Wallabies great James Horwill believes the Queensland Reds were showing similar signs to that of his all-conquering championship side, and the time had come to turn that into Super Rugby success.
Upon being inducted into the Queensland Rugby Union Hall of Fame, Horwill outlined the way in which success at a domestic level was paramount to triumph on the international stage.
In 2011, the enforcer led the Reds to the title, and followed that up by captaining the Wallabies to the Tri Nations trophy and a third-place Rugby World Cup finish.
Former Wallabies captain James Horwill was inducted into the Queensland Rugby Union hall of fame.Credit: Getty
Four years later, Australia finished second – losing the final to the All Blacks – just a year on from the Waratahs’ premiership victory, the last time and Australian outfit lifted the Super Rugby Pacific trophy (then including teams from South Africa).
Horwill said what was key for his victorious squad was the connection the group had built – many from their schoolboys days – and felt, despite a run of four-straight quarterfinal exits, the 2025 edition had the similar makings to catapult Australian rugby back to prominence.
However, he stopped short of suggesting a premiership within the next two season was a necessity in delivering World Cup glory.
“I don’t know if it’s a necessity; obviously, success at Super Rugby levels you’ve got players who are playing well, so they deserve to go to the next level, and you’ve got players in form in the Test level – that’s that flow-on effect,” Horwill said.
“Traditionally when a team performs well at the Super Rugby level they get the majority of the Wallabies squad, which then gets some carry over with some continuity into the national set-up. We want the four Super Rugby teams in the top half of the table winning, performing, and getting that confidence.
“It’s just about getting that consistency right. We’ve seen glimpses of how the guys can play, but obviously the fifth finish has just been that step we haven’t been able to get over.”
But Horwill, now a board member of the QRU, believed the Reds squad – which boasts 307 Wallabies caps – saw one area that needed to rise.
Queensland’s back row is brimming with options – Wallabies Fraser McReight, Harry Wilson and Seru Uru joined by Joe Brial and John Bryant in forming a deep pool of options.
But the losses of Angus Blyth (Waratahs), Sef Fa’agase (Force), Ryan Smith (Ospreys) and Alex Hodgman (retirement) has exposed gaps in the club’s tight five.
Responsibility will fall on Wallaby Zane Nonggorr, Kiwis Aidan Ross and Jeffrey Toomaga-Allen, and rookie phenom Massimo De Lutiis in the front row to power a deep finals charge, while Lukhan Salakaia-Loto and Josh Canham will carry a huge burden as the locks.
“It’s probably a bit light, particularly losing a couple of seasoned Super Rugby-level locks that we did, but I think we’ll be OK if we don’t get any significant injuries,” Horwill said.
“If you pick up some injuries, that’s where the challenges come. We’ve got some good talent coming through the pathways, but we understand the tight five is probably a position that takes a bit of time to develop.
“Sometimes you need to get exposure at that higher level to learn some lessons. You want guys to get time in the saddle, you don’t want to chop and change, you want to give them that confidence and belief.
“Physically they’ve got the ability, it’s just about backing that up.”
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