Coach Nick Stiles has challenged his Queensland Reds to drag themselves off the canvas and preserve one of the most unlikely records in Super Rugby on Saturday.
The Reds venture to New Plymouth striving to take down the high-flying Chiefs just a week after suffering a sapping last-minute loss to bitter rivals the NSW Waratahs.
Stiles admits there’s no hiding the derby defeat, despite scoring four tries to two at Suncorp Stadium, left the Reds deflated.
“It was mentally very tough. The boys threw absolutely everything into that game last week,” Stiles said before flying out to New Zealand on Friday.
“Their preparation was absolutely outstanding. Their mental focus and the work they did away from the organisation last week was absolutely spot on and then the emotion of the game.
“They played well and then to lose in those circumstances was tough.
“So at the start of the week there’s kicking a few stones but, listen, Super Rugby doesn’t stop. It just gets on with things and it’s a big game this weekend against the Chiefs to refocus for.”
The loss to the Waratahs was the Reds’ 10th straight loss in an Australian conference clash.
But the resilient Queenslanders have an uncanny knack like no others to deliver in New Zealand, where Australia’s five franchises have lost all 15 matches in 2017 – plus 22 of 25 last year.
Incredibly, the Reds, despite languishing in the bottom rungs of the ladder since beating the Crusaders in 2011, have upset the Chiefs on their past three trips across the Tasman.
“The pleasing thing is, sometimes you get a few anomalies in sport,” Stiles said.
“So hopefully we’ll take a little bit of confidence out of that as well.
“We look at the two games we’ve played against New Zealand sides (this year) and we lost after the bell against the Crusaders and we ran the Hurricanes deep into the last 10 minutes.
“So we’ll put our hand up and play pretty well against the Kiwi sides.”
The Reds will be without in-form fullback Karmichael Hunt against the Chiefs, the back-to-back champions in 2012-13 who have made the playoffs for six straight seasons and lost just once this campaign.
“It’s definitely a loss with Karmichael out,” Stiles said.
“He’s been such a rock for us in many facets of play.
“He’s been in the front line in defence and his physical presence has been so imposing.
“And then in attack, he just carries the ball hard.
“But, in saying that, it provides an opportunity. Campbell Magnay is a very exciting footballer.
“He gets a chance to start at outside centre. He’s a big athletic, powerful body so it’s a little bit of a like-for-like replacement there.”
