Reds name new kicking coach

Cape Town - The final piece of the Reds 2019 coaching puzzle has been finalised with the appointment of Dave Alred as the team's kicking coach. 

Alred has mentored some of the biggest names in world sport, most notably the man who kicked England to a fairytale Rugby World Cup victory over the Wallabies in 2003 - Jonny Wilkinson. 

He is also a trusted advisor for many golfers and most recently worked with Francesco Molinari, who with Alred’s help, became the first Italian professional to win a Major when he took out the 2018 Open Championship. 

Alred holds a Ph.D. in Performing Under Pressure from the sports-renowned Lougborough University in England and is regarded as one of the world’s best elite performance coaches with more than 30 years of experience. 

He has a proven ability to help athletes exceed their own expectations and has worked with world-class organisations, including the England Rugby team (four World Cups), the British and Irish Lions (three tours), the Springboks, the England Cricket team, and Manchester City. 

Alred has already dipped his toe in the water at Queensland Rugby having spent time at Ballymore earlier this year developing the kicking skills of Reds contracted players who were preparing for the 2018 National Rugby Championship (NRC), including Hamish Stewart, Moses Sorivi and James Tuttle. 

Alred said he’s looking forward to the opportunity with the Reds and working within a team environment again. 

“I’ve missed working with a team. I’m still working with individuals in Europe and in professional golf, which challenges my thinking about skill development and performing under pressure,” he told the Reds' official website. 

“Having been in touch with Brad and seeing the ethos, work ethic and attitude he’s created is really a coaching dream to come in and start from scratch and try to have an influence on players in a way which hopefully will help them throughout the whole of their Rugby career. 

“First of all my role is to give the players confidence and to give them a technique which is not physically debilitating. I’m very concerned about the biomechanics and how that works. Also teaching them how to kick under pressure and to have more of an appreciative idea of a kicking game.” 

Queensland Rugby Union (QRU) Interim CEO David Hanham said: “Dave is a world-leader in his field and his appointment completes our 2019 coaching staff roster. 

“Improving the quality of our kicking from our Academy through to the Reds is a priority and we believe Dave will provide our players the development needed to achieve this. 

“We’ve been focused on ensuring we have the best coaches with experience and proven success surrounding Brad Thorn. 

“Dave will complement the coaching group to ensure the QRU continues to develop elite playing talent coming through the Queensland Pathway.”