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Match Result
A physical contest in Canberra has seen the Waratahs prevail over the Brumbies in Canberra for just the third time in 20 years with a tough 13-10 victory.
The Brumbies took the advantage early through a try to Joe Tomane, before the Waratahs managed to hit back through Adam Ashley-Cooper. Both David Pocock and Michael Hooper thrived through the physicality of the contest and the low scoring contest reflects the defensive nature of the game.
One of the big talking points to come out of the game was the Brumbies option to not take the three points when they were available, there was another of chances they had but they were unable to make their possession and ultimately couldn’t crack the Waratahs’ defensive line for the crucial match winning points.
Match Preview
The biggest showdown in Super Rugby’s Australian Conference this year will almost decide the fates of both the ACT Brumbies and the NSW Waratahs when they clash at Canberra Stadium on Friday night. Join The Roar for live scores and commentary from 7:20pm (AEST).
A win in this game is especially important for the Brumbies if they want to retain their lead at the top of the Australian Conference, and having played one less game than Friday night’s opponents a loss could be devastating.
They would suddenly join a group of four or five teams fighting for the final two wildcard spots and would lose their home advantage, something that has been a strong factor for them over the last two seasons.
For the Waratahs a loss would take them a step behind in not only chasing the Australian Conference lead, but also leave them chasing that wildcard spot. For the Super Rugby champions it’s probably not how they envisioned their title defence going.
The Brumbies will promote Ben Alexander and Sam Carter back into the starting line-up. Carter comes back into the side after missing last week for personal reasons and is a big inclusion for the Canberra side.
The Brumbies were dominant at set pieces last week, and the Waratahs are going to need to figure out some way to stop the driving maul. David Pocock was the beneficiary of that set piece last week with the flanker getting a hat-trick in the first half.
A worrying sign for Brumbies coach Stephen Larkham, though, was how his side struggled to keep the pace in the second half. The Highlanders fought back bravely and nearly got a losing bonus point from an impossible position.
The Waratahs survived a scare against the Rebels last week, and will almost certainly have to take their game to the next level this week. It’s worth noting with some stronger goal kicking the game would have been a lot less tight, but they are all aspects of the game.
Bernard Foley is normally known for clutch goal kicking and I wouldn’t expect him to make those same mistakes this week. Israel Folau also had an unusually quiet game, he doesn’t normally do it twice in a row, and he dominated the Brumbies earlier this year.
The main battle in this game will be between David Pocock and Michael Hooper. Both have a point to prove and both want to be the Wallabies’ starting number seven. At the moment I’m scoring the fight in Pocock’s favour so expect a mammoth effort from Hooper tonight.
Prediction
A tight affair here, generally home advantage plays a big part in this rivalry with either side only ever winning two games on opposition soil. The Waratahs have won just two of 11 here in Canberra. Based on that I just have to pick the Brumbies by three points.
Join The Roar for all the live scores and commentary from 7.20pm (AEST).
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.