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The Brumbies have been Australia’s conference champion the last two years. Although in 2017, that didn’t mean much – the side qualified for the playoffs with a 6-9 losing record as Australia’s sides registered their worst ever collective season.
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Two straight first-round playoff exits has left the Brumbies at an impasse. No one in Canberra is satisfied as conference champions.
Newly promoted head coach Dan McKellar understands that Super Rugby has become all about relentless attack. In order to get back to competing for Super Rugby titles, the side needs to change.
“We can’t be so reliant on our lineout and our maul and our set-piece to win a competition,” McKellar told Fox Sports Australia.
“Whilst that will win us games at times, in conditions and oppositions that we’re playing against, it’s not going to win us the Super Rugby comp and that’s our end goal.
The ‘oppositions’ McKellar refers to are New Zealand’s high-powered teams and South Africa’s Lions. They play at a frenetic pace and score points in frenzies. Playing a conservative, set-piece dominant game has failed Australian sides in recent years.
“If you think of the Brumbies over the last few years — certainly while I’ve been here over the past four years — we’ve been known for our lineout, our maul, our breakdown and our defence, so we’ve identified that we need to score more tries.
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“To do that, we’ll tweak how we’ll play the game and certainly make sure we’re more threatening from unstructured situations and transition.”
How they will do that is easier said than done but the realisation that it needs to be is a step in the right direction.
The return of their best player, David Pocock, has been delayed by the need for surgery following a season in Japan. His attacking game has broadened under Robbie Deans where he has become a damaging edge runner, but bringing this to Super Rugby will be a different task.
Pocock’s game is more of a trump card in defence – his disruption at the breakdown is key to slowing opposition ball and winning the odd turnover – which can stifle and suffocate fast teams dragging them into a stop-start affair.
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Much of the attack will rest on the shoulders of Christian Lealiifano, back to full health and returning from a short European stint with Ulster. He was outstanding for the Irish club and his experience will be instrumental in guiding the Brumbies backline.
New recruit Matt Lucas joins the side from the Waratahs to compete with Joe Powell as Lealiifano’s halves partner while last years Kiwi flyhalf Wharenui Hawera will likely be the backup 10.
Kyle Godwin and Tevita Kuridrani will likely start in the midfield, while ex-Force winger Chance Peni joins the team looking to pair with Henry Speight on the wing. Queenslander Tom Banks will be back at fullback.
The strength of the Brumbies still looks to be in the forward pack, with Wallabies Allan Alaalatoa, Scott Sio, Ben Alexander, Rory Arnold, Sam Carter, Josh Mann-Rea, Tom Cusack and Blake Enever.
Australia’s Super Rugby Player of the Year Isi Naisarani will join the Brumbies from the Force, adding a dynamic ball-carrying Number 8 to the pack. In just his first season Naisarani made a huge impact, and the Brumbies will benefit from his play this season.
It’s hard to see the Brumbies diverging too far away from their strength until their attacking prowess develops, but the pack has the ability to set the platform. The Brumbies will compete for the Australian conference with the Waratahs, but as changes take place they will find it hard to do more.
2018 Predictions
Australian Conference Placing: 2nd
Player of the Year: Christian Lealiifano
Rookie of the Year: Folau Fa’ainga
Breakout Player: Lolo Fakaosilea
Best Signing: Isi Naisarani
Franchise History
Best finish: Champions in 2001 and 2004
Worst finish: Thirteenth in 2011
Squad movements
In: Richie Arnold (Western Force), Mees Erasmus (Perth Spirit), Folau Fainga’a (NSW Country Eagles), Matt Lucas (Waratahs), Lachlan McCaffrey (Leicester Tigers), Isi Naisarani (Western Force), Chance Peni (Western Force), David Pocock (return from sabbatical), Darcy Swain (Canberra Vikings), James Verity-Amm (Western Force).
Out: Nigel Ah Wong (Counties Manukau), Chris Alcock (Kamaishi Seawaves), Jarrad Butler (Connacht), Thomas Cubelli (Jaguares), Anthony Fainga’a (Kintetsu Liners), Saia Fainga’a (London Irish), Scott Fardy (Leinster), Nick Jooste (Perth Spirit), De Wet Roos (Southern Districts), Faalelei Sione (Canberra Vikings), Jordan Smiler (Sungoliath), Tom Staniforth (Waratahs), Isaac Thompson (Blue Zoomers), Aidan Toua (Heat).
Squad: Robbie Abel, Allan Alaalatoa, Ben Alexander, Richie Arnold, Rory Arnold, Tom Banks, Sam Carter, Tom Cusack, James Dargaville, Blake Enever, Mees Erasmus, Folau Fainga’a, Lolo Fakaosilea, Kyle Godwin, Mack Hansen, Wharenui Hawera, Ben Hyne, Jordan Jackson-Hope, Tevita Kuridrani, Christian Lealiifano, Leslie Leulua’iali’i-Makin, Ryan Lonergan, Matt Lucas, Josh Mann-Rea, Nic Mayhew, Lachlan McCaffrey, Andy Muirhead, Isi Naisarani, Chance Peni-Ataera, David Pocock, Joe Powell, Scott Sio, Faalelei Sione, Andrew Smith, Henry Speight, Darcy Swain, Lausii Taliauli, Rob Valetini, James Verity-Amm.
More Super Rugby Previews
Jaguares searching for winning recipe
Can Bulls overcome Kiwi confines?
Stormers the enigma of South Africa
Queensland Reds heading forward with youth movement
Comments on RugbyPass
Beaches? In Cardiff? Where?
1 Go to commentsHe is right , the Crusaders will be a threat. Scott Barrett, ( particularly), Fergus Burke , Codie Taylor, ( from sabbatical) etc due back soon for the Crusaders. There are others like Zach Gallagher too. People can right the Crusaders off, Top 8 , here we come !!
1 Go to commentsWe will always struggle for money to match the other sides but the least the WRU can do is invest properly in Welsh rugby. Too much has been squandered on vanity projects like the hotel and roof walk amongst others which will never see a massive return. Hanging the 4 pro sides out to dry over the last decade is now coming back to bite the WRU financially as well as on the pitch. You reap what you sow.
1 Go to commentsWhat do you get if you cross a doctor with a fish? A plastic sturgeon
14 Go to commentsWhat happened to feleti Kaitu’u? Hasnt played in a while right?
1 Go to commentsGregor I just can’t agree with you. You are trying to find something that just isn’t there. Jordie Barrett has signed until 2028. By the end of that he would have spent probably 11-12 years on Super Rugby and you say he can’t possibly have one season playing somewhere else. It is absurd. What about this scenario, the NZR play hard ball and he decides to leave and play overseas. How would that affect the competition. There seems to be an agenda by certain journalists to push certain agendas and don’t like it when it’s not to their liking. I fully support the NZR on this. Gregor needs to get a life.
2 Go to commentsHope he stays as believe he can do a great job.
1 Go to commentsMake what step up? Manie has a World Cup winner’s medal around his neck and changed the way the Springboks can play. He doesn’t have anything to prove to anyone. The win record of the Boks with him in the team is tremendous. Sacha can be wonderful and I hope he has a very succesful Bok career, but comparing him to Manie in terms of the next Bok flyhalf is very strange. Manie is the incumbent (not the next) and doing pretty incredibly.
1 Go to comments00 😍 U
1 Go to commentsSabbaticals have helped keep NZ’s very best talent in the country on long term deals - this fact has been left out of this article. Much like the articles calling to allow overseas players to be selected, yet can only name one player currently not signed to NZR who would be selected for the ABs. And in the entire history of NZ players leaving to play overseas, literally only 4 or 5 have left in their prime as current ABs. (Piatau, Evans, Hayman, Mo’unga,?) Yes Carter got an injury while playing in France 16 years ago, but he also got a tournament ending injury at the 2011 World Cup while taking mid-week practice kicks at goal. Maybe Jordie gets a season-ending injury while playing in Ireland, maybe he gets one next week against the Brumbies. NZR have many shortcomings, but keeping the very best players in the country and/or available for ABs selection is not one of them. Likewise for workload management - players missing 2 games out of 14 is hardly a big deal in the grand scheme of things. Again let’s use some facts - did it stop the Crusaders winning SR so many times consecutively when during any given week they would be missing 2 of their best players? The whole idea of the sabbatical is to reward your best players who are willing to sign very long term deals with some time to do whatever they want. They are not handed out willy-nilly, and at nowhere near the levels that would somehow devalue Super Rugby. In this particular example JB is locked in with NZR for what will probably (hopefully) be the best years of his career, hard to imagine him not sticking around for a couple more after for a Lions tour and one more world cup. He has the potential to become the most capped AB of all time. A much better outcome than him leaving NZ for a minimum of 3 years at the age of 27, unlikely to ever play for the ABs again, which would be the likely alternative.
2 Go to commentsJake White talks more sense than anything I've read in the last 5 years. Hope someone's listening.
9 Go to commentsThe Springboks tried going down the road of only picking home-based players and it was an unmitigated disaster in 2016 and 2017. Picking overseas-based players has been one of the main reason the Boks have done so well since 2018, not only because of the quality Rassie could call on, but because of the knowledge and experience those players brought into camp from England, France and Japan. With some of the big names playing abroad it also gave younger players in SA the chance to break through at franchise level. Would we have seen the emergence of a Ruan Nortje if RG and Lood were still at the Bulls? Not so sure. I understand why Jake would want to block players leaving since his job depends on good results but it’s an approach that would take Bok rugby back to the bad old days and no South African wants to see that.
9 Go to commentsExeter were thumped by 38 points. And they only had to hop on a train.
39 Go to commentsI am De Groot.
1 Go to commentsHad hoped you might write an article on this game, Nick. It’s a good one. Things have not gone as smoothly for ROG since beating Leinster last year at the Aviva in the CC final. LAR had the Top 14 Final won till Raymond Rhule missed a simple tackle on the excellent Ntamack, and Toulouse reaped the rewards of just staying in the fight till the death. Then the disruption of the RWC this season. LAR have not handled that well, but they were not alone, and we saw Pau heading the Top 14 table at one stage early season. I would think one of the reasons for the poor showing would have to be that the younger players coming through, and the more mature amongst the group outside the top 25/30, are not as strong as would be hoped for. I note that Romain Sazy retired at the end of last season. He had been with LAR since 2010, and was thus one of their foundation players when they were promoted to Top 14. Records show he ended up with 336 games played with LAR. That is some experience, some rock in the team. He has been replaced for the most part by Ultan Dillane. At 30, Dillane is not young, but given the chances, he may be a fair enough replacement for Sazy. But that won’be for more than a few years. I honestly know little of the pathways into the LAR setup from within France. I did read somewhere a couple of years ago that on the way up to Top 14, the club very successfully picked up players from the academies of other French teams who were not offered places by those teams. These guys were often great signings…can’t find the article right now, so can’t name any….but the Tadgh Beirne type players. So all in all, it will be interesting to see where the replacements for all the older players come from. Only Lleyd’s and Rhule from SA currently, both backs. So maybe a few SA forwards ?? By contrast, Leinster have a pretty clear line of good players coming through in the majority of positions. Props maybe a weak spot ? And they are very fleet footed and shrewd in appointing very good coaches. Or maybe it is also true that very good coaches do very well in the Leinster setup. So, Nick, I would fully concurr that “On the evidence of Saturday’s semi-final between the two clubs, the rebuild in the Bay of Biscay is going to take longer than it is on the east coast of Ireland”
11 Go to commentsWhat was the excuse for the other knockout blowouts then? Does the result not prove the Saints were just so much better? Wise call to put your eggs in one basket when you’ve got 2 comps simultaneously finishing.
39 Go to commentsReally hope Kuruvoli and his partner rock the Canes.
1 Go to commentsI wonder what impact Samson has had on their attack, as the team seems less prone to trundle it up the middle, take the tackle and then trundle it up again. I lost faith in the coach last year as the Rebelss looked like a 2nd/3rd rate South African team. I also disliked Gordon standing back, often ignored as the forward battle went on and on. Maybe its our Aussie way of not getting off our A***’s until the enemy is at the gate.
86 Go to commentsThanks for the write up. Great to see the Rebs winning, I am a little interested in how they will go against the remaining kiwi teams, I think they’ve only played Hurricanes and Highlanders but how great to see these players performing!! I also see Parling has a job beyond June 30! A good move by RA? Also how do you fix the Rebels previously scratchy defence?
86 Go to commentsbe smart - go black
14 Go to comments