Reds Ewen McKenzie on Rugby

THE Super Rugby champions blew out of Brisbane last Sunday hoping to get some reprieve from one of the wettest Queensland summers in ages only to fly into the final flourish of Cyclone Irina off South Africa’s east coast, and it was touch and go that they were to be diverted to Bloemfontein.

But land in drenched Durban they did and as they turn their attention to the Sharks, they are hoping that the rugby as well as the weather settles down after three rounds of over-officiating from punctilious referees and a good degree of hesitancy in approach from teams across the three conferences.

“There is always this ‘sorting-out’ period as I call at the start of the competition and I always reckon that it settles down by round four,” observed Reds coach Ewen McKenzie, a gnarled 51- test veteran of the Wallaby front row of the ’90s and a thoroughly good rugby man whose geniality away from the field of battle is in deep contrast to his competiveness on it.

The champions are top of the overall table after getting out of jail in beating the Waratahs 25-21, and then labouring to wins over the Force and Rebels.

Like McKenzie intimated, the Reds have been keeping their heads below the parapets until they are certain of the lie of the land and will then go on the charge.

“Most of the teams are somewhere off their best footie, and that is not unusual at the start of such a long competition,” he said. “Many of the games have been very tight and the scoring dominated by kicks for goal. Teams have been uncertain whether or not to attack but possibly the biggest stand-out point has been the number of penalties at scrum time.

“(Perceived) scrum problems are getting sorted out by penalties rather than the awarding of attacking put-ins,” the former prop said. “I would say only about 50 percent of the ball put into the scrum comes out the back, and that has subtly changed the game in the opening rounds. Teams are less inclined to run the ball and would rather take the points.”

The Reds, of course, won the title last year through a combination of powerful forward play and an unfettered, often awe-inspiring attacking game from a backline packed with X-factor players.

“Hopefully the expression in the game will come back because, fundamentally, we should be playing our old attacking game of the last few years but for some reason a few nuances this season have affected our confidence to use the ball,” said McKenzie, who coached the Waratahs for five years before moving to the Reds in 2010, and has also had a stint at Stade Francais.

“But hopefully we are ready to now take a step up against the Sharks. It takes a while to get to know what to expect at the breakdowns and in these opening rounds we have concentrated a lot on defence,” he said. “From that foundation you can build the rest of your game.”

McKenzie smiled when asked to compare how his team was faring now compared to this same stage of last year’s ultimately triumphant campaign.

“It is bit of a giggle. After three rounds last year we had conceded nine tries and scored just three, with the Brumbies and Waratahs each putting four past us, and we went on to win a number of really big games,” he said with typical understatement, “So we are hardly panicking at this stage if we are not playing as well as we can. We are winning, so we are in a better space than most.”

In the same vein, two away matches in South Africa are not overly troubling the composed champions.

“Touring South African has been fruitful for us in recent years. In fact the only game we have lost in two years to SA teams was against the Sharks here in Durban in 2010 (when they were pipped at the death). We feel we have the game to be able to win in this part of the world and playing perennial achievers such as the Sharks and the Bulls (next week) brings the best out of us. We enjoy playing against the teams with the best players.”

by Mike Greenaway www.iol.co.za