Monday Round-Up

Monday Round-Up
Reds' Graham gets the sack

Queensland Reds boss Richard Graham has been released from his role, just 2 games into the Super Rugby season.

Graham was made to reapply for his own job at the start of the year, so it was clear their was pressure on him from the get go.

Graham has expressed his disappointment over his sacking.

"I'm naturally disappointed. I loved my role with the Reds and enjoyed my time with the QRU. I am in a high-performance environment and the results haven't been to a satisfactory standard. I have to accept that and move on.

"I wish everybody the best and want to formally thank the competent and dedicated support staff I have worked with over the last three years for their tireless efforts.

"I really hope the team and Reds coaching staff have success going forward."

Replacing Graham will be co-interim head coaches Matt O'Connor and Nick Stiles.

"I'd like to thank Richard [Graham] for his contribution over the past number of years," said QRU Chairman Damien Frawley.

"Richard is a proud Queenslander who has spent his life in rugby and while he hasn't achieved the success we all would have wished for during his time as head coach, he leaves with our gratitude for his service to the game.

"QRU conducted a high-performance review in the middle of last year and as a result implemented significant change across our rugby department. At that time the Board made the decision to reappoint Richard as head coach for a year, but we always said there would be periods within the 2016 Super Rugby season where we would take stock of how the team was performing.

"We believe, through our high-performance review process, we have implemented the necessary changes to support both interim head coaches during the 2016 season and whoever takes on the head coach role in 2017."

'Wales loss hurt' -  Joesph

Jonathan Joesph has said ahead of this weekends massive 6 Nations clash with Wales, that the defeat in the World Cup hurt.

Joesph, who missed the game with a chest injury, said watching from the stands was 'horrible'. 

"Each individual that was involved in that World Cup campaign will look back and it will hurt them massively,"

"That will be a driving force inside of everyone. We need to back up the performance we put in against Ireland so that teams coming to Twickenham will start to fear us again.

"Being at Twickenham is massive for us – the walk in from the bus, the warm-up, the anthems."

England go into the penultimate round of games knowing that this clash with Wales is potentially a championship decider.

Joesph was quick to highlight previous years disappointments.

"We have had a lot of disappointments, a lot of setbacks and that has hurt us as a team.

"We know all about what it feels like to not quite get there. We don't want to feel like that again.

"Those previous bad experiences are good for us. I think we've grown from that."


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