Queensland legends Tim Horan and James Horwill believe this could be Brad Thorn’s last campaign as Reds coach, in the wake of a humiliating round one loss to the Hurricanes.
Former All Blacks lock Thorn’s horror record against Kiwi teams continued in Townsville, with Hurricanes bowling ball Asafo Aumua inspiring a 47-13 Super Rugby Pacific win.
Thorn, 48, has coached the Reds since 2018 and is off contract at the end of the year.
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“That was the worst second half performance I’ve seen from a Reds team in the last two years,” Horan said on Stan Sport’s Rugby Heaven.
“The Hurricanes came out and put 41 unanswered points on the Reds… I’m not going to throw Brad Thorn under the bus or anything at the moment, round one, but that was a big loss for him as a coach.
“It’s his fifth year as coach and they’re looking to potentially bring in someone like a Mick Heenan, who’s the assistant coach at the moment, for next year. But I hope that Brad Thorn gets his right way out. In this match that second half was brutal… the players would be embarrassed.”
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Aumua exposes Reds up the middle
Horwill led the Reds to their only Super Rugby title in 2011 – playing opposite Thorn in the Crusaders second row in the final.
He said Queensland would draw confidence from the return of Suliasi Vunivalu, Liam Wright, James O’Connor and Jock Campbell against the Force on Sunday.
But Horwill agreed it might be time for a fresh voice in 2024.
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Thorn won the 2021 Super Rugby AU title but hasn’t been able to find a winning formula against New Zealand sides.
“His record against the Kiwi teams is well known, didn’t beat any last year and they got blown off the park (by the Hurricanes). I think we’ve seen they’re a bit light on cattle… there’s a few guys coming back this week,” Horwill said.
“Brad, obviously his contract is up at the end of this year, I’m not sure whether he wants to continue coaching at the Reds… he came straight in from playing to coaching so maybe it’s time for him to have a break and move on, do something different.
“But who it is (to replace him) I’m not sure. Mick Heenan has certainly had that club coaching experience and you look at what Darren Coleman’s done with that Waratahs side. He’s (Thorn) built a very young squad and there was a lot of noise about the changes he made, getting rid of some of the older guys and bringing that young stock through…
“We’ve sort of reached that point of ‘what’s the next step, where’s the next stage of evolution of where is this team going?’ And I’m not sure whether Brad’s the guy that can take that forward… we’re now seeing that maybe there’s a next step and an evolution that needs to take place under Brad or whoever else.”
Horan pointed out that after playing the 1-0 Force, the Reds had a daunting task away against the Brumbies – making Sunday a virtual must win match so early in the season.
“Every coach is under pressure, it doesn’t matter what you do,” Horan said.
“But for Brad Thorn it’s a big challenge for him now to take this Reds team and move it forward. The next three to four rounds is really important for Brad Thorn and the Reds.”
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