The past weekend saw the inaugural final of the Super 15 with the impressive Queensland Reds beating the homeless Canterbury Crusaders. The Reds have seen a complete reversal in their fortunes since Ewan McKenzie took over as head coach two seasons ago. They’ve gone from being a bit of a soft touch and a consistently underperforming franchise to being the side which plays some scintillating rugby where pace and power are key components. The Reds only a few seasons ago were the worst of the Australian teams, the Waratahs and the formerly imperious Brumbies were streets ahead not only in terms of results but also in terms of the support they received from their home states.
Their success is down to hard work and dedication. Where the team’s players used to have a reputation for boozing in the Brisbane nightclubs the no nonsense McKenzies has turned them into one of the Super 15’s fittest and most hardworking squads. Talent plays no small part in the success too. In Quade Cooper and Will Genia the Reds have, in my opinion the world’s best half back pairing, certainly in club rugby. Indeed from an Irish context you’d hope that Sean O’Brien and Jamie Heaslip were taking notes. These two Aussie young bucks will cause us immense problems at RWC11 unless there is a smart plan put in place to nullify their threat. If ever there was a case for including the underrated Shane Jennings in the World Cup squad they are it, Jennings playing on the openside would thrive in a defensive battle against these two guys, and it would also leave O’Brien free to play in his best position on the blindside. Having said all that, to concentrate solely on these two guys would be folly. Digby Ioane, Kurtley Beale, Matt Giteau and James O’Connor all possess the talent to rip open the world’s best defensive systems and for that reason the showdown on the 17th September in Auckland between Ireland and the Wallabies has the potential to be one of the games of the tournament.
