The scriptwriter couldn’t have planned a better ending to the end of the SupeRugby regular season for either of these teams.
The Waratahs have the chance to play finals football if they can secure a win against a Brumbies team that has run into some form of late, albeit with nothing left to play for in 2011. The Brumbies have the chance to ruin the party and despite publicly claiming the tag of ‘spoilers’ isn’t for them, deep down I’m sure that could be a different story, especially after the Waratahs snatched a late win by the length of Sitaleki Timani’s rats tail(s) in their Round 6 clash.
Both teams secured a bonus point win in their last match, which would give the respective backlines some confidence heading into this fixture. For the Waratahs, Tom Carter delivered a stellar performance with a hat-trick and he will need to bring that same form at inside centre in place of Berrick Barnes, who is taking indefinite leave from the game to address his concussion issues.
Fullback Kurtley Beale has been in excellent form and the Brumbies will need to limit his chances by starving him of possession in the open field. His running in the open has been a highlight of this season. Beale could be playing his last game in the sky blue of NSW before heading to Melbourne and will be looking to leave on a high.
The Tahs’ forward pack will hold the key to getting Beale to showcase his running skills but they will need to be at their physical best to keep the Brumbies at bay. Injuries to Benn Robinson, Tatafu Polota-Nau and inspirational leader Phil Waugh have disrupted the week’s training sessions but there would be very little chance they would miss a match with so much riding on the the result. The only question is whether they can last the full 80 minutes.
The Brumbies have minimal changes to their squad with number 8 Ita Vaea returning from suspension and halfback Josh Valentine returning to the bench after a hamstring injury. With a whole array of changes expected at the Brumbies for next season you might expect some emotion to come into play for this game, but coach Tony Rea says there has been minimal talk of that throughout the week. Rea feels the Brumbies have shown a new attitude in their training and play after some dismal results throughout the season and this could be the basis to cause an upset win.
Their forwards have led the way in their last two matches, against the Reds and Rebels respectively, and the front row clash in this game will be worth the price of admission. Hooker Stephen Moore has hit a purple patch of form and his clash with Polota-Nau will go a long way to determining who gets the number 2 jersey for the Wallabies.
The Brumbies’ backline has finally had some consistency in terms of selection and allowing combinations to settle. The changes in recent weeks have given more space and time with the ball for players like Pat McCabe and Christian Lealiifano. McCabe could be in for a busy night with Carter running at him and vice versa. Whoever ge’s on top in this battle could very well determine the winner. Or it could be up to Matt Giteau in his last match for the Brumbies to knock over the winning penalty….
Key Match-up: Lachie Turner v. Adam Ashley-Cooper — Australia’s fastest football player will be taking on his next season teammate. ‘Lakkie’ should stick to running this week after attempting a goal-line clearing kick that went more sideways than forwards. Ashley-Cooper has had an indifferent year but has been getting more involved from his wing position and will be keen to show his new employers what he is capable of.
Tip: As much as I’d like the Brumbies to win and wreck the finals party, I think they will go down in a very close one. Tahs by 4.
Teams:
Waratahs: 15. Kurtley Beale, 14. Lachie Turner, 13. Ryan Cross, 12. Tom Carter, 11. Afa Pakalani, 10. Daniel Halangahu, 9. Luke Burgess, 8. Dave Dennis, 7. Phil Waugh, 6. Dean Mumm, 5. Sitaleki Timani, 4. Pat O’Connor, 3. Al Baxter, 2. Tatafu Polota-Nau, 1. Benn Robinson. Reserves: 16. John Ulugia, 17. Jeremy Tilse, 18. Dan Vickermann, 19. Chris Alcock, 20. Hugh Perret, 21. Josh Holmes, 22. Sosene Anesi.
Brumbies: 15. Christian Lealiifano, 14. Henry Speight, 13. Tyrone Smith, 12. Pat McCabe, 11. Adam Ashley-Cooper, 10. matt Giteau, 9. Patrick Phibbs, 8. Ita Vaea, 7. Julian Salvi, 6. Mitchell Chapman, 5. Ben Hand, 4. Peter Kimlin, 3. Ben Alexander, 2. Stephen Moore, 1. Jerry Yanuyanutawa. Reserves: 16. Anthony Hegarty, 17. Jono Owen, 18. Henry Vanderglas, 19. Tom Boidin, 20. Josh Valentine, 21. Andrew Smith, 22. Robbie Coleman.
Referee: Craig Joubert (SA)
Assistant referees: Stuart Dickinson (Aus), James Leckie (Aus)
TMO: George Ayoub (Aus)
