The return of Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii remains uncertain but there is little doubt the Waratahs forward pack will be in for a long week after coach Dan McKellar was left fuming with “really soft moments” in their 35-15 loss to Queensland.
McKellar could barely hide his anger at the capitulation of his pack for a Reds rolling maul in the first half, in particular, that saw Queensland score from a lineout 20 metres out from NSW’s line. After successfully shedding most of the Waratah forward defenders, the lightest NSW player on the field – 84 kilogram halfback Teddy Wilson – was left as the only person trying to stop five Reds forwards with a collective weight of 585kg.
The Richie Asiata try resulted in the Reds going into the sheds at halftime leading by 21-8, after the Waratahs had jumped out to an early lead. But a yellow card to Andrew Kellaway in the 14th minute saw Queensland rally, regain control and then dominate for the second half. It was the Waratahs’ first loss of the season.
“That yellow card, we fell off a cliff, and some really soft moments – that maul try was borderline embarrassing for all involved,” McKellar said.
Or not involved, as the case may be. As a former coach of the Brumbies and forwards coach of the Wallabies, McKellar views strength at the maul – in attack and defence – as a non-negotiable foundation stone.
Reds players celebrate after Angus Blyth of the Reds scores a tryCredit: Getty Images
And based on McKellar’s stern post-game comments, the review of the Asiata try will make for an uncomfortable meeting of the Tahs forwards.
Asked about the try, captain Hugh Sinclair said: “I think it’s a pretty simple fix, we’ve got to put the head in the maul and stop it …”
McKellar then interrupted Sinclair mid-answer, and said: “Yeah, it’s hard to stop a rolling maul if you stand there and watch it.”
Following a Josh Canham lineout win, most Waratahs forwards were left scrambling to get back onside after they unsuccessfully attempted to push the well-set Reds maul to the sideline. The Reds shifted and drove through behind Fraser McReight, and the NSW forwards couldn’t get back. High-priced Wallabies front rower Taniela Tupou did not engage in the maul defence at all.
The issue will be front and centre for McKellar given the Waratahs this week host the maul-loving Brumbies, who will undoubtedly seek to test NSW in that area as well.
“At 21-8 (down) we were pretty positive at half-time around if we just executed what we discussed and what we trained, then we felt we could get right back into the game,” McKellar said.
“But again, just a couple of soft moments, and if you give the Reds soft moments, they’ll take advantage of it, especially at home. I thought for the first 20 minutes, we were probably the dominant side, and for the next 60, they certainly were. So, we got what we deserved.”
McKellar said the absence of several big names – Suaalii, captain Jake Gordon and Lakakai Foketi – was no excuse for the Tahs performance. And he may only get Foketi back to meet the Brumbies.
The coach said last week the centre and Suaalii were both “chances” to be available, but the $1.6 million fullback – who has a toe injury – is long-odds, with informed sources saying he has yet to resume normal running training. Gordon is out for another three weeks with a medial ligament injury in his knee.
Fraser McReight of the Reds celebrates after scoring a try against the WaratahsCredit: Getty Images
The Reds turned in a dominant display that not only proved their bona-fides as a Super Rugby contender, but was perfectly timed for coach Les Kiss and his prospects to take over from Joe Schmidt as Wallabies coach.
Kiss is one of the leading candidates who was recently interviewed by a Rugby Australia panel for the role, and a decision and announcement is expected within the month. Kiss dead-batted questions about his potential Wallabies in post-match interviews but confirmed his candidacy.
The result at Suncorp Stadium was never going to be a make-or-break factor in RA’s decision but it did serve to publicly re-affirm the coaching chops of Kiss, whose fame in Australia as a rugby league player still tends to overshadow a 25-year career in rugby coaching, mostly overseas.
“My journey, you always felt like you had to earn your stripes, as a leaguie,” Kiss told this masthead last year.
Just a day after announcing he’d resigned for three years with Queensland and RA, Fraser McReight left the field with an AC joint injury in his shoulder and was wearing a sling post-match. But Kiss said it was “nothing sinister” and he was planning to rest the star flanker next week, in any case.
