Kiss goodbye to doubts about safety of betting on Reds
The statistics make ugly reading for the Queensland Reds, but the Super Rugby Pacific underdogs are hopeful a seed planted a year ago in Christchurch bears them finals fruit.
A Crusaders team on a 16-game finals winning streak, dotted with 10 All Blacks in their starting 15, will welcome the Reds on a cold, wet Christchurch Friday night.
Losses in 13 of their past 14 games, including a season-worst 43-19 drubbing this campaign, sums up the one-sided rivalry.
Rob Penney's side pipped the ACT Brumbies in Canberra in their battle for second place, while the fifth-placed Reds haven't beaten a top-four side all season.
"Absolutely formidable," Reds coach Les Kiss summed up ahead of their must-win qualifying final.
"We'll have to take a few hits, might be on the ropes, but we just have a belief we can fight back from those moments."
The belief comes from victory there last year that ended a 25-year drought - the Crusaders' only loss to an Australian side in their past 21 games - and the Reds' new-found composure behind flyhalf Tom Lynagh since.
They were able to turn the tables on the Highlanders this season, resorting to their trusty scrum to engineer a comeback win.
Named at No.8, Harry Wilson's availability after an injury scare on Saturday was a huge mid-week boost.
And super-boot Lynagh's competition-best 87 per cent conversion rate could also prove crucial in tough conditions, while the ruck and lineout will be a battle against a Crusaders team stacked with high-calibre Test talent.
"It does plant a seed for us, hopefully plants a seed of doubt for them," Kiss said of victory in Christchurch last year.
"It's a challenge; he (Lynagh) is up for it and hasn't failed a challenge yet, from what I've seen.
"There's been a lot said about what the Crusaders are good at over there and we respect that, but I'll back Tommy to stand up and direct us around the park.
"Let's go see what happens."
Wilson's combination with flanker Fraser McReight, who is fourth in the competition with 17 turnovers from 12 games, will also be a pivotal one.
McReight's influence was curbed in a 31-27 loss to the Hurricanes two weeks ago that dropped them out of the top four.
Hurricanes captain and opposing flanker Du'Plessis Kirifi managed that contest superbly.
Kiss has urged the Reds to avoid a repeat on Friday against a back row featuring Ethan Blackadder and Tom Christie.
"Control the errors and ensure the breakdown is not left up to the ref to decide," Kiss said.
"Do our job there to get the kind of ball we want."
Former Reds playmaker James O'Connor will come off the bench for the Crusaders as the 34-year-old strengthens his case for a Wallabies recall.
He has played just 328 minutes this year - Lynagh has logged 703 - but been impactful at the late stages with his kicking and decision-making.
"He's been brilliant there, hasn't he," Kiss said of O'Connor, who left Ballymore after an injury-riddled 2024.
"I can only say good things about James. He was good here ... gone over there and done a similar job.
"Good luck to him, just not too much on Friday night."
HISTORY AGAINST THE REDS
* Lost 13 of past 14 games against Crusaders
* Crusaders on a record 16-game finals winning streak dating back to 2016
* Reds' 2024 win the Crusaders' only home loss to Australian opponents in their past 21 games.
* Three straight quarter-final losses for Reds and only one score of 25+ points in club's 13 finals appearances
The statistics make ugly reading for the Queensland Reds, but the Super Rugby Pacific underdogs are hopeful a seed planted a year ago in Christchurch bears them finals fruit.
A Crusaders team on a 16-game finals winning streak, dotted with 10 All Blacks in their starting 15, will welcome the Reds on a cold, wet Christchurch Friday night.
Losses in 13 of their past 14 games, including a season-worst 43-19 drubbing this campaign, sums up the one-sided rivalry.
Rob Penney's side pipped the ACT Brumbies in Canberra in their battle for second place, while the fifth-placed Reds haven't beaten a top-four side all season.
"Absolutely formidable," Reds coach Les Kiss summed up ahead of their must-win qualifying final.
"We'll have to take a few hits, might be on the ropes, but we just have a belief we can fight back from those moments."
The belief comes from victory there last year that ended a 25-year drought - the Crusaders' only loss to an Australian side in their past 21 games - and the Reds' new-found composure behind flyhalf Tom Lynagh since.
They were able to turn the tables on the Highlanders this season, resorting to their trusty scrum to engineer a comeback win.
Named at No.8, Harry Wilson's availability after an injury scare on Saturday was a huge mid-week boost.
And super-boot Lynagh's competition-best 87 per cent conversion rate could also prove crucial in tough conditions, while the ruck and lineout will be a battle against a Crusaders team stacked with high-calibre Test talent.
"It does plant a seed for us, hopefully plants a seed of doubt for them," Kiss said of victory in Christchurch last year.
"It's a challenge; he (Lynagh) is up for it and hasn't failed a challenge yet, from what I've seen.
"There's been a lot said about what the Crusaders are good at over there and we respect that, but I'll back Tommy to stand up and direct us around the park.
"Let's go see what happens."
Wilson's combination with flanker Fraser McReight, who is fourth in the competition with 17 turnovers from 12 games, will also be a pivotal one.
McReight's influence was curbed in a 31-27 loss to the Hurricanes two weeks ago that dropped them out of the top four.
Hurricanes captain and opposing flanker Du'Plessis Kirifi managed that contest superbly.
Kiss has urged the Reds to avoid a repeat on Friday against a back row featuring Ethan Blackadder and Tom Christie.
"Control the errors and ensure the breakdown is not left up to the ref to decide," Kiss said.
"Do our job there to get the kind of ball we want."
Former Reds playmaker James O'Connor will come off the bench for the Crusaders as the 34-year-old strengthens his case for a Wallabies recall.
He has played just 328 minutes this year - Lynagh has logged 703 - but been impactful at the late stages with his kicking and decision-making.
"He's been brilliant there, hasn't he," Kiss said of O'Connor, who left Ballymore after an injury-riddled 2024.
"I can only say good things about James. He was good here ... gone over there and done a similar job.
"Good luck to him, just not too much on Friday night."
HISTORY AGAINST THE REDS
* Lost 13 of past 14 games against Crusaders
* Crusaders on a record 16-game finals winning streak dating back to 2016
* Reds' 2024 win the Crusaders' only home loss to Australian opponents in their past 21 games.
* Three straight quarter-final losses for Reds and only one score of 25+ points in club's 13 finals appearances
The statistics make ugly reading for the Queensland Reds, but the Super Rugby Pacific underdogs are hopeful a seed planted a year ago in Christchurch bears them finals fruit.
A Crusaders team on a 16-game finals winning streak, dotted with 10 All Blacks in their starting 15, will welcome the Reds on a cold, wet Christchurch Friday night.
Losses in 13 of their past 14 games, including a season-worst 43-19 drubbing this campaign, sums up the one-sided rivalry.
Rob Penney's side pipped the ACT Brumbies in Canberra in their battle for second place, while the fifth-placed Reds haven't beaten a top-four side all season.
"Absolutely formidable," Reds coach Les Kiss summed up ahead of their must-win qualifying final.
"We'll have to take a few hits, might be on the ropes, but we just have a belief we can fight back from those moments."
The belief comes from victory there last year that ended a 25-year drought - the Crusaders' only loss to an Australian side in their past 21 games - and the Reds' new-found composure behind flyhalf Tom Lynagh since.
They were able to turn the tables on the Highlanders this season, resorting to their trusty scrum to engineer a comeback win.
Named at No.8, Harry Wilson's availability after an injury scare on Saturday was a huge mid-week boost.
And super-boot Lynagh's competition-best 87 per cent conversion rate could also prove crucial in tough conditions, while the ruck and lineout will be a battle against a Crusaders team stacked with high-calibre Test talent.
"It does plant a seed for us, hopefully plants a seed of doubt for them," Kiss said of victory in Christchurch last year.
"It's a challenge; he (Lynagh) is up for it and hasn't failed a challenge yet, from what I've seen.
"There's been a lot said about what the Crusaders are good at over there and we respect that, but I'll back Tommy to stand up and direct us around the park.
"Let's go see what happens."
Wilson's combination with flanker Fraser McReight, who is fourth in the competition with 17 turnovers from 12 games, will also be a pivotal one.
McReight's influence was curbed in a 31-27 loss to the Hurricanes two weeks ago that dropped them out of the top four.
Hurricanes captain and opposing flanker Du'Plessis Kirifi managed that contest superbly.
Kiss has urged the Reds to avoid a repeat on Friday against a back row featuring Ethan Blackadder and Tom Christie.
"Control the errors and ensure the breakdown is not left up to the ref to decide," Kiss said.
"Do our job there to get the kind of ball we want."
Former Reds playmaker James O'Connor will come off the bench for the Crusaders as the 34-year-old strengthens his case for a Wallabies recall.
He has played just 328 minutes this year - Lynagh has logged 703 - but been impactful at the late stages with his kicking and decision-making.
"He's been brilliant there, hasn't he," Kiss said of O'Connor, who left Ballymore after an injury-riddled 2024.
"I can only say good things about James. He was good here ... gone over there and done a similar job.
"Good luck to him, just not too much on Friday night."
HISTORY AGAINST THE REDS
* Lost 13 of past 14 games against Crusaders
* Crusaders on a record 16-game finals winning streak dating back to 2016
* Reds' 2024 win the Crusaders' only home loss to Australian opponents in their past 21 games.
* Three straight quarter-final losses for Reds and only one score of 25+ points in club's 13 finals appearances
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Perth Now
an hour ago
- Perth Now
Tottenham sack Europa League winner Postecoglou
Ange Postecoglou's rollercoaster two-year reign at Tottenham Hotspur is over after the North London club sacked their Australian head coach. The axe came despite Postecoglou guiding Spurs to a 1-0 victory in the Europa League final over fellow EPL side Manchester United in Bilbao last month. It meant he had delivered on his promise of "always" winning a trophy in his second season. But it also came at the end of a dismal EPL campaign in which the club finished in 17th place, just above the relegated trio. Tottenham confirmed the sacking in a statement on Friday which read: "Following a review of performances and after significant reflection, the Club can announce Ange Postecoglou has been relieved of his duties." Europa League success - Tottenham's first trophy in 17 years - brought an outpouring of emotion from Spurs fans and initially seemed sufficient to save his job. Postecoglou even delivered a mic-drop moment during a euphoric open-top bus parade in front of an estimated 220,000 people when he declared "season three is better than season two", but chairman Daniel Levy had other ideas and appears to have dismissed the man to deliver him a much-craved trophy. He had divided opinion among supporters during his two-year tenure and his job prospects had seemed bleak before winning the Europa League, European football's second-tier competition behind the Champions League. Brentford boss Thomas Frank has been installed as the bookmakers' favourite to replace Postecoglou. It all started so brightly for Postecoglou, with a run of eight wins from his first 10 league fixtures - despite the high-profile departure of Harry Kane. That propelled Spurs to the summit but a sign of things to come was a thrilling loss to Chelsea in November, 2023 where several injuries occurred. Fifth place in Postecoglou's debut campaign still represented an impressive finish but cracks started to emerge during an end-of-season 2-0 loss at home to Manchester City where some Tottenham fans were conflicted given a positive result would have put rivals Arsenal in the driving seat for the title. Postecoglou later acknowledged that he misjudged the mood, but further run-ins would follow. A slow start to the 2024-25 campaign was followed by Postecoglou's second-season trophy claim and a strong run of form as Spurs emphatically defeated Manchester United, Aston Villa and Manchester City. But further injuries hampered progress and Spurs lost eight of their 11 EPL matches through a busy December and January programme. The Carabao Cup provided some relief with a run to the semi-finals, but that ended in a 4-0 drubbing at Liverpool, while the slump in league form continued. That left the Europa League, which Postecoglou delivered to the enraptured supporters. But it was not enough to save him. With PA
West Australian
an hour ago
- West Australian
Tottenham sack Europa League winner Postecoglou
Ange Postecoglou's rollercoaster two-year reign at Tottenham Hotspur is over after the North London club sacked their Australian head coach. The axe came despite Postecoglou guiding Spurs to a 1-0 victory in the Europa League final over fellow EPL side Manchester United in Bilbao last month. It meant he had delivered on his promise of "always" winning a trophy in his second season. But it also came at the end of a dismal EPL campaign in which the club finished in 17th place, just above the relegated trio. Tottenham confirmed the sacking in a statement on Friday which read: "Following a review of performances and after significant reflection, the Club can announce Ange Postecoglou has been relieved of his duties." Europa League success - Tottenham's first trophy in 17 years - brought an outpouring of emotion from Spurs fans and initially seemed sufficient to save his job. Postecoglou even delivered a mic-drop moment during a euphoric open-top bus parade in front of an estimated 220,000 people when he declared "season three is better than season two", but chairman Daniel Levy had other ideas and appears to have dismissed the man to deliver him a much-craved trophy. He had divided opinion among supporters during his two-year tenure and his job prospects had seemed bleak before winning the Europa League, European football's second-tier competition behind the Champions League. Brentford boss Thomas Frank has been installed as the bookmakers' favourite to replace Postecoglou. It all started so brightly for Postecoglou, with a run of eight wins from his first 10 league fixtures - despite the high-profile departure of Harry Kane. That propelled Spurs to the summit but a sign of things to come was a thrilling loss to Chelsea in November, 2023 where several injuries occurred. Fifth place in Postecoglou's debut campaign still represented an impressive finish but cracks started to emerge during an end-of-season 2-0 loss at home to Manchester City where some Tottenham fans were conflicted given a positive result would have put rivals Arsenal in the driving seat for the title. Postecoglou later acknowledged that he misjudged the mood, but further run-ins would follow. A slow start to the 2024-25 campaign was followed by Postecoglou's second-season trophy claim and a strong run of form as Spurs emphatically defeated Manchester United, Aston Villa and Manchester City. But further injuries hampered progress and Spurs lost eight of their 11 EPL matches through a busy December and January programme. The Carabao Cup provided some relief with a run to the semi-finals, but that ended in a 4-0 drubbing at Liverpool, while the slump in league form continued. That left the Europa League, which Postecoglou delivered to the enraptured supporters. But it was not enough to save him. With PA
The Age
an hour ago
- The Age
Ange Postecoglou sacked by Tottenham Hotspur
Ange Postecoglou has been brutally sacked by Tottenham Hotspur chairman Daniel Levy despite ending the club's long trophy drought. Tottenham were understood to be finalising the terms of Postecoglou's exit on Friday afternoon, local time, after the Australian returned from holiday. Staff became aware on Friday that Levy had finally decided to sack Postecoglou with confirmation expected to follow. Telegraph Sport exclusively revealed in April that Postecoglou was heading for the Spurs exit whether or not the club won the Europa League. And having seen Postecoglou lift Tottenham's first trophy since 2008 and their first in Europe for 41 years, Levy has decided to make a managerial change. The decision is possibly the most brutal of Levy's long reign, given Postecoglou delivered on his promise of achieving success, changing the style of play and blooding young players. Levy is likely to come under fire for how he has handled the situation after Postecoglou was left in the dark for over a week regarding his future, having won the Europa League and gone on holiday after the final Premier League game of the season. But a 17th-place Premier League finish, alongside the Europa League win, ultimately cost Postecoglou his job even though his squad was decimated by injuries. Levy has put himself under huge pressure to appoint a successor to Postecoglou who can out-perform the Australian. Brentford's Thomas Frank and Fulham's Marco Silva are among the top candidates.
