Reds owe fans Tahs scalp
Reds coach Richard Graham is desperate for them to repay the faith of their fans by beating their old foes the Waratahs in their final game.
It has been a tough season for the Reds who have won just five matches and lost ten after their capitulation to the Force in Perth on Saturday, which sees them languishing down in 12th place on the Super Rugby standings.
Conversely, the Waratahs are looking well-placed to top the Australian conference and secure home advantage in the play-offs, with the Reds their last obstacle before the knock-out phase of the competition.
Having given themselves a chance of challenging the Force when they drew level in the second half, the Reds saw the game slip through their hands once again as a late burst from the home team wrapped up a 30-20 victory.
Reds head coach Richard Graham said his team’s poor start had cost them the match.
“The first 15 minutes we weren’t in the contest at all. They started at a different level of intensity whilst we stood and watched. Defensively we were passive,” Graham said.
“Added to our poor start was our lack of ball control and composure when we had created good attacking opportunities. It is extremely disappointing because we should never have put ourselves in that situation," he said.
Graham said it was particularly frustrating to lose after working so hard to get back into the contest.
“We worked ourselves back into the game nicely and at 20-all we had an opportunity to kick on, however we continued to make the same mistakes. They deserved the win.
“The physical preparation and the mental preparation go hand in hand. Tonight showed if you take short cuts in either you leave yourself exposed," he admitted.
Graham said his side owes the fans one big performance on their home ground next week against their old rivals.
“We need to regroup quickly. There’s one week left in our season and we want to finish strongly. We have everything to play for. We play our most traditional and fiercest rival in the Waratahs, we play our last game of 2014 at Suncorp Stadium and we owe it to our loyal support base.
"We need to demonstrate to ourselves what we are capable of and we have a number of departing players who’ll play their last game in a Reds jersey.”
