The Brumbies take on the in form Stormers in Canberra this Saturday in an attempt to keep their home record against the visitors in tact.
This will be the seventh clash between these teams in the capital and the Brumbies have won the previous six matches. In fact, the overall records show the Brumbies have won 10 and lost 2 with 1 draw and this should give them some confidence heading into this match.
The Brumbies have made limited changes for this week, with the majority of changes occurring in the back row. The home team will be without Rocky Elsom this week after suffering a season ending ankle injury and Colby Faingaa, who has been called up to represent Australia in the Under 20 World Championships.
Coming into blindside flanker is Mitchell Chapman who is returning from a hand injury and his lineout organisation will be crucial against one of the biggest locks going around in Andries Bekker. The other changes see Ita Vaea recalled to the back of the scrum and Julian Salvi taking over in the number 7 jersey. Salvi was due to take the place of Michael Hooper, who is also going to the Under 20 World Championships, however due to the massive injury toll the Brumbies have amongst the forwards, Hooper has been given permission from the ARU to play in this match – albeit from the bench.
Backup lock Sam Carter was due to make his debut from the bench in this match but a hamstring strain suffered during the week has ruined those plans. However, he could still feature in matches later in the season.
Brumbies coach Tony Rea said the team looked a little tired and sore at training this week after the massive defensive effort against the Force but he believes the team will be right to go come Saturday night. Captain Matt Giteau has battled a cold and a tooth ache in recent weeks and had been give a few days to recharge his batteries.
The Stormers would be full of confidence after defeating the Blues in Auckland despite trailing by 16 points at one stage and without the services of their Springbok midfield combination of Jaque Fourie and Jean de Villiers. The team from Kaapstad is on top of the South African conference and a win against the Brumbies would all but assure themselves of a spot in the finals.
Coach Allister Coetzee has made a number of changes for this match, however it appears that the team he will put on the park will be somewhat stronger than the one that took on the Blues. Outside centre Fourie returns to the starting lineup and scrum half Dewaldt Duvenage returns after a impressing in the unfamiliar role of fly half against the Blues. He could retain the goal kicking duties with Peter Grant pencilled in at flyhalf with Kurt Coleman. Grant’s status won’t be known until he participates in a fitness test in his ankle.
The rest of the Stormers backline isn’t exactly full of giants – Gio Aplon tips the scales at 76kg – but they do possess a few players with ‘jet shoes’ capabilities and this could be an area they try to exploit against the Brumbies. The likes of Juan de Jongh and Bryan Habana will need to marked closely if they are to have little impact on the game with their impressive footwork. If the Brumbies are on their game defensively, Habana could end up with icicles forming on his hands with cold temperatures once again expected at Canberra stadium.
The forwards aren’t known for their pace but will be led by Schalk Burger who seems to pop up everywhere in general play. Burger and his partners in the back row will hold the key to the game and the back row of the Brumbies will have to be disciplined to keep the visitors from gaining the upper hand throughout the match.
Tip: If the Stormers can have a second half performance of the Blues game for 80 minutes, then it could be a long night for the locals. Stormers by 9.
Teams:
Brumbies: 15. Pat McCabe, 14. Henry Speight, 13. Tyrone Smith, 12. Christian Lealiifano, 11. Adam Ashley-Cooper, 10. Matt Giteau, 9. Josh Valentine, 8. Ita Vaea, 7. Julian Salvi, 6. Mitchell Chapman, 5. Mark Chisholm, 4. Ben Hand, 3. Ben Alexander, 2. Stephen Moore, 1. Jono Owen. Reserves: 16. Anthony Hegarty, 17. Jerry Yanuyanutawa, 18. Peter Kimlin, 19. Michael Hooper, 20. Patrick Phibbs, 21. Robbie Coleman, 22. Andrew Smith.
Stormers: 15. Conrad Jantjes, 14. Gio Aplon, 13. Jaque Fourie, 12. Juan de Jongh, 11. Bryan Habana, 10. Peter Grant (Kurt Coleman), 9. Dewaldt Duvenage, 8. Nick Koster, 7. Francois Louw, 6. Schalk Burger, 5. Andries Bekker, 4. Rynhardt Elstadt, 3. Brok Harris, 2. Deon Fourie, 1. Wicus Blaauw. Reserves: 16. Tiaan Liebenberg, 17. Steven Kitshoff, 18. Anton Van Zyl, 19. Duane Vermeulen, 20. Ricky Januarie, 21. Jean de Villiers, 22. Johann Sadie.
Referee: Marius Jonker (SA)
Assistant referees: James Leckie (Aus), Stephen Hill (Aus)
TMO: George Ayoub (Aus)
