Reds ready for revenge after Tahs' trouncing
Georgina Robinson
February 2, 2012
THE Queensland Reds will look to exploit the absence of departed stars Luke Burgess and Kurtley Beale to avoid a repeat of their ''embarrassing'' early season loss to the Waratahs last year, Ewen McKenzie says.
The Reds went on to win eight matches in a row on their charge to the championship, but McKenzie still remembers the second-round 30-6 pumping at ANZ Stadium as a low point.
''We were very poor on that night, it was a bit embarrassing … we started to play our game towards the end but the Waratahs were good,'' McKenzie said from Brisbane yesterday.
''That was our worst performance of the year and we've got a chance now to go back and do something about it.''
The rivals meet again at Homebush in the first round of the tournament at the end of the month.
It will be the Reds' first serious outing without injured five-eighth Quade Cooper, and a test for the player chosen to fill his shoes.
But McKenzie said life without halfback Burgess, who is now playing for French club Stade Toulousain, and ''X-factor'' Beale, who defected to the Rebels, would also test the Waratahs.
''They've lost two key players we think - Burgess was an integral player for them in terms of touching the ball and physicality, and obviously Beale was a great X-factor for them in terms of creating opportunity.
''They're only two guys, I know that, but they certainly had a lot to do with their week-to-week performances.''
South African import Sarel Pretorius is the likely replacement for Burgess.
The former Cheetah was the tournament's equal top try scorer last year and, despite some questions asked of him in defence, Pretorius is expected to give his new club an injection of speed on the pitch.
''He's a very good attacking player, we're very interested to see how they use him,'' McKenzie said. ''He'll up-tempo the game and they'll be looking to get more attack out of him, but Luke Burgess … gave them a lot of value in terms of defence and starch, and that's why the Waratahs were one of the best defensive teams last year and a team that we've looked at closely for that reason.''
The arrival of Adam Ashley-Cooper would boost the Waratahs back line in Beale's absence, McKenzie said, adding the club should not be underestimated.
''They're very disciplined, they're physical, they're a big side and they've got some strike power [in] their back three - with Adam Ashley-Cooper coming in … [he will] contribute a lot with points and X-factor,'' he said.
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