In 1962 the NSW Waratahs refused to play Queensland in the old, amateur interstate series because they considered the Reds not good enough. The insult has never been forgotten, nor forgiven, north of the Tweed, but it motivated Queensland to improve and within a generation the Reds emerged as the best provincial team in world rugby.
Now the tables have turned and Queenslanders are questioning whether the Waratahs are worthy opponents. After five rounds of Super Rugby AU the winless Waratahs have suffered record losses to the Reds, Brumbies and Rebels, while they lost at home to the Western Force by a point after leading 13-0.
The Waratahs’ 33-14 loss to the Rebels in Melbourne last Friday night prompted one Queensland commentator to describe NSW as not up to Super Rugby standard. Will that slur motivate the Waratahs to lift their game when they play the Reds at Stadium Australia in Sydney on Saturday night?
After thrashing the Waratahs 41-7 in round one in Brisbane, the Reds will no doubt be aiming to put 50 points on NSW in the return match, although Queensland’s unimpressive 26-19 win against the Force at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday will give the men, or boys, in sky blue some hope of causing an upset against the competition leaders.
This Saturday night marks a line-in-the-sand game for both Queensland and NSW, although for much different reasons. The Reds may be undefeated, but they are yet to convince they possess the mindset of a champion team, and their game, exhilarating at times, is too often undermined by ill-discipline and unforced errors.
While the Reds were up for their top-of-the-table 40-38 win against the Brumbies in Canberra a few weeks ago, they seem to show little respect for weaker teams, which may contribute to the mistakes they make that render them vulnerable in games they are expected to win handsomely.
The Reds need to play as a cohesive unit and not to over rely on individual brilliance in the backs and scrum dominance for their success.
Five-eighth and stand-in captain James O’Connor was highly critical of Queensland’s performance against the Force, which was a positive thing because it indicated the team’s leadership, at least, understood that what they were doing was not good enough even if they managed to eke out a win.
If the Reds can become more mindful of their play, they will certainly challenge the Brumbies for the mantle of Australia’s premier Super Rugby team, but until then a question mark will continue to hang over them.
While the Reds strain to reach the top, the Waratahs’ are trying to stop themselves from tumbling and falling into an abyss. Their season is on the brink. Another loss and they can say goodbye to 2021 and start preparing for next season, if they are not already doing so.
It will probably take the Waratahs several years to rebuild their team and that is precious time the game cannot afford to waste in Australia’s biggest rugby market.
The Reds’ superiority in the tight-five should be sufficient to guarantee victory against the Waratahs, but they cannot afford to be arrogant. Queensland smashed an under-strength Brumbies scrum in Canberra and the Reds then thought they would do the same to the Force last Saturday, but it did not work out that way, at least not in the first-half.
Veteran prop Greg Holmes solidified the Force front-row, but the real difference was second-rower Sitaleki Timani, the strongest scrummaging lock in Australian rugby, who put ultra power into the scrum.
The Waratahs do not have a Timani, which means they will need to find another way to cope with the powerful Reds’ scrum – possibly at uncontested scrums.
The Waratahs may not be up to Super Rugby standard at the moment, but how many Australian teams really are? There has only been one genuinely high-quality Super Rugby AU game this season and that was the Reds’ come-from-behind win against the Brumbies. There have been some close games, some decided in the final minute of the match, but that does not necessarily mean the standard of play was high.
The Force will get another opportunity to show they are not just making up the numbers when they take on the Brumbies in Canberra on Friday night, but it is difficult to see them challenging the defending champions unless they turn the game into an arm wrestle.
The traditional Waratahs-Reds game will be the centre of attention. Or maybe not. Unlike 1962, Queensland cannot refuse to play NSW because they are not good enough, but fans can choose not to watch the Waratahs. Only around 4,000 spectators attended the Waratahs’ last match in Sydney – against the Force at Bankwest Stadium in Parramatta. How would that look in the vastness of ANZ Stadium? Perhaps that could serve as another motivational spur the Waratahs need to start to turn their wretched season around.
