Greg Growden writes: A dream final, and all of Australian Rugby are willing the Queensland Reds to win. But it won’t be easy. The Crusaders were phenomenal against the Stormers in last weekend’s semi-final in Cape Town, with their triumph revolving about an exceptional forward performance, especially at the scrum. And that’s where the Crusaders, despite the trials of jetlag, should again dominate.
The Reds scrum is good, but not as good as the Crusaders. As well, the Crusaders midfield looks far more penetrating than the Reds counterparts, who last weekend worryingly fell off several crucial tackles. The Reds will threaten long and hard, and don’t be surprised if this final is determined in extra time.
AAP writes: The 2011 season has been the stuff of dreams for both teams and the final promises to be a spectacle worthy of a fairytale finish. Queensland have had to overcome six seasons in the Super Rugby cellar and early-year floods while the nomadic Crusaders have defied belief by winning through a season played on the road in the wake of Christchurch’s devastating earthquake. The two teams have already produced one epic encounter this season in Brisbane when Quade Cooper slotted a last-minute penalty goal for a home-town triumph.
While Sonny Bill Williams was kept quiet and Richie McCaw nullified at the breakdown, Dan Carter won the battle of the playmakers that day. Cooper, though, will be the No.1 dangerman in the final, and Queensland’s hopes rise and fall on his display. The Reds won’t rein in their X-factor and promise to continue playing a high-tempo game. They will need to be at their best to pull it off against the seven-time champions who love to punish teams on counter-attack. The Crusaders pack have destroyed rival scrums all seasons and hold a big advantage up front. But the big question is if they can overcome the fatigue factor after travelling over the Indian Ocean and back in the past fortnight. Suncorp Stadium has again been sold out and will be at it 52,500 capacity to break the Australian provincial crowd record.
Reds: Jono Lance, Rod Davies, Anthony Faingaa, Ben Tapuai, Digby Ioane, Quade Cooper, Will Genia; Radike Samo, Beau Robinson, Scott Higginbotham, James Horwill (captain), Rob Simmons, Greg Holmes, Saia Faingaa, Ben Daley. Reserves: James Hanson, Guy Shepherdson, Adam Wallace-Harrison, Jake Schatz, Liam Gill, Ian Prior, Will Chambers
Crusaders: Tom Marshall, Sean Maitland, Robbie Fruean, Sonny Bill Williams, Zac Guildford, Daniel Carter, Andy Ellis, Kieran Read, Richie McCaw (captain), George Whitelock, Sam Whitelock, Brad Thorn, Owen Franks, Corey Flynn, Wyatt Crockett: Reserves: Quentin MacDonald, Ben Franks, Luke Romano/Chris Jack, Matt Todd, Khan Fotuali’i, Matt Berquist, Ryan Crotty.
Tomorrow night’s Super final is a tale of two rugby teams that have witnessed tragedies
Brad Thorn, was caught in both.
Having relocated to Brisbane during their annual off-season pilgrimage, the Thorn family, like everyone else in the Sunshine State, could only watch with disbelief as Queensland was swamped by the devastating floods that destroyed property and clamed lives last January.
The Thorns knew they were lucky. Their property was not affected by the rising waters that caused such carnage throughout the city and towns around the state, but like everyone in Queensland they were stunned by the scale of the carnage.
Little did they know it at the time, but they were about to experience another cruel battering from Mother Nature when they moved back to Christchurch for Thorn’s Crusaders duties.
On February 22, Thorn was with team-mates in the Rugby Park changing sheds when the violent shaking of the 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck and again his family counted themselves among the lucky ones as they learned about the damage in the central city and the climbing death toll.
For Thorn, the best way to help out was to grab a shovel and wheelbarrow and use his massive frame to help neighbours shift the liquefaction silt that bubbled out of the ground.
Then, having scrapped their February 26 match against the Hurricanes, it was back to the business of playing rugby for Thorn and his Crusaders team-mates.
Now, almost five months later, fate has again intertwined Thorn and the two regions together as the Crusaders prepare to confront the Queensland Reds in the final at Suncorp Stadium.
Like Christchurch’s AMI Stadium, Suncorp was affected by last summer’s disaster and it resembled a massive swimming pool as the floodwaters rushed in. But unlike the Christchurch arena, which may have to be bowled, the Brisbane stadium survived.
For the 36-year-old Thorn, who will be making his last appearance for the Crusaders after signing to play in Japan for two years, returning to Brisbane has evoked emotional memories of the carnage that created so much pain for Queenslanders, and also what has happened in Canterbury.
Having amassed many titles during a glittering career that has seen the hulking second-rower win NRL and Super finals with the Broncos and the Crusaders, as well as All Blacks and Kangaroo tests and Origin series, he said this match was especially poignant. “For me, this game is pretty darned important. In the past when I have played grand finals it has been about the team, and for myself it is a great
achievement.”
“But this one – it has been a big 10 months back there (in Christchurch) and this is, like I said, I feel a responsibility.”
“There is more to this game, I really feel this is something for the people back there.”
As he recalled the Queensland floods, Thorn described the “traumatic” experience of watching events unfold from his Brisbane house: “Especially the one of the mother with the baby, who lost grip of [her baby]. That was hard.”
As he cast his mind back on a career that began as an 18-year-old playing for the local West Panthers club, who ironically wear red and black jerseys, he recalled playing in the final in the win over Easts in 1993.
“I never would have dreamed – rugby was not even professional back then. To be playing now, in red and black, for a title. It is really cool, something special.”
A win tomorrow night would earn Thorn his second Super title, having won his first when he returned to the Crusaders from the Broncos in 2008.
Although desperate to lift the Super title for the fans back in the Crusaders region, he cautioned it was important the team didn’t “drown” itself in the emotion of what happened.
And with the aftershocks constantly rattling the city, the earth’s crust was letting them know it was still grinding away. Words were not needed.
“It is psychological warfare from Mother Nature, mate, I tell you. It is ongoing, it is not much fun.”
“So we don’t need to talk about that too much, because we are living in it. I guess we try to mainly enjoy each other’s company, just like Crusaders teams have done in the past.”