Brumby Runner
Jason Little (69)
Less than a week until the first trial matches for 2019. Time to get the crystal balls out again and have a shot at predicting the outcome of the Aussie conference this year.
The way I see it panning out for the four teams is :
Waratahs : Finished top in 2018 but were the beneficiaries, witting or not, of some disruptive issues and problems in the three other teams. The Reds had a horrible year with three of their star players on the outer, and a new coaching team unproven at Super Rugby level. The Rebels were trying to amalgamate two sides into one and seem to have perennial administrative issues in the club. The Brumbies had a new, untried coach in charge who was trying to introduce a more attacking, unstructured mindset into a team reknowned as one of the most structured outfits in Super Rugby.
In 2019, they will be without their most attacking weapon in Naiyaravoro and they continue to have, at least on paper, the weakest of the forward packs in the conference. 2019 will not be so kind to the Tahs. The Tahs are the only team to field a weaker looking squad in 2019. I expect they will drop down the ladder to fight with the Reds for third/fourth spots in the conference.
Rebels : Should be more settled as a team than in 2018 and can be expected to finish off close games where they sometimes failed to do so in 2018. Front row still looks to be weak area in Melbourne and they will probably struggle against the better packs. Mafi is a loss, as a player if not as a person, but I do expect Isi to have a big year and take the Wallabies' No 8 spot. Colby will be missed at No 7. The big question, of course, is will Quade succeed or not? My expectation is that the Rebels will contest the top spot in the conference with the Brumbies.
Brumbies : The Brumbies finished off 2018 on fire and looked to have finally put on the field what Dan MacKellar had been spruiking during the year. They look to have the strongest forward pack in the country, with 10 current or past Wallabies to pick from up front. In the backs, TK looks to be benefiting from MacKellar's new game plan and will be making a very big claim on the Wallaby No 13 jersey again. There will be speed to burn out wide with Banks, Pulu and Speight on the end of a backline playing with flair. The halves pairing are very much under-regarded by other teams' fans but are both good organisers who will shine in the new environment. The Brumbies will contest the top spot in the conference with the Rebels.
Reds : A very unsettled year in 2018, but with Quade and Slipper (and others) off the books, they will have more time to concentrate on playing the game than on off-field issues that took up so much space and time last year. The question that still needs an answer is will BT make it as a head coach? It looks like he will be supported with a stronger coaching team this year, and the Reds have some of the most promising young players coming through in Aus rugby. I think they will still struggle against the other teams this year, but watch out over the next couple of years. If the coaching set up works they will be a force to be reckoned with.
Overall, I think the Aussie conference will be stronger in comparison with NZ and SA this year, and I'll not be surprised if two sides make it into the Super Rugby finals. The way I see it, those sides will be the Brumbies and the Rebels.
The way I see it panning out for the four teams is :
Waratahs : Finished top in 2018 but were the beneficiaries, witting or not, of some disruptive issues and problems in the three other teams. The Reds had a horrible year with three of their star players on the outer, and a new coaching team unproven at Super Rugby level. The Rebels were trying to amalgamate two sides into one and seem to have perennial administrative issues in the club. The Brumbies had a new, untried coach in charge who was trying to introduce a more attacking, unstructured mindset into a team reknowned as one of the most structured outfits in Super Rugby.
In 2019, they will be without their most attacking weapon in Naiyaravoro and they continue to have, at least on paper, the weakest of the forward packs in the conference. 2019 will not be so kind to the Tahs. The Tahs are the only team to field a weaker looking squad in 2019. I expect they will drop down the ladder to fight with the Reds for third/fourth spots in the conference.
Rebels : Should be more settled as a team than in 2018 and can be expected to finish off close games where they sometimes failed to do so in 2018. Front row still looks to be weak area in Melbourne and they will probably struggle against the better packs. Mafi is a loss, as a player if not as a person, but I do expect Isi to have a big year and take the Wallabies' No 8 spot. Colby will be missed at No 7. The big question, of course, is will Quade succeed or not? My expectation is that the Rebels will contest the top spot in the conference with the Brumbies.
Brumbies : The Brumbies finished off 2018 on fire and looked to have finally put on the field what Dan MacKellar had been spruiking during the year. They look to have the strongest forward pack in the country, with 10 current or past Wallabies to pick from up front. In the backs, TK looks to be benefiting from MacKellar's new game plan and will be making a very big claim on the Wallaby No 13 jersey again. There will be speed to burn out wide with Banks, Pulu and Speight on the end of a backline playing with flair. The halves pairing are very much under-regarded by other teams' fans but are both good organisers who will shine in the new environment. The Brumbies will contest the top spot in the conference with the Rebels.
Reds : A very unsettled year in 2018, but with Quade and Slipper (and others) off the books, they will have more time to concentrate on playing the game than on off-field issues that took up so much space and time last year. The question that still needs an answer is will BT make it as a head coach? It looks like he will be supported with a stronger coaching team this year, and the Reds have some of the most promising young players coming through in Aus rugby. I think they will still struggle against the other teams this year, but watch out over the next couple of years. If the coaching set up works they will be a force to be reckoned with.
Overall, I think the Aussie conference will be stronger in comparison with NZ and SA this year, and I'll not be surprised if two sides make it into the Super Rugby finals. The way I see it, those sides will be the Brumbies and the Rebels.
