The Brumbies head up to Sydney to take on the in form Waratahs in a game that could have huge ramifications on the Aussie conference by Sunday morning.
The Waratahs were taken to the promised land by Israel Folau with a late try against the Stormers last week whilst the Brumbies have had an extra week to think about what went wrong against the Crusaders in their last game
There is no doubt that the Waratahs are a far better team than the one dominated 35-6 in the return fixture in Canberra back in March. They were a side adjusting to a new style of play under Michael Cheika and at the time he said there was no reason to change his thinking and that hard work was needed to get results.
And those results have started coming their way including a 72-10 belting of the Kings, a side the Brumbies could only draw with at home. It finally looks like the belief is there in the team and under the captaincy of Dave Dennis things are starting to look good. They could even make a late surge for finals action which seemed very unlikely earlier in the season.
Their back three is starting to combine well and they even have the luxury of including Drew Mitchell this week. Former Brumby Cam Crawford is playing outstanding football and has crossed for five tries in four games and will have added confidence coming up against his former side.
The centres combination of Rob Horne and Adam Ashley-Cooper is starting to click and the Brumbies will need to be on their game if they are to keep that pair quiet on the night.
Adding spice to this match are comments from Brumbies coach Jake White that Waratahs fullback Israel Folau should commit long term to rugby before being handed a Wallabies jersey. Comments like that hark back to the ‘olden days’ when Brumbies vs Waratahs matches were the talk of the town, at least in Canberra, as ‘little brother’ took the underdog status against the Waratahs.
In their last game the Brumbies were dished up in the forwards against the Crusaders and will be looking for a better performance.
This match will be a real test for them as they come up against an all Wallaby forward pack. With Dan Palmer ruled out some observers might think the Brumbies will be disadvantaged but Scott Sio is a more than capable replacement and was even included in Robbie’s Wallabies logistics camp.
Second rower Scott Fardy returns from injury to give the Brumbies some added mongrel which will be needed coming up against Sitaleki Timani and Kane Douglas. The lineout battle will have added importance with Wallabies Stephen Moore up against Tatafu Polota-Nau with the Brumbies shading the Waratahs in that area.
The back row battle will also be one to watch with Michael Hooper up against George Smith a real highlight. Smith hasn’t lost a beat since coming back to Super Rugby and his position in the Wallabies squad should be assured if the red tape surrounding his status can be resolved.
The one advantage the Brumbies do have in their arsenal is their kicking ability. With Nic White and Jesse Mogg they have the ability to reel off 50 metre plus kicks to get their team out of trouble.
The one thing they will need to be spot on with is not kicking it directly to one of the Waratahs back three or else they could find themselves standing behind the try line after conceding a five pointer.
One thing for sure is this will be one hell of a game. Where do you think it will be won?
