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Tupou also got towelled up by Muirhead at one point, which was brilliant.

Have we talked about how good Paisami was? If Petaia is out, he did just as much as Kuridrani last night to earn the call-up.

The lineout was poor, but I don't think it's fair to blame Paenga-Amosa. Most of the lost throws were on target but Neville snatched them by reading the play and out-jumping his opponent.

He's had a fantastic season but a tough night tonight. He scrummaged very well (not something I thought I'd be saying about him two years ago), but was shrugged off by two backs for two tries, and wouldn't have been pleased about being cut down on an attacking run by Nic White. I'd be perfectly...

I've always been a fan of White, but didn't want him back at the expense of either of the local lads. Would much rather he'd gone to the Rebels.

Hard to argue that Noah didn't deserve the accolade after coming back into such a crucial position after a long lay-off, particularly in his rookie year. I don't think he was even the Brumbies' best back though to be honest; Simone was an absolute package. I thought the player of the match was...

He allowed play to continue for far too long when Salakaia-Loto was knocked out.

How much possession did the Reds lose on their own line-out? Tough to win a game without the ball; could easily have been the difference.

This whole comp has had a distinct NRC flavour to it, and we all know what Canberra teams do in the NRC; make the final and balls it up.

Yeah, calling it a 'rebuild' is rather over-egging the pudding. It just feels like one when you start the season with a rookie flyhalf, but the Brumbies are hardly alone there.

I've fallen into this trap with Kuridrani before; watching him have a mediocre super rugby season and advocating for him to be left out of the Wallabies, only for him to be selected and consistently be one of the most important line-breaking players (particularly close to the tryline) and a...

Kuridrani's omission has been coming for some time. He's made a bit of a habit in recent years of being consistently underwhelming for the Brumbies but then showing up and making decisive plays for the Wallabies. As we would all hope would happen with a new coach though, reputation isn't enough...

I think this widespread limited understanding of their capabilities as a team has served the Brumbies very well over the past few years. Focus too hard on the maul defence and they'll tear you to shreds with a huge range of lineout variations and enterprising set piece back line play. Get...

Also the Brumbies have been a lot stronger in the second half in this comp. They generally seem to have better fitness and a more capable bench than the other teams. Every scrum-half has come off the bench at least once, and every one of them has looked great doing so.

I'm always puzzled by this common belief that players choose between two priorities; Wallaby glory and cash. If I had been good enough to play for Australia, you wouldn't even have seen my taillights disappear over the horizon. How many young people get to do what they love, while living all...

In the first game of the round, both the Brumbies and Force were pinged for throws that strayed from the centre to the point that the jumper could reach straight up and catch the ball. Every throw like that in this match was let go. The consistency of application of this law is dreadful.

Outside Centre is a tough position. If you sign somebody from league to play any position other than wing, it's a complete crap shoot. You might get Peter Ryan, but history suggests you're more likely to get Timana Tahu.

Was it before or after Mike Baird was appointed? Because I would immediately leave any organisation that put someone like that on their board.

Allowing rugby to slide into full football-style privatisation would be a mistake, and anyone who things Andrew Forrest is our saviour is misguided. There are elements of rugby that we ought to consider sacred, and we all know how much regard Forrest has for sacred sites.

I seem to recall it having been part of the package of changes when it stopped being out on the full when the catcher had a foot out. Am I misremembering?