The Brumbies have today unveiled their six-man leadership group for the 2014 season.
Ben Mowen, Stephen Moore, David Pocock and Christian Lealiifano retain their positions from 2013 and joining them will be Clyde Rathbone and Fotu Auelua.
Lealiifano was surprised when Jake White approached him last year to be part of the group but after a solid 2013 where he finally made his Wallabies debut he feels he has grown and learnt a lot in that period especially with Mowen and Moore at the club.
Although currently sidelined following ankle surgery following the Wallabies Spring tour, Lealiifano is still keen to get involved at training where he can and admits he doesn’t like to watch training and is itching to go.
A possible return date has been penciled in for round 4 when the Brumbies take on the Waratahs in Canberra but after a number of serious injuries and surgery in recent seasons he knows that getting it 100% right is the key thing at this stage of the rehabilitation process.
There are a number of options for the Brumbies to fill his position with Pat McCabe and new recruit Lionel Cronje amongst others putting their hand up for first shot at inside centre when the Brumbies take on Queensland on February 22.
Fotu Auelua may seem as a surprise addition to some outsiders but with so many young players now at the Brumbies he hopes to lead by example and use the experiences he has gained not only from the Brumbies but also from his time in France and Japan to help the younger players come through.
Auelua is coming back from a shoulder reconstruction that ended his 2013 season early and is hopeful of cementing a backrow position up for grabs following the departure of Peter Kimlin to France.
He has been used as an impact player off the bench in the past but is open to a starting role in 2014 and push for Test selection on the back of performances like this.
Director of rugby Laurie Fisher said Auelua’s inclusion brings a good balance to the group and cited his off field experiences and playing in other countries as a reason to be added.
He added that those named in the group were selected irrespective of game time in 2014.
The key thing for us is that we get it right on the training paddock. The key component of their leadership is to prepare well for training and to be the best trainers out there. If they do that well and bring a bit of rugby nous to the equation, then we’re in a pretty good space
Main photo C/O Super Rugby Facebook page
