Reds coach Richard Graham struggled to find any positives out of the Reds thumping to the Crusaders © Getty Images

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Article: Reds boss backs Graham as JOC looms

Matches: Queensland Reds 29 - 57 Crusaders

James Horwill struggled to explain Queensland Reds' thumping loss to the Crusaders, the captain sitting for 10 seconds in silence before he could speak; but that 10 seconds of silence was answer enough.

The Reds, the 2011 Super Rugby champions and one of Australia's form sides for three years, have suffered a spectacular fall from grace. The defeat by the Crusaders was their fifth successive loss - a run that represents their longest losing streak since 2009, when they won just three games. They've won three games this season, but another victory seems unlikely as they spiral towards another wooden spoon.

They fell apart after taking a 17-16 lead into the second half, showing little heart as they watched the Crusaders put on 41 points in the stanza. Horwill, when he found his voice, could only lament the sides "soft moments".

"Um ... I feel like I'm repeating myself ... soft moments, there were soft moments," Horwill said. "Wyatt Crockett's try - soft moment. Not chasing a kick - soft moment. Fourteen points on the scoreboard, it's 30-17. You take your foot off the accelerator for two minutes, that's what happens. I'm not going to sit here and make excuses. We've got to be better.

"Maybe we were chasing the game too early. That's one thing about this team … we're not going to die wondering. We're going to have a crack. Maybe we should have just settled it down a bit and plugged corners and gone back to more structure."

The Reds are known for their never-say-die playing style, but Horwill wondered if they had to change their game plan in order to turn their season around.

"I think you have to see the way the trend in the game is going," he said. "The two top teams, the Brumbies and the Sharks, they don't play a lot of rugby in their own half. We want to balance it, we don't want to be a team that's all kick. We want to be able to play and for our players to express themselves. But we need to look at the way to get the balance right. We don't want to be a team that does all one thing or all of the other."

Reds coach Richard Graham said his side was guilty of chasing the game early.

"The two tries in five minutes after half-time put us under some pressure," he said. "We didn't handle the next period of time as well as we would have liked. Still, understanding there's 34 minutes of the contest still to go. That's the point where you have to remain composed. You just need to make sure you stay on task to get the outcome."