Suddenly, and almost without warning, Brad Thorn has arrived at the crossroads of his coaching career.
It was no surprise when his Queensland side was beaten 25-12 by the Crusaders on Friday night at Suncorp Stadium. The Reds have lost four of their six matches this season and failed in their past 10 attempts to beat Kiwi sides.
The defeat wasn’t solely responsible for the Reds getting only four players selected in Eddie Jones’ initial 33-man Wallabies squad. Poor representation has been coming for a while. Had the Reds pulled out the sort of performance the Waratahs turned in against the Brumbies, they might have averted the disaster. They didn’t, of course, and Wallabies hopefuls like Harry Wilson and Tate McDermott paid the price.
But not Suliasi Vunivalu. He was one of four Reds players selected by Jones, and by far the least deserving.
I have long argued Vunivalu’s case but my support for him ended during the Crusaders match, at the 29th minute to be precise. From memory, Braydon Ennor had punched the ball deep into Queensland territory and the Crusaders headed after it in numbers. Only two Reds responded. One was second-rower Ryan Smith; he of the silly penalties and needless yellow cards. But as the visitors poured through, Smith cranked up his long legs and galloped after the ball.
The other was Vunivalu. The moment called for the right winger to ignite his seldom-seen afterburners and burn off all pursuers. But he chose not to, in the same way he earlier chose not to run aggressively into contact. Instead, he loped back casually, allowing Smith to handle the Crusaders.
Queensland Reds winger Suliasi Vunivalu.Credit:Getty
In the end, Smith did well enough to enable James O’Connor to clear but for me, and seemingly for Thorn as well, it was a telling moment. The Reds coach is poised to drop Vunivalu for the Brumbies game on Friday and I don’t blame him. And to think the Reds just re-signed him on a reported $400,000 a season for two more years.
Jones has spoken at length about the sort of player he wants in his side, players prepared to roll up their sleeves and get to work. By selecting Vunivalu, he is giving preference to a player who couldn’t be bothered removing his cufflinks.
Brad Thorn is under pressure.Credit:Getty
Vunivalu seemed to have been given a rough ride by former national team coach Dave Rennie, just a 90-second cameo against England last year. That was it as far as Rennie was concerned, and word began to filter out that Vunivalu was a dreadful trainer.
“So what?” I had argued at the time. On that basis, George Smith would never have played for Australia. Surely it wasn’t training form that counted, but match form. But Rennie had seen something in Vunivalu that disturbed him, and acted upon it. For that, I owe him a sincere apology. Now it is Jones’ turn to run the Vunivalu gauntlet.
If Jones believes his “cattle prod” is sufficient to restore the involved Vunivalu of Melbourne Storm days, then fair enough. Except that while he is cutting Vunivalu a lot of slack – along with Melbourne hooker Jordan Uelese and, to a lesser degree, Waratahs playmaker Ben Donaldson – he is jettisoning players who most definitely have rolled up their sleeves. And not just Wilson and McDermott but halves Noah Lolesio and Jake Gordon. All appear to be overthinking their games, over-trying, but they are giving it their all.
Mostly, Jones has selected a reasonable side and deserves congratulations for bringing in youngsters who could serve the Wallabies well – Melbourne pair Brad Wilkin and Carter Gordon, teenage Waratahs flyer Max Jorgensen and Reds outside-centre Josh Flook, who is starting to display elements of Conrad Smith in his reading of the play.
But the selection has also affected third parties and led Thorn to the crossroads of his career: Friday’s clash with the Brumbies at Suncorp. Too much Queensland talent has been needlessly lost or left underdeveloped on his watch. Even Crusaders coach Scott Robertson, a huge fan of Wilson in 2020, was more guarded in his assessment of him on Friday.
This match is the midpoint of the Reds’ season. If Thorn cannot harness individual brilliance to a team effort – not impossible given Queensland matched the Brumbies try for try in a 23-17 defeat in Canberra last month – then it may be time for him to stand down and hand over to his assistant, Mick Heenan. It was a handover planned for season’s end. It just might occur sooner.
However, a word of warning to all those who believe Heenan’s success with University in Brisbane’s Hospital Cup competition will instantly translate to Super Rugby Pacific. Even Darren Coleman (Waratahs) and Simon Cron (Western Force), for all their highs in Shute Shield rugby, are serving painful apprenticeships at first-class level.
Watch all the action from the Super Rugby Pacific with every match streaming ad-free, live and on demand on Stan Sport.
