Welcome back to Super Rugby everyone.
Hello? HELLO? IS THERE ANYONE THERE?
Oh well.
Let’s do this anyway.
The top of the conference Brumbies travel to Brisbane this week to take on the Queensland Reds. The Friday night fixture at Suncorp Stadium sits in NAIDOC week and will be Queensland Rugby’s annual Indigenous game. While the new jerseys look special, it’s the performance of the players wearing them that will have the home crowd most on edge.
The Brumbies have already secured the conference top spot and will be the only Australian team to feature in the finals. Their target is to accumulate as many points as possible to try to overtake the Stormers on the Top 4 ladder. In the end it’s just a difference of hosting the Chiefs or the Hurricanes, so yeah, good luck with that.
THE TEAMS
The Brumbies have made only one change to their starting line-up from their last game against the Rebels back in June. Wallaby prop Scott Sio returns to the starting lineup at loosehead prop replacing Nick Mayhew. Mayhew drops out of the squad all together as Leslie Leulua’iali’i-Makin and Ben Alexander sit on the bench. Apparently Christian Lealiifano was meant to make his long awaited return to Super Rugby from the reserves, however a light twinge of his hammy has delayed that plan for the time being. As well as bringing back Wallaby Scott Sio, the Brumbies have Puma scrumhalf, Tomas Cubelli coming back from injury too.
The Reds have been forced to make a number of changes to their side from the one that took on the Blues in Samoa. Captain Samu Kerevi is gone and replaced by Campbell Magnay at outside centre despite a lack of rugby of late. Izaia Perese returns to the side following his Australian Under 20s campaign, as does Hamish Stewart on the bench. The test window did not help the Reds with backrow powerhouses, Scott Higginbotham and Hendrick Tui, both returning injured. It has led to a somewhat unusual backrow featuring Adam Korzcyk at No 8 and Rob Simmons at blindside. It’s a position the departing centurion has had international experience at, playing for the Wallabies there against Italy back in 2013, but it’s a big call against a clinical Brumbies unit. Steve Moore returns to the starting side and will captain the team in Kerevi’s absence.
On the bench young prop Markus Vanzati returns from injury while former Brisbane Bronco Caleb Timu is in line for a debut after sitting on the bench all game against the Blues. The forgotten man, Cadeyrn Neville, returns to the squad for the first time this season following some excellent club form and an injury to Lukhan Tui. Thursday Islander Moses Sorovi sits on the bench looking for a memorable home crowd debut in this Indigenous match.
KEY STATS (courtesy of Opta Sports)
- The Brumbies have won their last five games against the Reds by an average margin of 26 points, including their last two games where they’ve scored exactly 43 points on each occasion.
- Three of the last five Australian derbies have been won by the visiting team, while the Reds haven’t won a home game against Australian opposition since Round 14, 2015 (five losses since).
- The Brumbies have won their last two games away from home, the last time they won more on the bounce was a stretch of three road wins which saw them run into the 2015 semi-finals.
- The Brumbies are the most effective tacklers in the competition, boasting a tackle success rate of 87% so far this campaign.
- Stephen Moore will come up against his former club should he feature; Moore has scored five tries in his last four Super Rugby games.
KEY MATCH UPS
Karmichael Hunt v Tom Banks – Banks left the Reds for the Brumbies to step out from the Hunt shadow and backed himself to secure a starting spot in Canberra. It’s paid off and he’s been a big performer for the conference leaders since being handed the 15 jersey. Hunt was a rare standout for the Wallabies this June test window but reverts from inside centre to the more familiar fullback position. Expect to see him in the front line regularly.
Tupou/Fa’agase v Alaalatoa/Sio – The Brumby pair are a damn handy combination both on the field. June probably confirmed them as the likely Wallaby starting props come the Rugby Championship and they give the visiting team a strong scrum and a busy running game. The young props from Queensland are definitely highly regarded within the Wallaby structure, with both having spent time in the national squad over the last 12 months. They can ask for no greater testing ground than against the Wallaby props.
PREDICTION:
The Brumbies are way too settled and have more to play for. The Reds have only beaten them once at Suncorp Stadium and it’s unlikely to change on Friday. Brumbies by 20.
TEAMS:
[one_half last=”no”]
REDS
1. Sef Fa’agase
2. Stephen Moore [c]
3. Taniela Tupou
4. Kane Douglas
5. Izack Rodda
6. Rob Simmons
7. George Smith
8. Adam Korczyk
9. James Tuttle
10. Quade Cooper
11. Eto Nabuli
12. Duncan Paia’aua
13. Campbell Magnay
14. Izaia Perese
15. Karmichael Hunt
Substitutes
16. Alex Mafi
17. Markus Vanzati
18. Sam Talakai
19. Cadeyrn Neville
20. Caleb Timu
21. Moses Sorovi
22. Hamish Stewart
23. Chris Kuridrani
[/one_half]
[one_half last=”yes”]
BRUMBIES
1. Scott Sio
2. Josh Mann-Rea
3. Allan Alaalatoa
4. Rory Arnold
5. Sam Carter (C)
6. Scott Fardy
7. Chris Alcock
8. Jordan Smiler
9. Joe Powell
10. Wharenui Hawera
11. Aidan Toua
12. Kyle Godwin
13. Tevita Kuridrani
14. Henry Speight
15. Tom Banks
Substitutes
16. Robbie Abel
17. Leslie Leulua’iali’i-Makin
18. Ben Alexander
19. Blake Enever
20. Jarrad Butler
21. Tomas Cubelli
22. Nigel Ah Wong
23. Andrew Smith
[/one_half]
