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The Crusaders strategy for success that the Reds will hope pays dividends in 2020

By Nick Turnbull
Reds coach Brad Thorn has adopted a strategy utilised by the Crusaders throughout their most successful years. (Photos by Getty Images)

“There is no worse mistake in public leadership than to hold out false hope soon to be swept away”, said Winston Churchill.

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It would be fair to say that since Super Rugby’s inception in 1996, the Queensland Reds have been somewhat of a disappointment.

Winning their maiden Super Rugby title in 2011, Queensland Rugby, before the appointment of current head Coach Brad Thorn was too often guilty of providing talent to other Australian Super Rugby Franchises and failing to harness what talent remained in the Sunshine State. Think of David Giffen, David Pocock and current squad member James O’Connor, to name a few.

Too often Queensland fans bought the memberships, rode the rattler to Suncorp hoping, yet lived in what proved to be a false hope that this would be the season that restored their beloved Reds into the provincial powerhouse Queensland Rugby was from the mid-1970s to the mid-1990’s only to be disappointed time-and-time again.

Yet there is something different about this 2020 Queensland Reds squad that promises nothing but appears to be growing into something special that ignites a genuine belief in the Queensland Rugby community that success is, once again, within their grasp. And this belief is different from false hope. But why?

Continue reading below…

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A significant achievement of head coach Brad Thorn is that he has largely kept Queensland talent playing in Queensland and committing to the province through the current World Cup cycle until 2023. Why is this so important?

Consider where Brad Thorn learned his rugby; Christchurch. Home of the Canterbury Crusaders, the most successful provincial rugby side in the professional era. Looking back at the Crusader throughout the years, one of their key strength’s has been identifying, nurturing, developing and retaining their talent.

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Seldom have homegrown players left the Crusaders and developed into better players elsewhere in New Zealand. They’ve wanted to represent their home as rugby is more than just a professional occupation and the Crusaders region is more than just a place to ply their trade.

Mercenaries looking for a game haven’t often found employment in Christchurch, nor will they at Ballymore any time soon.

It would appear that the Crusader model is what Brad Thorn is replicating at Ballymore and despite some turbulent human resource issues early in his tenure, namely the dropping of Quade Cooper to club rugby coupled with the personal issues of Wallabies James Slipper and Karmichael Hunt, Thorn has assembled a 2020 squad that is a blend of talent, experience and desire that is free of controversy.

Furthermore, only weeks ago, Thorn sent his players out to regional Queensland so they could not only gain a deeper understanding of who they were playing for but also see how hard those not blessed with the opportunity to play professional sport are doing it in regional Queensland. It is understood this experience has had a profound effect on some of the younger players.

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Some may recall the late, legendary All Black and All Black coach in the inaugural 1987 Rugby World Cup, Sir Brian Lochore,  did a similar thing with his side which aided his team to reunite with everyday New Zealander’s after some fractious times in New Zealand Rugby post the 1986 Rebel Cavalier Tour of South Africa.

New Zealand went on to win that tournament, beating France in the final, who had defeated the All Blacks the previous year. That World Cup final victory ushered in a golden period of All Black Rugby that lasted until 1991.

Thorn’s agenda to drive a positive team culture is attractive to younger players wanting to push for higher honours whilst also bringing success back to Ballymore. Only good things can come from such endeavours.

The loss of powerhouse Wallaby centre Samu Kerevi to the Suntory club in Japan is damaging to Queensland’s chances in this coming season yet not entirely fatal.

Seasoned professionals James O’Connor and Henry Speight join the squad in 2020 and thus bring a wealth of knowledge, experience, pace to the flank, and a versatile, mature talent in O’Connor who has the proven ability to put damaging ball runners like Jordan Petaia and Chris Feauai-Sautia into areas and spaces where they can dominate the opposition.

Greater pressure will come onto live-wire halfback Tate McDermott as opponents will now be aware of the threats his running game presents after a stellar 2019 that saw him mentioned as a possible World Cup bolter.

The battle for the halfback jersey between McDermott and Moses Sorovi should bring the best out in both and if Sorovi can recapture the form he displayed against the Highlanders in round 2 of 2019 where he ran threatening support lines all day, McDermott will have his work cut out for him.

An area where Queensland must improve on from 2019 if the Reds are to feature at the business end of the season is the decision making between the halfback and fly-half.

Attacking opportunities earned by turnovers or penalties obtained by forward play were too quickly squandered by the Queensland backs in 2019, who at times either overran passes or simply ran back into traffic when space beckoned in other areas. To minimise this, the experienced and resolute Bryce Hegarty should start as the fly-half for 2020.

As the 2019 season progressed, Hegarty’s option-taking became more effective – as did the accuracy of his kicking game. Too often in 2019, Queensland kicked either too far or into the incorrect areas, not allowing enough chase pressure to ensue. These errors must stay in 2019 if Queensland is to threaten in 2020.

In the forwards, Queensland has lost veteran backrower Scott Higginbotham to France, yet his void should be filled by Australian U20’s back-rower Harry Wilson. Wilson is a formidable player even at his tender age of 20 and standing at 195cm and weighing about 106kg ensures he will have an impact from the get-go.

Whilst he may not be the heaviest of Number 8’s in the competition, Wilson is an intelligent player who reads the play well. Coupled with sharp hand-eye coordination, he will link well with his outside backs in broader channels when required. Wilson is joined by Fraser McReight who also played brilliantly for the Australian U20’s in 2019 and McReight will pressure Wallaby Liam Wright for the starting openside flanker position.

A player that will keep Wallaby locks Izack Rodda and Lukhan Salakia-Loto very honest is Harry Hockings.

Hockings, who began his rugby career at the Bowen Mudcrabs, has been in around the Reds set up for several seasons but if anyone saw his effort in the Brisbane club rugby final between Hockings’ University of Queensland and traditional rivals Brothers, few could argue what intelligence, toughness, skill and positional play the big lock can bring to a game. His try saving lurch with one hand to pluck a pass out of the air to deny Brothers what appeared to be a certain try is evidence of such.

Hockings has better hands than either Rodda or Salakia-Loto, he just needs to learn how to impose himself physically at Super Rugby level more consistently. 2020 could well be a breakout year for Hockings.

All the about suggests there is genuine justification for cautious optimism for Queensland Rugby folk in 2020. After finishing 4th in the Australian conference in 2019, Queensland should be the notable improvers in the Australian game and will be hoping to finish 2nd behind the Brumbies. Finals contention isn’t out of the picture either if the Reds manage to start winning more frequently against foreign opposition. In any event, the Reds will not be rollovers and swept away on false hope in 2020 and should not be taken lightly.

WATCH: One of the Reds’ brightest signings for 2020 is the seemingly matured James O’Connor.

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J
Jon 2 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

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j
john 5 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

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A
Adrian 7 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

Thanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause

18 Go to comments
T
Trevor 10 hours ago
Will forgotten Wallabies fit the Joe Schmidt model?

Thanks Brett.. At last a positive article on the potential of Wallaby candidates, great to read. Schmidt’s record as an international rugby coach speaks for itself, I’m somewhat confident he will turn the Wallaby’s fortunes around …. on the field. It will be up to others to steady the ship off the paddock. But is there a flaw in my optimism? We have known all along that Australia has the players to be very competitive with their international rivals. We know that because everyone keeps telling us. So why the poor results? A question that requires a definitive answer before the turn around can occur. Joe Schmidt signed on for 2 years, time to encompass the Lions tour of 2025. By all accounts he puts family first and that’s fair enough, but I would wager that his 2 year contract will be extended if the next 18 months or so shows the statement “Australia has the players” proves to be correct. The new coach does not have a lot of time to meld together an outfit that will be competitive in the Rugby Championship - it will be interesting to see what happens. It will be interesting to see what happens with Giteau law, the new Wallaby coach has already verbalised that he would to prefer to select from those who play their rugby in Australia. His first test in charge is in July just over 3 months away .. not a long time. I for one wish him well .. heaven knows Australia needs some positive vibes.

21 Go to comments
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