After a turbulent week in the capital that saw the second boning of a leader in recent times, new Brumbies head coach Tony Rea has named the team to take on the Queensland Reds. Ironically, the last leadership spill down this way involved a Queenslander getting dudded by a red head.
Both teams are coming off disappointing games from last round with the Brumbies losing to the Rebels in Melbourne, while the Reds went down to the Waratahs. For the Reds to win this one they have to overcome a hoodoo that is becoming quite imposing. In 16 previous meetings the Brumbies have won 15, with the Reds’ sole victory coming back in 1999 when they triumphed by one point. This record includes nine wins at home for the locals.
This game couldn’t come at a worse time for the Reds, with the Brumbies hoping to put the events of the week behind them, and typically a team – not just in rugby – that replaces its coach during the season somehow manages to lift the following week and secure victory. Combined with injuries and some less-than impressive form, the Reds aren’t playing the ‘BBQ footy’ that worked so well for them last year – more like burning the snags – and will be hoping things start to go their way after a slow start to the season.
The Brumbies have had to make some changes to their starting team, with Mitchell Chapman having a week off for an incident with Danny Cipriani. Taking his place will be Colby Faingaa who played a nice cameo when he came onto the field last week. No doubt he would have talked himself up to his older brothers, but without Twitter we can’t enjoy the banter during the week. The other changes are on the bench, with Peter Kimlin who could count himself unlucky not to be in the No.6 jersey after an impressive display for the Brumby Runners in their clash with Fiji Warriors on Monday night. Joining him in a return from injury is Christian Lealiifano, who takes his place on the bench after some time out after a quadriceps injury.
The Reds have had to lick their wounds after a brutal match last week. Captain James Horwill suffered an ankle injury and is ruled out, which sees Scott Higginbotham move from the back of the scrum to the blindside. Leroy Houston steps up from the bench to the No. 8 jersey. Peter Hynes has succumbed to a knee injury and his place at fullback will be taken by Ben Lucas.
Will Genia will take over the captaincy, so get the cliché counter out for the post-match press conference. Genia will have his work cut out for him behind a pack that has struggled so far this season despite boasting a monster profile. The analogy of ‘looks like Tarzan, plays like Jane’ couldn’t be more appropriate after two games this season. It’s up to the veterans of the pack to get things rolling. Coach Ewen McKenzie has acknowledged that his team might not be playing to their strengths, which could also ring true for him this week after his absence from Twitter didn’t go unnoticed.
The key for the Reds is to get on the front foot to spark Quade into attack and unleash his potent backline. The centre pairing of Faingaa and Chambers has been retained but they need to step up after some below-average performances recently. However, if they can get the ball to the flyers on the wing in Digby Ioane and ‘Rocket’ Rod Davies then it could be a different story for the visitors, and they could record their first win in the capital since rugby turned professional.
The local punters are very much divided by the week’s events, with some believing that a change of coach was overdue while some are reconsidering their memberships. But a game of this importance deserves a decent crowd and just like a car crash, I suspect people won’t be able to turn away. With rumours flying around that player power was the reason for the demise of Andy Friend, now that the players supposedly have their way it is time for some to walk the walk. The best possible way to silence the critics is with a clinical four-try bonus point performance here.
Key matchup: Matt Giteau v. Quade Cooper – The man who actually wears No. 10 for the Wallabies versus the man who thinks he should wear No. 10 for the Wallabies. Will Quade step up in his team’s hour of need or will Gits show him who’s boss?
Tip: The turmoil that’s occurred in Canberra this week could have been a huge distraction, but captain Matt Giteau has rallied his troops and demanded an improved performance on last week. The Reds’ record in Canberra is abysmal and I think the task might to be too great for them this week. Brumbies by 9.
Teams:
Brumbies: 15. Pat McCabe, 14. Henry Speight, 13. Adam Ashley-Cooper, 12. Robbie Coleman, 11. Francis Fainifo, 10. Matt Giteau, 9. Josh Valentine, 8. Ita Vaea, 7. Julian Salvi, 6. Colby Faingaa, 5. mark Chisholm, 4. Ben Hand, 3. Dan Palmer, 2. Stephen Moore, 1. Ben Alexander Reserves: 16. Huia Edmonds, 17. Salesi Ma’afu, 18. Peter Kimlin, 19. Michael Hooper, 20. Patrick Phibbs, 21. Matt Toomua, 22. Christian Lealiifano.
Reds: 15. Ben Lucas, 14. Rod Davies, 13. Will Chambers, 12. Anthony Faingaa, 11. Digby Ioane, 10. Quade Cooper, 9.Will Genia, 8. Leroy Houston, 7. Beau Robinson, 6. Scott Higginbotham, 5. Van Humphries, 4. Rob Simmons, 3. James Slipper, 2. Saia Faingaa, 1. Ben Daley Reserves: 16. James Hanson, 17. Greg Holmes, 18. Adam Wallace-Harrison, 19. Ed Quirk, 20. Liam Gill, 21. Mike Harris, 22. Luke Morahan.
Referee: Mark Lawrence (South Africa)
Assistant referees: Angus Gardner (Australia), Sindile Mayende (South Africa)
Television match official: George Ayoub (Australia)
