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Brumbies impress in home win over South African power
The Brumbies have put some life back into their Super Rugby season, defeating South African powerhouses the Lions 31-20 at Canberra Stadium.
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The Lions have featured in the past three Super Rugby deciders but it was the Brumbies who looked like title contenders on Saturday night after taking their chances in the eight-try contest.
The Brumbies’ third win from eight games keeps them within touching distance in the Australian conference, but still seven points behind the leading Melbourne Rebels.
The Brumbies travel to South Africa on Sunday to play the Stormers and then face the Jaguares in Argentina, and coach Dan McKellar believes his men can beat any team when they take their chances.
“It was a good performance with some really good passages. We managed to play with speed and tempo and that was our plan,” McKellar said.
“Tonight we took a few more opportunities when they presented instead of [identifying them] at review on Monday , so we’re pleased but we have plenty to work on.
“We can’t change what’s happened (with earlier results), we’ve just got to build momentum and take confidence and belief off the back of tonight.
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“We have to do it again next week.”
Wallabies star David Pocock was a late scratching but the ACT men muscled up without him against a physical Lions forward pack in front of 7541 fans.
Brumbies livewire fullback Tom Banks returned to form with a stellar performance, while former NRL player Tom Wright overcame an early yellow card to score in his first start.
Wright was sin-binned for a tip-tackle after four minutes and the Lions made them pay when Springboks flyhalf Elton Jantjies switched play nicely and put Aphiwe Dyantyi into the corner for the opening try.
The Brumbies wasted several opportunities in a frustrating opening 20 minutes before Banks burst through a gap and Lachy McCaffrey finished the job to score from close range.
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McCaffrey threw an audacious cut-out pass to one of the fastest men in Super Rugby, Toni Pulu, who raced 25 metres down the sideline to score on 26 minutes.
The Lions looked set to pinch the lead back before the Brumbies went 80 metres for Tevita Kuridrani to score and lead 19-8 lead at the break.
The Lions came storming back out of the blocks and Janjties swooped on a loose ball to score and make it 19-15 after 45 minutes.
Banks responded with a nice jink back inside to score and stretch the lead on 54 minutes before Wright dummied his way through for another moments later.
The seesawing contest continued when Sylvian Mahuza crossed but the Brumbies held their nerve for the final 10 minutes.
-AAP
Comments on RugbyPass
To me TJ is clearly the best 9 in the competition right now but he's also a proven player off the bench, there's few playmaking players who can come off the bench as calm and settled as he is, Beauden can, TJ can and I doubt any of the scrumhalves in contention can, if they want to experiment with new 9s I want him on the bench ready to step in if they crumble under the pressure. The Boks put their best front row on the bench, I'd like to see us take a similar approach, the Hurricanes have been doing similar things with players like Kirifi.
30 Go to commentsROG has better chance to win a WC if he starts training and make himself eligible as a player. He won’t make the Ireland squad but I reckon he may get close with Namibia (needs to improve his Afrikaans) or Portugal. Both sides had 1000:1 odds to win the RWC in 2023 which is an improvement on ROG’s odds of winning a RWC as a coach. Unlike Top 14 teams, national teams can’t go shopping and buy the best players - you work with the available talent pool and turn them into world beaters.
2 Go to commentsthat backline nope that backline is terrible why would you have sevu Reece when he’s not even top 5 wingers in the comp why have Blackadder when there’s better players no Scott barret isn’t an automatic the guy is more of a liability than anything why have him there when you have samipeni who’s far far better
30 Go to commentsAh, good to find you Nick. Agree with everything about Cale. So much to like about his game
49 Go to commentsNot too bad. Questions at 6, lock and HB for me. The ABs will be a lot stronger once Jordan and Roigard return. Also, work needs to be made to secure Frizzell back for next season and maybe also Mo’unga; they’re just wasting time playing in japan
30 Go to commentsOn the title, i wonder for many of those people it is a case something like a belief in working smarter, not harder?
1 Go to commentsForget Sotutu. One of those whose top level is Super Rugby. Id take a punt on Wallace Sititi Finau ahead of Glass body Blackadder.
30 Go to commentsI’m a pensioner so I've been around a bit. My opinion of SBW is he is an elite athlete and a great New Zealander and roll model. He has been to the top and knows what he's talking about. To all the negative comments regarding SBW the typical New Zealand way, cut that tall poppy down.
17 Go to commentsI'm not listening to a guy moralise over others when this is the guy who walked out mid season on Canterbury RLFC when he had a contract with them, what a hypocrite. Those praising him are a joke.
17 Go to commentsI’d put Finau at 6 instead of Blackadder but that’s the only change I’d make. Can’t wait to see who Razor picks.
30 Go to commentsTamati Williams, Codie Taylor, and Same Cane? Not sure about Hoskins Sotutu at test level. Wasn’t that impressive last season. Need a balance between experience and talent/youth.
30 Go to commentsInteresting insight. Fantastic athlete, and a genuine human being.
17 Go to commentsThey played at night in Suva last weekend and it’s an afternoon game forecast for 19 degrees in Canberra this weekend. Heat change is a non issue.
1 Go to commentsWishing Rosie a speedy recovery
1 Go to commentsObscene that SA haven’t been knocking
1 Go to commentsChances of Blackadder being injured seem too high to give him serious consideration. ABs loosie combination finally looked good with 2 committed to tackling and clearing rucks in the centre and Ardie roaming. Hoskins/Ardie together would force one of them into where they don’t excel and don’t get to use their talent, or require a change in tactics. If we continue to evolve last years systems I would take Papali’i and Finau at 6 and 7 (conceding that Blackadder will be injured) and Ardie at 8.
30 Go to commentsArdie’s preferred position 7? Where do they get these writers from? I've no idea where he's playing in Japan, but the previous two seasons he wore the 7 jersey exactly twice.
17 Go to commentsNot good to hear Ulster described as “financially troubled”. Did not think it was getting to that level. I would hope the Irish system of spreading players of talent away from Leinster would kick in now. Better to have a Leinster fringe player with Ulster or Connacht, then getting only a few games a season in Dublin. 10, for example, would seem to be a case for spreading the talent. I would not be at all adverse to a SA man coming in as head coach/DR. Ludeke is worth trying. Certainly got a long and impressive coaching career at this level…..149 games in SR, then Japan, 30 years experience. And Ulster’s ledger of successful SA coaches and players is on the positive side. Is talk of Ruan Pienaar interested in coming back as a coach…..could be a good combination with Ludeke. And Pienaar and family would have no settling in to do, one would judge. He loved life in Ulster when there, by all reports.
1 Go to commentsSome thoughts to consider here, Sam. Thanks
2 Go to commentsI think he is right, SBW is respected in RSA. The guy who never stood up is a worm. Sseems lots of NZ SBW hate, you do the crime do the time.
17 Go to comments