The Brumbies in 2014

Even before a ball was kicked in pre season training, the Brumbies underwent some big changes both on and off the field.

First up, coach Jake White pulled the pin in September on the last two years of his contract to return to South Africa leaving the club in limbo as they attempted to stabilise the ship. Eventually a new coaching structure was appointed with last years assistant coaches Stephen Larkham as head coach and Laurie Fisher as director of rugby.

Next up, CEO Andrew Fagan moved on and then in a shock move, captain Ben Mowen announced this would be his last year in Australian rugby before moving overseas. Also leaving was strength and conditioning guru Dean Benton to be replaced by former Brumbies and Reds strength and conditioning coach Damian Marsh.

The other addition to the coaching ranks sees former Tuggeranong Vikings coach Dan McKellar return to Canberra to take on the defense/skills coaching role. All this as the Brumbies are in the middle of moving to a new training facility on the grounds of the University of Canberra.

There are two burning questions for the Brumbies in 2014. Can they go one step better in 2014 after falling short in the 2013 decider? And will they show a different game plan under rookie head coach Stephen Larkham now that Jake White has moved back to the Republic that relied so heavily on kicking and grinding opposition teams down?

New head coach Stephen Larkham was one of the best fly halves in Wallaby history and it will be up to him to pass on his expertise to both the backline and squad as a whole. Larkham does already have one title under his belt when he lead the Brumbies to the World Club Sevens title at Twickenham back in August.

Laurie Fisher, a former Brumbies head coach himself, moves into the director of rugby role but will still be responsible for the forwards and other off field tasks.

The Brumbies had only three Wallabies at the beginning of 2012 but that number rose to twelve during the 2013 Wallabies season. Having that many players away during pre season would normally disrupt preparations but the Brumbies had David Pocock, seemingly the forgotten man, setting the standards on and off the field during that period.

Pocock’s injury in 2013 was softened somewhat by the acquisition of George Smith on loan from Suntory but in 2014 there is unlikely to be such a luxury and he will be keen to make up for lost time. A glimpse of him at training suggests that rehab went extremely well and his time in a trial match shows him not far off the pace.

On the topic of injuries, the Brumbies do have some concerns, particularly in the backs. Inside centre Christian Lealiifano underwent ankle surgery after returning from the Spring tour and is unlikely to return before the round five match against the Waratahs and his goal kicking will be missed with Nic White, Matt Toomua or Jesse Mogg in line to take up that role.

Adding to ‘Team Rehab’ is giant Number 8 Fotu Auelua who suffered a knee injury and will be out for 10-12 weeks and his aggression will be sorely missed. This comes after working extremely hard in the off season to come back from a shoulder injury that ended his 2013 campaign early and ruined his chance of a Wallabies debut.

One player that can’t be forgotten is Number 8 Ita Vaea who is still suffering the effects from blood clots and his return has been put on hold indefinitely.

On the field though, things are looking good with the majority of the starting side settled. In the forwards the Brumbies can boast an all Wallabies front and back row. Ben Alexander and Stephen Moore will most likely pack down with Scott Sio who would have gained valuable experience in his four Tests with the Wallabies in 2013.

In the back row David Pocock returns to replace Brumbies legend George Smith and will team up with Ben Mowen and most likely Scott Fardy, who has been a revelation at blindside for the Wallabies, even picking up the coveted Green and Gold Wallaby player of the year award.

Peter Kimlin’s departure to France has created an opening in the lock/back row positions. Sam Carter should get one of the locking spots but the other is still up for grabs. Fardy could also play there if not selected at blindside with Jack Whetton and Leon Power also in contention.

If there are any doubts to the starting side then it is in the Brumbies backline. Nic White and Matt Toomua will be the starting halves but it is the centres pairing that will cause a selection headache. As mentioned, Lealiifano is injured and Pat McCabe is returning from his second broken neck and has not played since June.

Andrew Smith has overcome a injury plagued 2013 but did show he is capable of playing inside centre as he did in the British and Irish Lions match last year when he teamed up with Wallabies bolter Tevita Kuridrani, who is returning from suspension and has not featured in any of the pre season trials.

The wing spots looked settled with Joe Tomane and Henry Speight. Speight has added incentive to impress now that his Wallabies eligibility has finally been confirmed by the IRB. But it is not a clear case of walking into an open spot with healthy competition in that position at National level but if he can continue his try scoring feats then anything is possible.

At fullback Jesse Mogg should get the nod after a successful return from shoulder surgery but there is a more than capable backup in Robbie Coleman whose pace has been impressive during the trials.

An area of concern that was highlighted by the loss to the Chiefs in last years final was a lack of effectiveness from the bench players and if the Brumbies are to push for the title then this is one area they need to improve. The depth in most areas looks good on paper but as we all know, the game isn’t played on paper.