to the year. It wasn’t as clinical as we can be, but there were so many positives and that game really could have had the capacity to blow out and get a lot sloppier than it did,” he said.
“There were a couple sort of knock ons, a few offsides and whatnot, but I felt we stuck to our structure well and we did exactly what we said we would.”
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Reds head coach Brad Thorn agreed with O’Connor’s assertions, although he noted that his side’s lengthy scoreless period between the end of each half was a source of frustration.
“I thought that there’d be some errors tonight. There’s some stuff we can easily sort out, like the offsides and different things like that, but I thought there was some good, entertaining rugby in that first half,” Thorn said.
“Pleasing conversion rate when we were up in their 22, something we’ve been chipping away at, but there was a bit of an abyss there for about a 30-minute, 35-minute period. It was frustrating, but the guys got some pay there at the end.
“You’d definitely take the win. If you told me that score before the game, you’d happily take it, so it’s a start.”
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He added: “There’s a lot of positives. There’s a lot of work to be done. It helps you stay grounded, that second half, and we’ll have a tough assignment next week.”
Super Rugby AU has kicked-off for 2021, but which five players impressed the most in the opening weekend of the competition? #SuperRugby #SuperRugbyAU https://t.co/jS7Ws7K1fg
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) February 22, 2021
While it will take a few weeks before it’s known how well the Reds can truly perform this year, there seems to be no lack of self-confidence and inner belief for the Queensland side.
Favoured by many to go one place better than last year and claim a Super Rugby AU crown, the Brumbies will be acutely aware of how much of a threat the Reds pose to their champion status.
That’s not to say the Canberra-based side didn’t get their title defence off to a good start, though, as they left Perth with a 27-11 victory over the Western Force at HPF Park.
Brumbies head coach Dan McKellar was adamant the Western Australian side provided his team with a stern challenge, but was pleased his side came through with a win ahead of their clash with the Waratahs at GIO Stadium this weekend.
“If you had have said before the game, ’27-11, Dan and Al [Brumbies captain Allan Alaalatoa], would you take that?’, we both would have said, ‘Yup’,” he said.
Alaalatoa added that his side’s next match against the Waratahs isn’t one they can afford to take lightly, even if they aren’t seen as serious title contenders this year.
“It’s always a tough match against the Tahs, especially at home at GIO. I think they definitely have a point to prove,” he said.
“Unsure of the score [in the Reds game] but I think everyone’s just writing them off, so I’m sure they’re going to come up on Saturday with a point to prove and that’s something we can continue to build on for ourselves heading into that game.”
Comments on RugbyPass
I knew who wrote this article from the first few words in the headline…lol. The red card actually did the ABs a favour. It galvanized them, only then did they step up a gear. Before that there was zero momentum.
102 Go to commentsFirstly the foul on Bongi was a planned move just like the NZ master plan with Bryce Lawrence you kiwis are filthy fux perhaps try to play a cleaner game next time I doubt that’s possible tho but don’t worry world rugby is on yr side they trying to take away all the BOKS strengths to help all you weakling as Jeremy Clarkson would say LA OO ZA ERR..🤣
102 Go to commentsAbsolutely spot on Ben. I certainly wouldn't gloat over a win like that. Frustrating as it is it's done and dusted and history will forever show the result.
102 Go to commentsHo hum.
102 Go to commentsNo question they were the better team. But that is the beauty of sport isn’t it!
102 Go to commentsEveryone is into Hurling in Ireland according to Porter, but only 11 of Ireland's 32 counties enter a team into the national competition. Same old blarney.
1 Go to commentsLet’s be honest. The draw and scheduling in the World Cup was a joke but South Africa found a way after having to go the hard (nearly impossible) way to the Cup Final via France and England. NZ had a hard game against France (lost) and had 5 weeks to prepare for the Quarter, 3 weeks knowing it was Ireland. NZ theerfore had to win one big game against an Irish team who played SA and then Scotland 7 days before. They won and it was de facto a semi final because they were playing a relatively weak Argentina team and it was a walk over. In the final a very rested NZ team was playing a very tired SA team and still lost. They couldn’t score more than 11 points. Put another way SA had to find a way to win while tired and they achieved that. NZ should thank their lucky stars that they fixed the scheduling in 2015 otherwise they would be dealing with a Bok treble.
102 Go to commentsPerhaps if Bongi wasn’t targeted and removed from the game in the first 3 minutes it would have been quite a different game. Maybe if NZ also faced the same competition the Boks faced to their win NZ would have looked quite different. The final score shows who outplayed who.
102 Go to commentsRubbish article! Abuladze played most of Exeters matches when fit. He got injured against Glasgow a while ago and is out for the rest of the season, thats why he hasnt played for Exeter and Georgia recently. Do some proper research next time!
1 Go to commentsGotta love it when kids throw their toys out the pram and can’t hack it with the grown ups debate. Here’s looking at you turlough! 😉🤣
148 Go to commentsThey lost the game period move on
102 Go to commentsSpringboks won! Stop winging. You can change the game however much you and your rugby colonizing IRB want to and the Springboks will win you at that too. Your mind is colonized my friend get a life
102 Go to commentsBen, nobody gets fooled anymore by selective and biased data to support an hypothesis. Games are decided on such small margins these days that you win some and lose some, and dominance is a thing of the rugby past. Look at the RWC circle of fortune…. Ireland beats SA who beat France who beat NZ who beat Ireland. And so it goes on. Match officials help to eliminate real indiscretions. If they had been with us years before, no doubt results would have been different. Remember Andy Haden’s dive from a lineout in 1978 for which a match-wining penalty was awarded? Wales should have beaten the ABs that day. They took the loss like the gentlemen they were.
102 Go to commentsWith all the analysis and how good the all blacks were.The fundamental mistake with the ABs is that this is a test match and not an exhibition.There is no better team(country) in world rugby than the Boks that knows how to win a test match(we are post masters at this).We know our rules, we have the discipline, we tackle like beasts, we take our points and we never give up.I now have educated the ABs supporters(at least say thank you).Please stop “bitching” , accept what the outcome is and move along swiftly.
102 Go to commentsAnd they came from behind to win two big games before the final. No one can say what would have happened. Had the boks gone behind the game plan changes and the result may changes. Ifs and ands are irrelevant. The boks won. Neutral critics enjoyed the games they played. Its not a popularity contest. Get over it and move on.
102 Go to commentsI'm happy for the people of SA to get a second WC. And I mean that. I was very disappointed with this man's “stand on the hand” incident with Josh Van Der Flyer (Ireland). Ireland's downfall in the last WC was they did not rotate their first 15 as the head coach probably should have. That said, I'm happy for SA and genuinely hope it lifts the mood in their country. Ireland did beat them in the first match of the tournament. And before the trolls start trolling ….. please don't bother. Etzbeth said recently that the Irish players said after the match “see you in the final”…..this was actually wishing the SA team the best of luck in the rest, the Irish team were not dismissing the AB’s. This is what Etzbeth was implying. But he was wrong. I no longer live in Ireland. But I hope to see them lift that cup before I pass. Anyway, congratulations SA. 👍
12 Go to commentsMore bloody click bait. Dan Carter has said absolutely nothing. As he should do. Poor journalism again from a site that should know better
9 Go to commentsOh god please help these loosers get over it!!!! You lost. Doesn't matter how many times you dummies are gonna analyse the game, you still lost and we are still Rygby World Champions….get over it, you lost.
102 Go to commentsThe next Willie le Roux. SA are made not to use him.
3 Go to commentsDan has always been as controversial as tea with milk so we were never going to get any definitive answer. So DMac for the win.
9 Go to comments