Super Rugby
Graham wants six outside backs for Reds
July 7, 2014
The Reds' Rod Davies fends off the Cheetahs' Robert Ebersohn, Super Rugby, Round 14, Cheetahs v Queensland Reds, Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein, May 18, 2013
Rod Davies is one of at least seven who will be departing the Reds © Getty Images
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Queensland coach Richard Graham believes the Reds need to sign six outside backs to cover the imminent departures in that area.

Aidan Toua, Rod Davies and Dom Shipperley are among at least seven players leaving the Reds at the end of the season. The franchise has still to confirm whether Wallabies back James O'Connor will be one new signing, as has been widely speculated.

Queensland will go into Saturday's final-round Super Rugby encounter with New South Wales in Brisbane without scrum-half Nick Frisby, who suffered a broken jaw in last weekend's loss to the Force.

Frisby joins a lengthy injury list including first choice scrum-half Will Genia, fly-half Quade Cooper, and other backs, Anthony Fainga'a, Chris Feauai-Sautia, Toua and Dom Shipperley, and forward Eddie Quirk. They are also without livewire flanker Liam Gill due to Australian Sevens commitments. Prop Greg Holmes is the only player scheduled to return from injury for the clash with the Waratahs.

Graham has identified defence as an area that he should have done better with this year. The Reds have already conceded 459 points, an average of just more than 30 a game. That's over 160 points more than last season, with one game still to play.

"That's the area that I'm most critical of myself in, where we've dropped off," Graham said. "We'll make sure we work hard on that going into 2015."

He said a two-week review of the campaign would be undertaken at the end of the season.

© AAP

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