Super Rugby is back on Saturday when the Brumbies take on the Queensland Reds in Canberra.
This clash is starting to build a rivalry of it’s own and the Reds will be out to reclaim the mantle of top Australian team that was taken off them by the Brumbies in 2013.
Last years matches saw the Brumbies get the win in the Canberra fixture 24-6 although the Reds were missing key players Will Genia and James Horwill. In Brisbane, the return was a 19-19 draw, although it could have been much different.
This year both teams have different coaching setups with the Brumbies now having Stephen Larkham as head coach and Laurie Fisher as director of rugby. The Reds have Richard Graham on board again this year as head coach, although he will be doing it without Ewen McKenzie who moved onto the Wallabies.
Trial form from both teams is hard to compare considering the Brumbies played the Highlanders in Queenstown without their Wallabies contingent and followed that up with two trials against an ACT XV whilst the Reds beat the Chiefs and then lost to the Melbourne Rebels.
Here are the key matchups.
The Breakdown
David Pocock v. Liam Gill – Pocock is returning from a serious knee injury and after an eleven month layoff and is keen to get back onto the park to make up for lost time. His form in the trials suggests he’s not too far off the pace the standard fans alike know he can reach but you could forgive him for taking it a little easy after such a long time out.
It won’t be a case of walking straight back into the Wallabies with strong competition at openside, which is great for Australian rugby and harks back to the days of George Smith, Phil Waugh and David Croft keeping each other on their toes.
Gill is out to prove to Wallabies coach Ewen McKenzie that he can step up to a permanent starting XV spot at National level after playing second fiddle to Michael Hooper after an all expenses paid trip to Europe in the spring.
Although not as physically imposing as Pocock, Gill can still dominate the breakdown and end up in the right position at the right time and this head-to-head battle will go a long way to deciding which team comes out on top.
The 10 jersey
Matt Toomua v. Quade Cooper – The man who started off the McKenzie Wallabies era in the 10 jersey versus the man who finished off 2013 with it.
Cooper has improved dramatically since being recalled to the Wallabies and played with greater confidence as the year went on and the Spring Tour results reflect that. Being given the Wallabies vice captaincy has also brought some additional responsibility and he seems to be relishing the new role.
Teaming up with Will Genia will make him even more dangerous but it will be interesting to see how his confidence level is this week after being strechered off late in the trial against the Rebels. Although passed fit to play, he can probably expect a lot of traffic running his way in defence.
Matt Toomua can’t be forgotten and the battle between himself and Cooper even goes back to their schoolboy days when both vied for the flyhalf position for Queensland schoolboys.
Toomua had a delayed start to his Wallabies career with injury holding him back from the international stage but when finally given the chance, he faced a daunting task starting against the All Blacks.
It’s not just passing and kicking that highlight his game with his efforts in defense hard to overlook. Once Cooper was back at 10 for the Wallabies, Toomua was able to fill in at the unaccustomed position of 12 but didn’t look out of place.
His partnership with Cooper may give him an insight as to how Cooper thinks and plays but Cooper can still be unpredictable.
The Verdict
Based on the results of 2013, the Brumbies would appear to be favourites for this match but 2014 is a new chapter. Both teams have new coaching structures in place so it will be interesting to see what their gameplans are.
The Reds have the Wallabies halves pairing and if their forwards can give them quick ball then the Brumbies could find themselve in trouble. James Horwill should have last years Brisbane match in the back of his mind and take the points on offer against a solid defensive side.
The Brumbies will need to get out of the blocks early and keep the Reds at arms length if they are to win this one. The centres pairing of Pat McCabe and Andrew Smith suggests strong running in an attempt to muscle up over the Reds midfield and give the likes of Joe Tomane and Henry Speight some room on the wing.
The advantage the Reds appear to have is a stronger bench than the home side. They have an able backrow replacement in Beau Robinson and have two Wallabies in Anthony Fainga’a and Chris Feauai-Sautia ready on the bench.
The Brumbies boast three debutants in their squad in Conrad Hoffmann, Lionel Cronje and Lachlan McCaffrey although they have played Super Rugby in South Africa and Australia respectively.
[one_half last=”no”]
Brumbies
1. Scott Sio
2. Stephen Moore
3. Ben Alexander
4. Scott Fardy
5. Sam Carter
6. Ben Mowen (c)
7. David Pocock
8. Jarrad Butler
9. Nic White
10. Matt Toomua
11. Joe Tomane
12. Pat McCabe
13. Andrew Smith
14. Henry Speight
15. Jesse Mogg
Replacements
16. Siliva Siliva
17. Ruan Smith
18. Ruaidhri Murphy
19. Leon Power
20. Lachlan McCaffrey
21. Conrad Hoffmann
22. Tevita Kuridrani
23. Lionel Cronje
[/one_half]
[one_half last=”yes”]
Reds
1. James Slipper
2. Saia Fainga’a
3. Greg Holmes
4. Rob Simmons
5. James Horwill (c)
6. Eddie Quirk
7. Liam Gill
8. Jake Schatz
9. Will Genia
10. Quade Cooper
11. Dom Shipperley
12. Mike Harris
13. Ben Tapuai
14. Lachlan Turner
15. Aidan Toua
Replacements
16. James Hanson
17. Ben Daley
18. Jono Owen
19. Ed O’Donoghue
20. Beau Robinson
21. Nick Frisby
22. Anthony Fainga’a
23. Chris Feauai-Sautia
[/one_half]
Kick off: 7:40pm (AEDT)
Referee: James Leckie
AR1: Angus Gardner
AR2: Ian Smith
TMO: Steve Leszczynski
