Every side will go through at least one, if not several, key
moments throughout the year. We’ve had
several already for most of the sides in the competition – the Highlanders
failing to follow up their first victory with another win, the Force turning
over the Reds at Suncorp and Kurtley Beale swinging away at his teammates after
a couple of beers on the team coach. You
can guarantee that there’ll be plenty more too, from attempts to gain key wins
over rivals, to valiant efforts to keep Kurtley away from the tragic sauce-and-team-transport
combo. And for the Waratahs and the
Brumbies, they may not know for sure which way the result will go this weekend,
but they will know that the outcome may well prove to be one of ‘those’ moments
in deciding how their season will end.
The Tahs claimed a superbly hard fought win over the
Stormers last weekend to prove that they are serious about pushing for a
Wildcard place, but it will mean nothing unless they can follow it up against
the Aussie Conference’s top side, the Brumbies.
The NSW men have looked promising all season, but their growth with each
game has demonstrated an attacking cohesiveness that fans haven’t seen from the
blues for the best part of a decade.
With powerful blokes up front like Kane Douglas and Michael Hooper
building momentum and drawing in defenders, Bernard Foley and Israel Folau and
co have been irresistible at times with their fast and accurate attack
patterns. They’ve been great to watch
and I am happy to admit that I’ve been caught up with “Izzy fever” (as my mate
put it), and Folau’s battle with Mogg is the battle between Australia’s two
form fullbacks. There are still questions
to be asked about their ability to work well under pressure and their decision
making in promising positions, and if there’s one team out there who will be
well placed to ask those questions, it will be the Brumbies.
The men from ACT also have bragging rights leading into this
game after thumping a sorry Tahs outfit in round 4, coming out winners by 30-6.
The visitors will be aware though that
this is a very different Waratahs side to the one that was still learning to
play together at the beginning of the competition, and they’ll also remember
that this time last year they also topped the Aussie Conference, only to have
their crown stolen by the Reds – who are breathing down their neck again this
year. The pressure is on the leaders to
show that some of the cracks that have appeared of late are issues that are
easily fixed, and they’ll be looking to bring their fantastic back 3 into the
game, with Henry Speight, Joe Tomane and Jesse Mogg all possessing bags of pace
and a good nose for the tryline. Of
course, captain Ben Mowen will be keen to make sure his boys do the gritty work
first and, backed up by Stephen Moore and George Smith, the number 8 is not
lacking in experienced deputies to help him grind down the Waratahs’ resistance
at source.
The stage is set for one side’s big moment. A win for the Waratahs would propel them into
Conference-challenger territory, whilst a Brumbies victory would continue their
march to the playoffs. Whatever happens,
I’m sure there’ll be enough memorable moments within this one game to make it
unmissable.
Waratahs Team News
Wallabies winger Drew Mitchell, who is leaving Australian
rugby for France at the end of the international season, replaces Peter Betham
on the left wing having returned to action via the bench against the Stormers
after missing two matches with a hamstring strain. He is one of two changes to
the starting side to play the Brumbies, with tight-head prop Paddy Ryan making
his fourth start this season in place of Wallabies front-rower Sekope Kepu.
Starting Line up: Israel Folau; Cam Crawford, Adam
Ashley-Cooper, Rob Horne, Drew Mitchell; Bernard Foley, Brendan McKibbin;
Wycliff Palu, Michael Hooper, Dave Dennis (captain); Kane Douglas, Sitaleki
Timani; Paddy Ryan, Tatafu Polota-Nau, Benn Robinson.
Subs: John
Ulugia, Sekope Kepu, Will Skelton, Mitchell Chapman, Matt Lucas, Berrick
Barnes, Peter Betham.
Key Player
Drew Mitchell. The
Tahs winger is back in the side despite announcing he will be Europe-bound next
year, but the reason for that is the fact that the Wallaby remains a class
act. He may not be the fastest, but he
has a wonderful running style that allows him to beat defenders with ease and
he's deceptively strong as well. But
what really sets him apart is his support play and work rate – at his best he
seems to be all over the park, making yards outwide and through the
middle. With plenty of quick ball
hopefully on offer on Saturday, his ability to create the extra man by coming
off his wing will be a key attacking weapon for the hosts.
The Brumbies have made two changes to the team that lost to
the Crusaders before their bye with Scott Sio returning to the starting line
up. Sio has been named at loose-head prop and Scott Fardy returns from injury
at lock.
Starting Line up: Jesse Mogg; Henry Speight, Tevita Kuridrani,
Christian Lealiifano, Joe Tomane; Matt Toomua, Nic White; Ben Mowen (captain),
George Smith, Peter Kimlin; Sam Carter, Scott Fardy; Dan Palmer, Stephen Moore,
Ben Alexander.
Subs: Siliva Siliva,
Ruan Smith, Fotu Auelua, Colby Faingaa, Ian Prior, Robbie Coleman, Pat McCabe.
Key Player
Christian Leali'ifano.
The Brumbies inside centre has come of age this year – mainly because he
has managed to avoid getting himself crocked for half the season – and we're
finally seeing the full reach of this guy's talent. The ability he has to vary his game is
superb, with a decent step, great pass and an eye for a gap in the more open
games, and a strong kicking game for the more cagey affairs. His ability to create space for his runners
will be key to setting loose the searing pace outside of him.
Michael Hooper v George Smith. With great match-ups all over the park, I
could quite easily have gone for Folau v Mogg, but this is the one I'm really
looking forward to seeing. With Pocock
out injured, there are many who see the battle for the Australian 7 jersey as
being a straight shoot out between these 2 men (which, in my mind, is a bit
harsh on Liam Gill). Both compact,
powerful players, Hooper offers a powerful carrying option and a striking turn
of pace, whilst Smith offers a decade's worth of international know-how and
trickery, and one of the finest rugby brains in the game. With both sides intending to unleash their
backline, quick ball will be key – whoever can get their hands on the pill the
most, even if they don't turn it over, will probably win the game for his side.
The Waratahs will now face a true test of how serious they
are about pushing for a playoff spot at the end of the season. The hosts will be full of confidence after
turning over the Stormers but the Brumbies are a different proposition, with
the ability to turn defence into attack with inventiveness and speed. This one is going to be a colossal battle
between two of the most entertaining teams in Super Rugby at the moment, and
I'm going to lean towards a surprise home win – Waratahs by 6.
Let’s have a breeze through the rest of the weekend’s fixtures –
Hurricanes v Chiefs
– The Chiefs seem to be blowing hot and cold at the moment, and their scrappy
win last weekend was another sign of their vulnerability when put under
pressure. That said, they're still
getting the wins and I can see them getting another against the Canes in
Wellington. Chiefs by 8.
Rebels v Stormers –
The Rebels are quickly becoming the nearly men of the league, embarking on
remarkable comebacks but consistently just coming up short. The Stormers though are not exactly on fire
themselves, after their narrow defeat to the Waratahs last weekend. I can see this one being a close one, with
the talented Rebels backs taking on a notoriously stingy Stormers defence, but
I going to plump for a surprise home win.
Rebels by 2.
Force v Sharks –
The Force have been more competitive than a lot of people expected this season,
and they are consistently running big teams who underestimate them very
close. The Sharks won't make that
mistake though, they are desperate for a win after a spate of key injuries has
seen them lose 5 on the bounce. Another
close one, and I think the Sharks will want it more. Sharks
by 3.
Crusaders v Blues
– The Blues continue to impress and win games, but playing away in Canterbury
is always a tricky assignment, even if the Crusaders have been inconsistent
this year. But the hosts have Kieran
Read back in their ranks and the number 8 should bolster the pack and provide
the leadership needed to gain a win here.
Crusaders by 7.
Bulls v Highlanders
– The Highlanders wind me up. They look
so good on paper – even good on the pitch on the odd occasion – and yet have
got an inexplicable losing habit. Even
when they did finally win, they followed it up with a wretched defeat at the
hands of minnows the Kings. Loftus is
not a fun place to go when you're lacking confidence. Bulls
by 14.
Cheetahs
v Reds – The Cheetahs good form deserted them last
week but they shouldn't be too worried – they've already exceeded expectations
this year. That's not to say they won't
be up for their game on Saturday, but they'll be facing a Reds side who look on
the cusp of exploding into life and they are desperate to pressurise the
Brumbies at the top of the Aussie conference. Reds by 4.
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