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McKenzie's plan against complacency

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 10:11

Reds' coach Ewen McKenzie says innovation and competition within the improving Reds squad is the key to getting the best out of the team.

Despite the Reds defeating the previously unbeaten Chiefs 23-18 last week, McKenzie has opted - as reported earlier by rugby365.com - to make three changes to the starting lineup for Sunday's Super 14 match against winless Aussie rivals the Western Force.
 
Digby Ioane returns from a knee injury to take over from Morgan Turinui at outside centre, Peter Hynes slots back in at fullback, while young lock Robert Simmons is poised to make his Super Rugby run-on debut in place of Adam Byrnes. Luke Morahan, who deputised at fullback while Hynes was injured, moves to his more familiar right wing position.

"We have to keep competition going within the squad. If you keep naming the same squad every week, complacency can get the better of you. So we want to keep everyone on their toes," McKenzie said.

'We need to become more consistent and that’s why we’re not just rolling out the same team and being happy with where we’re at so far. We’ve got to keep taking some risks to try to be better.

"Simmo coming into the second row is an example of that. I’m not unhappy with Adam Byrnes at all, but he’s carried a fair workload; he’s an industrious player on the field. He’s also been carrying a few niggles, so he gets a freshen up and Simmo gets a chance to get out there to show what he’s got.

"(Simmons) is a very talented individual, a very athletic player and a very good lineout player. I think he might provide a good foil to the work [fellow lock] Van Humphries has been doing."

McKenzie said while the team is rewarding past performances, it was also chosen to best suit the style of rugby they wanted to play against the Force.

"It’s a good fit for this game. I think we’ve got an idea on how they want to play and we also have some ideas about how we want to play them," said McKenzie, who insisted the Force are a much better team than their winless record indicates.

"They’re a pretty competent side and have been in every game they’ve played. While you can judge them on the final scoreline, they’ve been quite competitive. They did some very good things against us in the trial and they wouldn’t have forgotten that. If you do a head count I think they’ve got more international players running around there than we have."

Despite the changes, McKenzie has placed an emphasis on utilising his bench during the opening month of the Super 14 and he said Sunday would be no different.

"I tend to use the bench pretty much every game. I’m relying on the 22 guys to deliver, so I don’t get too hung up on who is starting and who is finishing. They’re all part of the same task in getting us a win."

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