Whilst it’s certain that the Wallabies were celebrating last Saturday night after their 3-nil series whitewash over France you can guarantee the party was short lived. Monday morning meant back to Super Rugby training in preparation for the last three rounds of the regular season and the finals.
The test break did the Brumbies no favours on the injury front with Stephen Moore gone for the year after tearing his ACL and Sam Carter, Matt Toomua, and Pat McCabe all out for at least this week. Additional injuries to non-test players during club rugby and training have only exacerbated the problem.
Both teams are finely poised on the competition ladder. The Tahs know that three wins could see them win the minor premiership whilst only one loss could mean third place and no week off before the finals.
The Brumbies only have two games left and know that the only way they guarantee a spot in the finals is by winning both of them. A tall order with so many injuries, but they’ll be playing like their lives depend on it.
The Teams
Despite the injuries, the Brumbies still boast a formidable lineup. After missing the test series with a neck complaint, Ben Alexander is back to anchor the scrum and he’ll be crucial to the Brumbies chances. Prop turned hooker Ruaidhri Murphy will be hoping to fix his wonky lineout throwing from the Singapore 10s competition last weekend but the cupboard was nearly bare after 3rd string hooker Josh Mann-Rae injured himself in a club rugby game.
Christian Leali’ifano will be excited to wear the 10 jersey for the first time since early last season but he won’t be used to seeing Robbie Coleman outside him at inside centre. Coleman’s shift to the midfield means Clyde Rathbone is back in the starting side on the wing.
For the Waratahs, Michael Cheika has kept Will Skelton up his sleeve with Jacques Potgieter and Kane Douglas starting at lock. After a strong test series, Sekope Kepu starts at tight head to face off against Scott Sio.
The backline remains unchanged from a month ago against the Chiefs although Alofa Alofa has been under an injury cloud this week.
The Matchups
The battle of the Ben(n)s in the front row is sure to be a beauty. Benn Robinson ties Al Baxter to become the equal second most capped Waratah with 130 games for the club. After watching the June tests from the couch, Robbo will be itching to put in a big game to make his 130th one to remember. With only a stellar finish to the season likely to earn him a Wallaby recall, he’ll leave nothing in the tank. The frequent Wallaby teammates have built up a fierce rivalry in interstate clashes in recent years including Ben Alexander leaving a mark to remember with his studs on Robbo’s thigh last season. There’s sure to be plenty of feeling between the two on Saturday night!
At the back of the scrum, Ben Mowen faces a fierce battle against Wycliff Palu. Palu’s performance last week against Les Bleus was right up there with the very best of his 51 test career and he’ll be looking to repeat that this week. Whoever does a better job of getting their team over the advantage line could play a big part in the outcome of the game.
The matchup between Adam Ashley-Cooper and Tevita Kuridrani will be watched with interest. Currently a shortage of wingers means the Wallabies are happy playing AAC on the wing with Kuridrani retaining the outside centre jersey. Later in the year, the availability of Henry Speight could force Ewen McKenzie to pick who he likes more at 13. With both possessing excellent defensive skills it’s certain that neither will find it easy to make a break.
Fearless Prediction
With such an injury toll it’s tough to see the Brumbies getting up over the full strength Waratahs. The Tahs will be keen to reverse the disappointing loss they recorded in Canberra earlier in the year when the Brumbies played them out of the game in the first half. Both teams will know that a slip up in the next couple of weeks could quickly erase all the good work they put in prior to the test break and the forward battle is sure to be intense. If they maintain their trademark aggression (c. 2014) the Tahs will be too strong. Waratahs by 10.
Benn Robinson 1 Scott Sio
Tatafu Polota-Nau 2 Ruaidhri Murphy
Sekope Kepu 3 Ben Alexander
Jacques Potgieter 4 Scott Fardy
Kane Douglas 5 Leon Power
Dave Dennis (c) 6 Jordan Smiler
Michael Hooper 7 Jarrad Butler
Wycliff Palu 8 Ben Mowen (c)
Nick Phipps 9 Nic White
Bernard Foley 10 Christian Lealiifano
Rob Horne 11 Clyde Rathbone
Kurtley Beale 12 Robbie Coleman
Adam Ashley-Cooper 13 Tevita Kuridrani
Alofa Alofa 14 Henry Speight
Israel Folau 15 Jesse Mogg
Reserves
Tolu Latu 16 Luke Holmes
Jeremy Tilse 17 JP Smith
Paddy Ryan 18 Ruan Smith
Will Skelton 19 Fotu Auelua
Stephen Hoiles 20 Jack Whetton
Brendan McKibbin 21 Michael Dowsett
Jono Lance 22 TBA
Taqele Naiyaravoro/Cam Crawford 23 Lionel Cronje
Location: ANZ Stadium Sydney
Kickoff: Sat 28 Jun 19:40
Referee: Steve Walsh
Assistant Ref 1: Andrew Lees
Assistant Ref 2: Ian Smith
TMO : Peter Marshall
