Reds to face Waratahs in downbeat Super Rugby derby
By AP
Last Updated: 27/04/17 4:36pm
Reds v Waratahs would usually be one of the most anticipated and hard-fought derbies of the Super Rugby season.
Instead might only serve to measure the depth of the malaise into which Australian rugby is sinking.
Matches between the neighbouring provinces, across all codes, are rich with tradition. The fierce inter-state rivalry between Queensland and New South Wales rugby teams of old has been carried into Super Rugby and perpetuated by the Reds and Waratahs.
But Saturday's match, which will be the only meeting of the teams in the regular season, may highlight how far the teams have fallen from their peaks in 2011 when the Reds won the Super Rugby title and 2014 when the Waratahs were champions.
The Waratahs' loss last weekend to South Africa's Kings marked one of the lowest ebbs in the Sydney-based team's history.
While the defeat crystalised attention on the on-field problems, the 10,555 attendance was the lowest for a home match in Waratahs history and showed the teams' loss of form is having ramifications off-field.
That has wider implications for Australian rugby which is experiencing a decline in audience share, losing ground against rugby league, Australian Rules and soccer.
The Reds and Waratahs enter the match with 2-6 records respectively in second and fourth places in an Australian conference in which no team has a positive record. The Brumbies lead the conference with a 3-5 record.
The Waratahs are hoping the derby context of the match may at least provide the urgency its players need before their chances of reaching the playoffs become hopeless.
"We're playing our greatest traditional rival," said coach Daryl Gibson. "A lot has been said about what we represent and I think we couldn't have found a better opposition than the Reds this week.
"We go into the game with similar issues, the fate for either one of us it's a must-win for both of us. Consequences are very much likely to be [the loser is] out of the conference."
Gibson, a former All Blacks centre who stepped up to the head coaching role at the Waratahs this season after acting as assistant to Michael Cheika, is under pressure to hold his position, though the club's board this week gave him its endorsement.
Chief executive Andrew Hore said it would not be fair to hold Gibson solely responsible for the team's failures.
"Don't hang out one bloke for what is a number of issues both external and internal that we need to change - don't hold one man accountable for all of that, that's not right," said Hore.
"We are really comfortable that issues have been identified that need to be put right for what we believe will lead to better performance."
In other round 10 matches, the Highlanders open the weekend against a Stormers side who are coming off their heaviest-ever loss to the Crusaders.
The Crusaders, unbeaten after eight matches, move to South Africa where they face the Cheetahs and Bulls in back-to-back weeks before returning home for tough matches against the Hurricanes and Chiefs.
After narrowly losing its last three matches in South Africa, Argentina's Jaguares return to Buenos Aires, where they are unbeaten this season, to host the Sharks.
The Chiefs also end a three-match road trip to play the Sunwolves in Hamilton while the Western Force are at home to the Lions.
The Kings host the Rebels in Port Elizabeth and the Brumbies face the Blues on Sunday.