The Reds’ standard of play wasn’t good enough on Sunday. They held out the Drua to win 27-24 but bombed too many chances and lacked polish. As coach Brad Thorn put it, they tried to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

With two-year extension up at the end of the year and former University of Queensland coach Mick Heenan positioned internally in what looks like a succession plan, this Reds team could have just one more season under Thorn with the bulk of this roster.

Liam Wright and Fraser McReight have re-signed and Tate McDermott looks set to follow. James O’Connor revealed on Sunday he wanted in again too, next season.

But 2022 Stan Pilecki medallist Harry Wilson, who scored a try in Brisbane but also looked well off his best, is a better than even chance of heading overseas at year’s end. He could follow Taniela Tupou (Melbourne) out the door, off the back of last year’s departures Lukhan Salakaia-Loto and Angus Scott-Young (both to Northampton).

What has this group achieved together? Will a Super Rugby AU title be their only legacy? Petaia, Suliasi Vunivalu (also off contract), Filipo Daugunu, Hunter Paisami, Jock Campbell, O’Connor, McDermott. An embarrassment of talent with little to show for it.

The Waratahs’ defence coach Jason Gilmore pointed out that the growth of Super Rugby new kids, Moana and the Drua, has had a levelling effect on the competition. With the exception of the Chiefs and Brumbies, who are both unbeaten, the middle of the table is a clogged space heading into round five.

The draw has also provided the Waratahs with some challenges early on, including just one home game and a horror night in swirling winds at the Cake Tin last week. They host the best attacking team in the competition this Friday then travel to Canberra to face the Brumbies before a bye you sense won’t arrive a moment too soon.

“We knew the start of the year was going to be tough. We’ve just got to batten down the hatches and make sure that we put in really good effort over the next couple of weeks to get performance. Then we know we can start to see some daylight after that as well,” Gilmore said.

“It’s not panic stations or anything at the moment but we know, in the next month, we’ve got to start positioning ourselves.”

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Injuries have hit the Waratahs hard and made cohesion in the back line impossible. Don’t discount the impact of Kurtley Beale’s aborted season, either. With Beale at fullback, Donaldson could be four games into a stint at No.10 and Jorgensen could be raining tries from the wing instead of biting off extra in the backfield.

But that’s footy. Teams must adapt on the run. The Waratahs’ season of expectation-free upside has come and gone, and the Reds have one more season with Thorn to show their fans the team they should be.

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