A decade after tasting defeat as a Canterbury Crusaders player in the 2011 Super Rugby final, Brad Thorn will hope to engineer an upset of his former side when he coaches the Queensland Reds against the New Zealand champions at Lang Park on Saturday.
Former All Black Thorn won the 2008 Super Rugby title as a player with the Crusaders but was denied a second trophy three years later when Ewen McKenzie’s Reds stormed to an 18-13 win in front of a heaving crowd at Lang Park.
It was Thorn’s last match for the South Island side and the loss still gnaws at him 10 years on despite crossing the Tasman Sea to rebuild the Reds.
“Obviously we really respect what happened 10 years ago,” Thorn told reporters.
“2011, they did a great job there. I was on the other side of that, it wasn’t so nice for me.”
Thorn won his first championship as a coach when the Reds overhauled the ACT Brumbies in a cliffhanger for the Super Rugby AU title two weeks ago. But the Reds fell back to earth six days later with a 40-19 trouncing by the Otago Highlanders in the opening game of Super Rugby Trans-Tasman.
Thorn was criticised for resting several players against the Highlanders but will field a strong side against the Crusaders, recalling centre Hunter Paisami and loose forward Harry Wilson.
The Crusaders held on for a 31-29 home win over the ACT Brumbies in round one after winning the Super Rugby Aotearoa title, their fifth successive championship.
Scott Robertson’s side are clear favourites to beat the Reds but the loss of wing George Bridge and captain Scott Barrett to illness has made the job harder.
“They’ve been the benchmark of rugby down here for the last 25 years,” Thorn said. “To get better we’ve got to play the best guys.
“We’ll be looking to rip in and get a job done.”
Former Crusader Thorn plots downfall of New Zealand champions
Image: GETTY IMAGES/JONO SEARLE
A decade after tasting defeat as a Canterbury Crusaders player in the 2011 Super Rugby final, Brad Thorn will hope to engineer an upset of his former side when he coaches the Queensland Reds against the New Zealand champions at Lang Park on Saturday.
Former All Black Thorn won the 2008 Super Rugby title as a player with the Crusaders but was denied a second trophy three years later when Ewen McKenzie’s Reds stormed to an 18-13 win in front of a heaving crowd at Lang Park.
It was Thorn’s last match for the South Island side and the loss still gnaws at him 10 years on despite crossing the Tasman Sea to rebuild the Reds.
“Obviously we really respect what happened 10 years ago,” Thorn told reporters.
“2011, they did a great job there. I was on the other side of that, it wasn’t so nice for me.”
Thorn won his first championship as a coach when the Reds overhauled the ACT Brumbies in a cliffhanger for the Super Rugby AU title two weeks ago. But the Reds fell back to earth six days later with a 40-19 trouncing by the Otago Highlanders in the opening game of Super Rugby Trans-Tasman.
Thorn was criticised for resting several players against the Highlanders but will field a strong side against the Crusaders, recalling centre Hunter Paisami and loose forward Harry Wilson.
The Crusaders held on for a 31-29 home win over the ACT Brumbies in round one after winning the Super Rugby Aotearoa title, their fifth successive championship.
Scott Robertson’s side are clear favourites to beat the Reds but the loss of wing George Bridge and captain Scott Barrett to illness has made the job harder.
“They’ve been the benchmark of rugby down here for the last 25 years,” Thorn said. “To get better we’ve got to play the best guys.
“We’ll be looking to rip in and get a job done.”
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