'That's pretty far-fetched': Brumbies flanker shoots down comparisons to Wallaby legend

Match-winning flanker Luke Reimer has described comparisons to Wallabies and Brumbies great George Smith as “far-fetched” after his key role in his side’s historic Super Rugby Pacific win in Fiji.

An undermanned Canberra outfit became the first Australian side to win against the Drua in Fiji, with Reimer scoring in the 67th and 74th minutes to secure a 36-32 victory.

The 24-year-old also bagged four crucial turnovers, prompting some commentators to liken him to Smith. Reimer wasn’t having it.

“That’s pretty far-fetched. I’ve got to make a few more headlines before I get to his level,” Reimer said from Canberra on Monday.

“I’m nowhere near George at the moment.”

Coach Stephen Larkham opted to leave some Test stars out of their long-haul trip to Suva but the new-look team, including six debutants, managed to stay composed despite trailing by 12 points midway through the second half.

“We’ve shown in previous years that we know how to close out games,” Reimer said.

“We’ve had that kind of mindset, just to not panic too much, trust in our systems, our process, and do what we need to do to walk away with a win.

“It was definitely a huge, huge job for us on the weekend to come away with that win, and the boys were really proud of our efforts.

“The main thing we talked about was how proud we were and to push that into this week. We’ve got to take that confidence that we can come back. But we’re not looking to do that – we’re looking to come out of the gates pretty hot.”

Wallabies players, prop James Slipper, lock Nick Frost, fullback Tom Wright and centre Len Ikitau are expected to be included to face the Western Force in Canberra on Saturday night.

The Force snatched victory over Moana Pasifika with a converted try scored by Ben Donaldson in the 83rd minute.

“We went well with the six debutants on the weekend but to get our Wallabies boys back in, it will be a massive boost,” Reimer said.

“We need to get some chemistry, looking down the track to get some combinations going. It’s going to be massive this weekend.”