Will Reds coach Richard Graham be sacked mid-season?
The standard line from rugby coaches following an opening season loss is don’t panic. That, however, ought not apply to the Queensland Reds who - as Brumbies coach Stephen Larkham quite rightly pointed out - were simply not up to Super Rugby standard when belted 47-3 by the Brumbies last week. The Reds were an absolute disgrace, equalling the franchise record for penalties conceded (17). James Horwill, a former Test captain no less, should hang his head in shame for leading the madness. In fact, it beggared belief a professional rugby team could be prepared to turn out in such a fashion. The Queenslanders did the game a disservice, not to mention their loyal fans and season ticket holders who have made the Reds the richest Super franchise in Australia.
Reds coach Richard Graham must be dreading the worst. The Reds face a very good Western Force outfit (and there’s still bad blood within the Force squad from Graham’s stint in Perth) at Suncorp on Saturday night, followed by the Highlanders away, and then the Waratahs and Brumbies at home before a bye in round six. On last week’s showing, the Reds could well be 0-5 going into that bye. And that could be the death knell for Graham. The Reds board, led by recently re-elected chairman Rod McCall, won’t tolerate last week’s tripe for too much longer. Last year’s wooden spoon was explained away as an inevitable performance dip due to a failure to sufficiently turn over the 2011 title-winning playing roster. Several big buys later, including James O’Connor, Karmichael Hunt and former All Black loosie Adam Thomson, and the Reds were looking good for the finals. Then last week happened. This column actually tipped the Reds for a top two conference finish. Bin that. It won’t happen.
McCall, meanwhile, has form for killing off coaches. He sacked Phil Mooney in 2009 for managing just six wins and a draw from 26 matches over two years. And before Mooney, McCall punted (and it wasn’t a resignation) former Wallabies coach Eddie Jones in 2007 for winning just two games that season. Going into this weekend’s second round, Graham has won five matches and lost 12. If that ratio reads 5-17 come round six, he could be gone. Indeed, one expects McCall will say exactly the same thing he said when pulling the trigger on Mooney: “We decided we had to act now rather than delay the inevitable. We cannot afford to stand in no-man’s land.” Unlike the other Australian franchises, the Reds have money - just shy of $1 million in surplus, according to financial statements presented at the Queensland Rugby Union earlier this month. Watch this space. A payout looms if the rot continues. For now though, here’s tipping the Force, who were superb in putting down the Waratahs last week, to inflict more pain.
Brumbies should be strong for Chiefs
Get on the Brumbies to knock off the Chiefs on Friday afternoon. The ACT men were quite sensational against the Reds. The lop-sided penalty count wouldn’t have made a difference, despite Graham’s assertion to the contrary. The Brumbies were simply too good, the best team of the opening round by some margin. The Chiefs got an early break on the Blues last week and were never headed, despite a typically fruitless final flourish from the Aucklanders. But the Brumbies are several classes up in grade and should be good for an away win. The Waratahs, meanwhile, looked a game or two short of a gallop against the Force. They should bounce back against the Rebels in Melbourne. Yes, the Rebels did beat the Crusaders in Christchurch but this is not the Crusaders of old. Not even close. In fact, the Highlanders ought to confirm that when they host Richie McCaw’s crew in Dunedin on Saturday. The Hurricanes away to the Bulls could be interesting, as well as the Blues against the Stormers at Newlands. Last week, home ground advantage counted for little with five teams winning on the road. Expect something similar this weekend.
Fixtures
Friday:
Chiefs v Brumbies, Yarrow Stadium, New Plymouth, 7.35pm local (5.35pm AEST)
Rebels v Waratahs, AAMI Stadium, Melbourne, 7.40pm AEST
Saturday:
Reds v Force, Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane, 6.40pm local (7.40pm AEST)
