It was awesome watching the Reds last year. Surely we all knew that this year was going to be fard.
Being the most closely scrutinised team + Premiership hangover + injuries = a very tough year.
Go the Reds
I agree, but they are actually doing some things up front very differently compared to last year. The Reds made up for their smallness in size up front with combinations and relentless accuracy, so that they squeezed out just enough gainline ball to give their outstanding backs half a dozen shots at the tryline per game.
They don't seem to be doing that anymore. Watching the Bulls game, I kept seeing Ben Daley getting absolutely belted in the tackle and lose ground. Last year Saia Fainga'a used to run WITH Daley to ensure they won those collisions: he would jog at his shoulder and just shove him through the tackle. Now Daley runs alone and loses a meter or two every time he gets hit.
Other things - Rob Simmons overrunning a short ball when the Reds had built a few promising phases. Rod Davies running a bad line off set piece and getting hit in the ribs, spilling the ball.
They were always a small team but used to make up for it with fierce concentration and accuracy; now the attention to detail has slipped a fraction and two good teams have smashed them.