The Brumbies head into 2011 looking to make the finals for the first time since 2004. This will be an intriguing year for the Canberra team and it could be the best chance for their assembled ‘dream team’ to win their third Super Rugby title before the lure of post World Cup Rugby sets in.
COACHING
Head coach Andy Friend has three new assistants to help him through this year, and in usual Brumbies style, they are either former players or locals.
New backs/skills coach Stephen Larkham will be looking to restore the spark to the Brumbies backline and unleash the talent at his disposal.
The other two assistants are Justin Harrison, who will take on the role of lineouts and restarts, and Marco Caputo, who will be the new scrum coach.
FORWARDS
A look at the squad list raises some questions. Some positions cause problems with too much depth, and in others, not enough.
The front row is an area of concern with only three fit props on the books. The issue of where to play Ben Alexander has been raised, especially in a World Cup year, and the Brumbies coaching staff have stated that they won’t bow to national pressure and will play Alexander at loose head. Salesi Maafu will take his place at tight head and new recruit Dan Palmer will be pushing for a berth on the bench. Jerry Yanuyanutawa suffered an unfortunate dislocated ankle in club rugby and is a few weeks off full training.
The hooking position is the only one that has stability with Stephen Moore and Huia Edmonds locked in. Moore will be have to be on his game as Edmonds will be looking to add to the Wallabies caps that he gained in 2010 before heading off to Saracens.
The back row positions have the most depth and the biggest problem is whom to play and where. The departure of George Smith sees three candidates vying for the number 7 jersey. With Smith suffering an injury last year, Michael Hooper and Colby Faingaa got to show what they were capable of. Returning to the Brumbies from a stint in the UK is Julian Salvi, who should have his nose in front for a starting position after previously biding his time behind the legendary Smith.
The lock positions see four players battling for the starting spots. Ben Hand and Mark Chisholm should be the starting combination for the first game. Chisholm will need to step up to keep the critics at bay and cement his Wallabies spot with the return of James Horwill and Dan Vickermann imminent. Mitchell Chapman and Peter Kimlin, who is returning from a knee injury, will also push for selection, with Chapman a chance to revert to number 6 due to Rocky Elsom’s injury-enforced layoff.
BACKS
The Brumbies backline is packed with potential and this should see some of them back on top of the team try scoring lists after Ben Alexander embarrassed them in 2010. There are some pieces of the puzzle still to be decided as the coaching staff work out who slots in where.
The halfbacks will be led by Josh Valentine who will be joined by Randwick team mate Patrick Phibbs and Nic White to battle for the bench spot. Both Valentine and Phibbs are undecided about where their futures lie and if 2011 is their last year in Canberra will want to finish on a high. Could Valentine consider Melbourne to complete the Aussie clean sweep?
The Brumbies re-signed both Matt Toomua and Christian Lealiifano with an eye to the future with Matt Giteau more than likely heading to France after this season. Toomua is limited in his versatility and is a solely a 10 which could limit his starting time but is held in high regard amongst management and has leadership potential. There could also be a chance that Giteau will start at flyhalf with Lealiifano at 12, but it would be hard to leave Lealiifano out since he spent part of 2010 playing for Waikato in the ITM Cup where he gained some valuable experience, but this is far from decided so don’t be surprised to see him wear the 10,12 or 15 jersey in 2011.
In the centres, Wallabies Matt Giteau and Adam Ashley-Cooper should form a formidable midfield combination and the departure of Stirling Mortlock to the Melbourne Rebels should see Ashley-Cooper slot into his preferred 13 jersey. His form on the spring tour in that position, particularly against New Zealand and France, should excite Brumbies fans. Hot on their heels will be Tyrone Smith who been solid throughout his time in Canberra and might be able to finally step out of the shadow of his brother.
Wallabies tourist Pat McCabe should retain his starting wing spot and would have gained much confidence after being selected for the spring tour. He would have preferred to gain a Wallabies cap, instead of hypothermia in the Munster game and will be out to equal his iron man feat of playing every minute of every game in 2010.
The remaining wing position will be fought out between no fewer than four players and it could come down to who performs best in the two trial matches to see who secures the other spot. Incumbent Francis Fainifo should fight it out with Andrew Smith, who has looked impressive in pre-season, and newcomers Henry Speight (Waikato) and Samu Wara (Brumbies Academy).
IN SUMMARY
With 2011 being a World Cup year, it should work in the Brumbies’ favour. There are players who will be looking to push for selection in the Wallabies or be considered an automatic selection in the eyes of Wallabies coach Robbie Deans.
Conversely, the squad also has up to 14 players off-contract at the end of the season, with a number already fielding offers from northern hemisphere clubs. These negotiations could cause unwanted distractions throughout the season; however, some players have stated they want their futures decided before the season kicks off.
Giteau, who looks to be heading to France post-2011, needs to have a big year to regain his Wallabies inside centre spot. He will also be under the spotlight from fans who some believe he owes them a big season after a lacklustre 2010.
One area of concern though is injuries to key players which could bring the campaign to a crashing halt. Rocky Elsom is already ruled out of the first month of competition with hamstring problems and question marks remain over Stephen Hoiles’s participation in the early rounds. This will certainly test the depth of the squad.
The captaincy is also up in the air with Hoiles 50/50 at this stage, and with Elsom also out, Matt Giteau has been earmarked as a possible skipper. The Brumbies have also streamlined their leadership group to avoid the issues that arose in 2010 where it appeared there were too many people trying to take the reins.
The fringe players will be doing their best to push their claims for a spot in the match day 22. A number of young players made their debuts in 2010 and will be better for it. Hopefully there is no repeat of the horrendous injury toll of 2008, and if that scenario is avoided we should see the Brumbies take their place in the finals for the first time in seven seasons.
My Brumbies 22 for round 1: Lealiifano, McCabe, Ashley-Cooper, Giteau, Fainifo, Toomua, Valentine, Hoiles/Salvi, Salvi/C Faingaa, Chapman, Chisholm, Hand, Ma’afu, Moore, Alexander. Res: Edmonds, Palmer, Kimlin, C Faingaa/Hooper, Phibbs, T Smith, A Smith
