Round 7: Reds v Rebels - Saturday 30 March @ Suncorp

[Scooter]

4 Trips to Suncorp with a 75% win ratio. Really do enjoy coming up here for rugby.

Luke Jones has to be Wallabies 6, just for his work at disrupting the opposition line out alone.

KevinO I agree how good was Jones at disrupting opposition line out?

 

[RedsHappy]

People can talk about Cooper and Genia all they want but it was the Rebels forwards that won them the game. Plenty of drive forward, but they won the set piece and got the ball moving using the piggies

Don’t entirely agree - Rebs 9 and 10 chose optimal point of a attack in fast phase play quickly and productively

 

[Strewthcobber]

Reds missed just 6 tackles to 18.
Reds had 7 clean breaks to 1, 9 offloads to 3 and 18 defenders beaten to 6.

And got flogged!

 

[Scooter]

It was good to see Victorian Rob Leota score his first Super Rugby try.

 

[Joe Blow]

Have another look, there were arms, the hit was on the shoulder not the head and genia already had the shiner in the warm up

OK. It looked bad live and on the replay.

 

[Derpus]

Jones is steadily working his way to Wobs 6. Jones, Isi, hooper/pocock

 

[dru]

Don’t entirely agree - Rebs 9 and 10 chose optimal point of a attack in fast phase play quickly and productively

Yep. The Rebels pigs won their battle absolutely. A big part of why the Rebels won.

The performance of the halves also, massive element to the win. Flatness of the play and their intelligence - well beyond the Reds halves right now.

Given the recent history, vale Quade. Brad? No mate, it's not just handling errors and taking the opportunities. Either way, Wessels simply did better than you did, Thorn.

Anyone get the "crowd" number?

 

[Strewthcobber]

You could probably count them yourself . Heard it was around 11,000. Train from the west broke down shortly before kickoff which would have definately reduced the numbers

 

[RedsHappy]

Reckon real paying crowd number was c. 5,000 at best

 

[AFL_Converted]

Rebels have a kiwi like knack for cheating

I think all Aussie sides need more of the Kiwi knack of "cheating".
The darkness know how to push the limit and play the ref. I have felt the Aussie sides have lacked that for the last decade and a bit. Opposition supporters hate it (me included as a wobs supporter) but when you cool off and look at it actually pretty smart play.

After three weeks of the Rebels not playing well to the ref and getting ourselves penalised off the park it was nice to see them get it right.

I rarely agree with anything Slim writes but I have seen that off the ball stuff from Rangi. I have cursed him for it when it has gotten sent off, praised him for it when it unsettle the opposition. Every team needs one or two blokes like this as much as I dislike it personally, rugby is a thugs game and a team of all nice blokes rarely does well.

 

[AFL_Converted]

For the game itself, that dis not go as I expected. I thought out scrum would be dished up but they held their own really well and even dominated one or two. Very good effort from the right five and I think they really appreciated the extra push from the big back row.

I agree with others, out forwards won that game by setting u p a really good platform for WG and QC (Quade Cooper). Best performance by us this year.

The reds did not play well, but rugby is a game where you can control some of how the opposition plays by putting that pressure on and the Rebs did not let it up all night.

I hope the Sunwolves get the same treatment next week.

 

[Shaker]

Don’t entirely agree - Rebs 9 and 10 chose optimal point of a attack in fast phase play quickly and productively

Thats fair, the halves put them in positions to make the impact they had. Kicking game was far better than the Reds and the Rebels line out did the rest. Isi Naisarani was my MOTM, feel like he always made the ad line and was very strong defensively.

 

[HJ Nelson]

Photos from tonight

https://www.tremainfocused.com/blog/cooper-and-genia-crowned-home-coming-kings

 

[Rugbynutter39]

I still feel Cooper getting booted by Thorn been the best thing for Quade as he is playing his best rugby for many years and do feel he probably needed a good kick up the arse which Thorn punting him has done.

Quade definitely has a hunger not seen for a while imho and reckon proving Thorn wrong is big part of what is driving that. And perfect timing given World Cup year and at this point would be starting 10 if he continues this form as selection panel would make sure of that and in fairness Cheika always been a Quade fan but his form up until this year has just not warranted him being selected.

 

[Strewthcobber]

Wouldn't it have been nice if Thorn was a good enough coach to work out how to do that while keeping him at the reds

 

[TSR]

Cool, I look forward to the next time he screams, rubs his hand into the face of an opposition player when they make a mistake.....

Still, he’s playing great at the moment - just cut out the unsportsmanlike douchebaggery.

Based on Cheika’s comments in the podcast the other day he sees those sort of things as a virtue, so it’ll probably elevate him into the starting team.

 

[wamberal]

Jones is steadily working his way to Wobs 6. Jones, Isi, hooper/pocock

It has taken a while, but it looks as though he actually believes in himself.

 

[dru]

Wouldn't it have been nice if Thorn was a good enough coach to work out how to do that while keeping him at the reds

I think it is fair enough to say that this place would be crowing with words like "vindication" had the game gone differently.

Brad was put in a position he should not have been. Brad's personal ego strengths aside he was palpably not ready for this role. This has been further complicated by an HQ not willing (or at least not publicly demonstrating a will) to haul him up with obvious commercial questions. I suspect this will have longer term impacts on his coaching ability. Desire to go it alone etc.

We will continue with sporadic performances in 2019, I have said it before but fans must simply hang on.

But to focus on going forward, which even Quade supporters must do (if they are to remain Red fans) - nothing in last night's game, nothing in relation to the return of Quade - has any import on the positives that Thorn is actually achieving. This year will remain scatty, but come 2020, Thorn will no longer be the green novice he was. This may not guarantee finals footy inn time, but it certainly lends itself to far superior performances year on year.

I am very pleased with how Quade is going. And I am also building a grudging respect for the Red HC.

 

[Brumby Runner]

4 Trips to Suncorp with a 75% win ratio. Really do enjoy coming up here for rugby.

Luke Jones has to be Wallabies 6, just for his work at disrupting the opposition line out alone.

Would be great working in tandem with Rory Arnold. It would be a brave or foolish side that wanted to set a maul against them.

 

[Adam84]

I still feel Cooper getting booted by Thorn been the best thing for Quade as he is playing his best rugby for many years and do feel he probably needed a good kick up the arse which Thorn punting him has done.

Quade definitely has a hunger not seen for a while imho and reckon proving Thorn wrong is big part of what is driving that. And perfect timing given World Cup year and at this point would be starting 10 if he continues this form as selection panel would make sure of that and in fairness Cheika always been a Quade fan but his form up until this year has just not warranted him being selected.

100% I think it's given Quade a mental resolve that he mightn't have had 24 months ago, Quade has always had the natural talent and physical ability, the missing link has been how he dealt with pressure, emotions and confidence. I think a 12month banishment to clubland gave him the time for self-reflection and hunger to improve that side of his game.

2019 Quade isn't the same as 2017 Quade..