A very entertaining game to watch as a neutral. Some of my thoughts.
When it comes to the breakdown, the underrated Reds pack is as good as any in the competition. Sure, people will argue that the Blues were missing some key forwards, but as a group the Reds team simply showed more energy and commitment at the tackle area. Their ability to generate quick ruck ball really troubled the Blues’ defense, especially in the first half. Opposing coaches will be watching last night’s game closely and formulating ways to stifle the Reds’ ability to effect quick recycling of ball. It’s not as easy as simply getting more numbers to the breakdown because;
a) the Reds have shown they can match numbers at the breakdown, and
b) the Reds are very skilled at changing the point of attack, which makes it hard to get sufficient numbers to the tackle area. They rarely repeatedly target the same channel.
History shows that only teams with high quality halves can win Super Rugby titles. And the Reds have arguably the best 9 and 10 combination in SANZAR. Not only do Cooper and Genia steer the team around the field brilliantly and consistently make the right decisions in attack, but they are a constant threat to the defensive line in their own right. They have the ability to make their teammates look better than perhaps they actually are, and that shows their playmaking quality.
From under 8s level coaches stress the importance of minimising errors. And last night the Blues sunk to a 24 point deficient largely on the back of an unsustainably high error rate. And a large part of this was as a result of very good, swarming Reds defence. Their first up tackling needed to be good and it was. In contrast to the Blues, despite the Reds flair and attacking brand of rugby, the home team managed to keep errors to a minimum.
Is there a no.8 in better form in Australia than Radike Samo? I know he isn’t a fashionable player, but his work at the breakdown, ability to link with his teammates and defensive output remind me a lot of Kieran Read. Who I rate as the best no.8 in world rugby. Neither player is a traditional bosh-merchant type 8th man, but their allround skillset contribute so much to their respective teams. Like Read, Samo also provides another tall option at lineout time. For the Wallabies sake, Robbie Deans could do much worse than reward Samo with a test recall, despite the fact that he is turning 35 in July.
Lastly, Ewen McKenzie and his team should be very happy with their win. And Reds fans should be too, their team has announced themselves to the comp as being a genuine title contender. But one obvious weakness which should worry everyone in QLD is their scrum. You cannot afford to give away multiple scrum penalties in close games. Whether deserved or not, the Reds now have a reputation for being a weak scrummaging team. Opposing teams will target this and referees will give opposing scrums the benefit of any doubt. All it takes is for the Reds to lose a front rower or two to the bin for repeated scrum penalties and a semi final or final could get away from them.
