The Brumbies have packed their bags and crossed the Nullarbor to take on the Western Force in Perth on Saturday night, in what will be Mark Chisholm’s 100th SupeRugby match.
After receiving one of the biggest sprays of all time from coach Tony Rea after their loss to the Lions last week, the Brumbies have regrouped to try and recapture the winning feeling – something they have not experienced since a one-point win over the Hurricanes in early April.
Rea has made training this week an interesting experience for the squad. An afternoon session was rescheduled to 9:00pm, with all players and coaching staff required to wear singlets and shorts as the temperature gauge hovered around the three degree mark. Maybe it had something to do with incoming coach Jake White’s visit to the capital this week?
Injuries have caused problems again in the Brumbies ranks, with season-ending damage suffered by prop Salesi Ma’afu and backup hooker Huia Edmonds. Shorter-term injuries to Mitchell Chapman and Ita Vaea have required a reshuffle to the pack. There is some good news though, with Rocky Elsom making his return to the field after a lengthy period out with a hamstring injury. It will be interesting to see how much involvement he has in the game; I’m sure the Wallabies medical staff will be monitoring his progress with an eye on the World Cup.
The backline has only one change, with the Fijian flyer Henry Speight returning to the starting XV. The relative stability should give them all some confidence, which would have to be at an all-time low after the past week.
The Force are coming off the bye so should be nice and fresh for this match, and a win here for the locals would cement third spot in the Australian conference. Coach ‘Woody’ Graham has made only two changes to the team that took on the Waratahs in the infamous kickfest two weeks ago.
Despite having the bye last week, Graham feels the team returned to training in good shape and are prepared to take on a team that will be out to prove their coach and critics wrong.
Ben McCalman reverts to number 8 in place of Richard Brown, who has been rested to let him get over some niggling injuries. Rory Sidey comes into the team at outside centre in place of Mitch Inman. Cameron Shepherd was not considered for selection due to a knee injury.
The last time these teams played, Graham devised a game plan to disrupt the Brumbies’ set piece that worked a treat. It won’t be so easy this time with Stephen Moore restored at hooker for the visitors, but the forwards battle will be crucial nonetheless.
Nathan Sharpe will be playing his 50th consecutive game (extending his record of SupeRugby games to 143), and his performance will dictate how the rest of his team will play. If recent matches are any indication, the Force won’t go down without a fight in this one.
Key match-up: David Pocock v. Colby Faingaa. Since the departure of the great George Smith, David Pocock has virtually had a mortgage on the Wallaby number 7 jersey with his command of the ruck area. Faingaa III has been quietly plying his trade, although it hasn’t been easy to be consistent within the Brumbies’ rotation system. The playing conditions could be a factor in this contest.
Tip: The Force will need to be wary of a team that will be picking themselves off the canvas with their coach’s criticism still ringing in their ears. The weather in Perth hasn’t been great and although the Brumbies are accustomed to a spray, I don’t think they’ll be able to get the prize here. Force by 6.
Teams:
Force: 15. Pat Dellit, 14. Honey Badger, 13. Rory Sidey, 12. James O’Connor, 11. David Smith, 10. Willie Ripia, 9. Brett Sheehan, 8. Ben McCalman, 7. David Pocock, 6. Matt Hodgson, 5. Nathan Sharpe (c), 4. Sam Wykes, 3. Matt Dunning, 2. Nathan Charles, 1. Pek Cowan. Reserves: 16. Ben Whittaker, 17. Kieran Longbottom, 18. Tom Hockings, 19. Jono Jenkins, 20. James Stannard, 21. Gene Fairbanks, 22. Alfie Mafi.
Brumbies: 15. Pat McCabe, 14. Henry Speight, 13. Tyrone Smith, 12. Christian Lealiifano, 11. Adam Ashley-Cooper, 10. Matt Giteau, 9. Josh Valentine, 8. Julian Salvi, 7. Colby Faingaa, 6. Rocky Elsom, 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.
Referee: Ian Smith (Aus)
Assistant referees: Nathan Pearce (Aus), Julian Pritchard (Aus)
Television match official: George Ayoub (Aus)
