The Jake White Super era at the Brumbies begins this week when they take on the Western Force in the opening round of Super Rugby 2012.
After 8 months of slogging it out on the training paddock and three trial matches behind them, a youthful Brumbies side is ready to take to the field and show the fans in Canberra what they are capable of and in the process win a few fans back. It is very much an unknown of what to expect from the overhauled Brumbies side, with six debutantes taking to the field but this is what should get fans excited for the upcoming season.
The Western Force have had a disrupted pre-season with some off field issues and two disappointing defeats to the Brumbies and Reds in their trial matches to leave coach Richard Graham with plenty to think about before the season proper commences, although the return of their Wallaby contingent into the starting lineup will make a big difference.
Teams
Brumbies: 15. Robbie Coleman, 14. Henry Speight, 13. Andrew Smith, 12. Christian Lealiifano, 11. Jesse Mogg, 10. Matt Toomua, 9. Nic White, 8. Ben Mowen (c), 7. Ita Vaea, 6. Peter Kimlin, 5. Sam Carter, 4. Leon Power, 3. Dan Palmer, 2. Stephen Moore, 1. Ben Alexander.
Res: 16. Anthony Hegerty, 17. Ruaidhri Murphy, 18. Scott Fardy, 19. Michael Hooper, 20. Ian Prior, 21. Zack Holmes, 22. Joe Tomane.
Force: 15. Alfie Mafi, 14. Nick Cummins, 13. Winston Stanley, 12. Rory Sidey, 11. Napolioni Nalaga, 10. James Stannard, 9. Brett Sheehan, 8. Ben McCalman, 7. David Pocock (c), 6. Matt Hodgson, 5. Nathan Sharpe, 4. Toby Lynn, 3. Salesi Ma’afu, 2. Nathan Charles, 1. Pek Cowan.
Res: 16. Elvis Taione, 17. Kieran Longbottom, 18. Phoenix Battye, 19. Angus Cottrell, 20. Justin Turner, 21. Ben Seymour, 22. Sam Wara.
Referee: Bryce Lawrence (NZ)
Assistant referees: Andrew Lees (Aus), James Leckie (Aus)
TMO: Matt Goddard (Aus)
TV: Fox 3 from 7:30pm
Details
Kick off is at 7:40pm at Canberra Stadium on Friday evening. The weather is forecast to be clear and surprisingly warm after a wet and miserable summer in Canberra so far, and these conditions should be good for running rugby. There has been a change in officials with New Zealand referee Garratt Williamson withdrawing after sustaining a hamstring injury – how a referee can do this is a mystery – with Kiwi compatriot Bryce Lawrence taking the whistle.
If you’re keen for a rugby fix, head out early to watch the curtain raiser match ACT XV v. Samoa A which is part of the Pacific Rugby Cup tournament. Kick off is at 5pm.
Game Breaker
Pocock vs Kimlin/Mowen/Vaea vs Bryce Lawrence. Without doubt this is where the match will be decided. David Pocock is one of the world’s best number 7’s and the Brumbies have selected an unusual combination to take him on although with Jake White now in charge, this could be the norm come selection time. The Brumbies back row combined weigh in at a massive 338kg and will need all of that to combat the Pocock threat. If it comes down to an ‘arm wrestle’ Pocock would win that battle with one arm tied behind his back against all three at once.
The forwards will hold the key to the match since the Wallabies players both these teams have are in the respective forward packs. Both teams have a few new faces in the backline who will no doubt be nervous and will leave it to the more experienced players to get the job done.
Bryce Lawrence will also hold the key in this area after the last time he held the whistle in a match involving Pocock, it ended with the whole of South Africa baying for his blood after allegedly letting him get away with murder at the breakdown.
The fearless prediction
This match will be a close one with recent form favouring the home side. The young Brumbies side have shown enough promise in pre-season for me to tip them by seven. I think the Western Force have had too many distractions along with some poor form to do what it takes to win the match.
I also predict that Bryce Lawrence will have his work cut out for him and will blow for more than seven breakdown penalties in this match.
