The Queensland Reds have hit the midpoint of the 2023 Super Rugby Pacific season with a mix of strong wins and some disappointments.
Scoring 36 tries from eight games rates at No.5 for the 12 teams in Super Rugby Pacific. On defence, only two teams have conceded fewer tries.
They are just two measures of the positives within the new game style being advanced by head coach Les Kiss, his coaching staff and the Reds squad.
Hanham: Les is an experienced coach and has a sharp appreciation of where the team is at. I’ve seen good growth from the players and the team. Les is honest. Getting used to playing a different style was always going to have some bumps. The team is still growing and improving.
I think we all see a more skilful Reds team.
We’ve seen a very attacking game model with the players aggressively taking on the game. Les is certainly challenging the group to stretch their limits and go beyond.
All along, the players and coaches have realised that it’s about adding extra layers to their game as the team goes deeper into the season. Being a difficult team to work out and play against is something Les has stressed from the outset. We saw that in the Highlanders game and how hard the team worked on defence to keep the Highlanders scoreless.
To keep a Kiwi team tryless at this point of the season is a strong sign because I think it also showed we played a smart game to not be pulled into the Highlanders way of playing.
I see a happy, aligned playing group. That ability to defend reflects the character of the side.
Hanham: Yes they are. “Closing the gap” is one of Les' development creeds.
By that he means bringing up the skills and execution of newer players to the squad so they are closer and closer to that of the experienced players.
You see how important that is with the rotations you have in the squad because of workload management or when there are injuries or suspensions.
I’m excited that the building blocks to closing the gap have been acted on with our expanding program of playing opportunities.
We had players debut for the Reds against Japan’s Saitama Panasonic Wild Knights last November and we have upcoming games against Wales in July, another tour of Japan and a landmark European tour in January-February.
All those playing opportunities will bring up the standards of our developing players. We've seen it with players like Louis Werchon and John Bryant getting valuable exposure before their Super Rugby Pacific debuts.
It’s a truly exciting game for Queensland rugby fans. We have had a strong take-up of tickets since they went on sale.
There’s already signs that fans are hungry for games like this. Our players getting exposure to a leading Test nation will be invaluable to their development.
Les and his coaching staff are creating a Reds’ way. He’s welcomed in community coaches to Ballymore to see for themselves and take away ideas.
Hanham: We understand it wasn’t a strong season. We are undertaking a review and one of the immediate positives is having our new Women’s High-Performance Manager Nico Andrade in position to conduct it. He’s already been talking to players and coaches to gather the right feedback so we build back up.
There’s development ahead for players in the squad. We had 12 make Reds debuts this season in Buildcorp Super Rugby Women’s.
One of Nico’s goals is better alignment between the 15-a-side game and sevens so we optimise the way we harness the talent coming through the Queensland pathways. We know how good the talent is because Queensland is producing the majority of players for Australia’s champion women’s sevens squad.
Hanham: I definitely see the value of turning this into an annual fixture on the Anzac Weekend. The Australian and New Zealand focus of Super Rugby Pacific means the camaraderie of our nations can be celebrated in this unique way. I'm a strong supporter of it becoming a standing fixture which would mean us playing the Blues in Auckland at this time next year.
This competition is the closest it has been for years. We’ve seen the Reds, Brumbies, Rebels, Waratahs and Force beat Kiwi sides. We are sitting sixth in a tightly-bunched competition with everything to play for.
Three of our final six games are at Suncorp Stadium. That’s our fortress and we know how our players respond to having their fans behind them.
The crowd numbers have been stronger this year than for a number of years. We need the fans more than ever. That passion and belief from the fans rubs off in a positive way.
