Queensland Reds captain James Slipper says there can be “no more excuses” for his side in Friday’s home Super Rugby clash with the Lions.
Slipper concedes fans’ expectation will rise due to the return from injury of playmaker Quade Cooper, fellow starting backs James O’Connor, Lachie Turner and Samu Kerevi and forwards Greg Holmes and Ben Daley.
With a miserable 1-4 win-loss record, Slipper said on Thursday it’s time for the Reds to stop talking and start winning.
“When any team welcomes back the players that we have, the expectation goes up,” he said.
“You could possibly say there’s no more excuses for us.
“Going into this game we’re pretty confident with how we want to play, it’s a matter of getting it done on the field now.
“We’ve known how we wanted to play for weeks but we haven’t been able to do it.
“We’ve got to start performing and we understand that as a playing group.”
But Slipper is wary of the Reds leaning too heavily on the likes of Wallabies five eighth Cooper, who will be playing his first match of the season after recovering from a broken collar bone.
“It’s unfair to rest your hopes on a couple of injured blokes coming back in who obviously haven’t played a lot of football this year,” he said.
“It’s about everyone looking at their own game and making sure we come back a better outfit, individually, across the whole squad.”
Slipper said Queensland had identified their home match against the Lions as one they should win – and if the Richard Graham-coached side is to make anything of their season, a defeat simply will not do.
But the performance of the South African outfit last week suggests victory won’t come easily.
Down 13-0 in the first half, the Lions fought back with flair and determination against the Melbourne Rebels and forced a 20-16 at AAMI Park.
It was their second win on tour, following a 13-10 triumph over the struggling Blues in New Zealand a fortnight ago.
“They’re a tough team – a typical big African side,” Slipper said.
“They will chance their arm though, they will play with the ball, especially out of their own half.
“They’re a team that tends to stick in the game for the whole 80 minutes and at times comes out with really great results.”
