The Brumbies are flying high on top of the Australian conference. But regardless of whether they win or lose this weekend’s crunch game against the Waratahs, they still have a way to go.
Don’t get me wrong, the Brumbies have been the surprise packet of the 2012 Super Rugby season, at least among the Australian teams.
After a disastrous 2011, which saw several Wallabies depart, not much was expected from the Canberra boys this year.
But they have refused to live up to the critics predictions.
A lot of credit has to go to Jake White; the World Cup-winning coach has been a revelation and has really marshaled a team devoid of big-name stars.
The input of Laurie Fisher has also been crucial. A former Brumbies head coach, it must have taken a lot of guts to take a demotion at a franchise where he had the top job.
Yet Fisher has done it and turned the Brumbies’ unheralded forward pack into one of the best in the competition.
The front row is firing; Ben Mowen has to be a Wallaby-in-waiting, while the likes of Scott Fardy, Peter Kimlin and Leon Power are playing like seasoned veterans.
Their two big loose forwards Auelua and Vaea have been destructive, while Michael Hooper has further developed with each game to showcase his amazing talent.
Christian Lealiifano also is looking like potential Wallaby material, while Jesse Mogg has scored arguably the try of the season. Their Fijian wingers are flying and the loss of flyhalf Matt Toomua has not derailed them.
The no-name Brumbies have simply been great. Their use of the rolling maul, their counter-rucking and their commitment in defence has meant they are very tough to beat.
That latter attribute was on show in the Lions, where – in the 54th minute – four Brumbies players chased down an intercept from a Lions player 80 metres on.
To put it simply, they aren’t the finished article yet.
Goal-kicking has been an Achilles’ heel for the side. Better kicking in the Bulls game (and better refereeing), for example, would have led to a win.
Whether its Mogg or Lealiifano taking the kicks, there has not been enough consistency or accuracy.
Great and successful rugby teams have an awesome goalkicker in their ranks, and it’s hard to see a Morne Steyn or Dan Carter become a dead-eye kicker in the Brumbies side.
Positional kicking in play from the Brumbies has also been erratic. Too often there have been too many kicks put out on the full or directly to opposition players.
These chances must not be wasted so easily. When it comes to semi-final times, mistakes like these will be really costly.
In saying that, it’s been great to see the progression of the Brumbies in 2012.
They have gone from cautious winners over the Force in round one to slicing South African opposition with try after try in the past two games.
The Brumbies might still have a way to come, but eight rounds remain in the competition.
With Jake White signing a four-year deal as a coach, may the good times roll on in the capital.
Gareth
Guest
From SA: Still can't believe we fired Jake White two weeks after we won the World Cup in 2007. That's loser mentality and shows what politics does to sport.
The Cattery
Roar Guru
Worthwhile pointing out that the Brumbies got 19k against the Tahs, a very good crowd for Canberra - a reminder that in Canberra, rugby remains king.
Bakkies
Guest
Fisher is a proud Canberran. He wouldn't go to another Australian team to coach against the Brumbies. I reckon he learnt a lot at Munster in terms of forward play and getting young blokes in to the side. He was a successful under age coach along with White
Blinky Bill of Bellingen
Guest
Granted he's a World Cup winner & even managed with Eddie 'helping'. ;) (Sorry couldn't resist that one). However South Africa has depth that we can only dream of. :( So what could he do with what we have at the Wallaby level is I guess what I'm wondering? Truck loads of injuries, not much depth, not much time to work with them and don't forget he gets them pretty much skilled at the standards that our provinces find acceptable. If he got the gig against the Lions I imagine Robbie would be thinking 'welcome to my world'.
matthew
Guest
It's a no-brainer. Look at whites CV with the Boks even under all kinds of political pressure. Tri Nations in his first season, bringing in new players that lasted another 8 year's and in some cases becoming legends of the game. He changed the Boks from a laughing stock in 2003 to a team often ranked 1 and 2nd in the world over his tenure excepting 2006 when he decided to rest key players in trying to achieve his ultimate goal in winning the RWC (as he initially stated when he first took the job). A true coach through and through and its very obvious when you see his straightforward answers in any press conferenece and his passion for the game.
Minz
Guest
What will be interesting will be to see where White will pull another fly-half from... Brumbies have now lost both their first-choice and back-up fly-halves this year :(
Johnno
Guest
World cup winnder as head coach and had Eddie jones as his sidekick. I think a world cup winner head coach is credible enough evidence to prove h is up to coaching the wallabies in a lions seires 2013 and the world cup 2015.
Blinky Bill of Bellingen
Guest
It's interesting that Jake White is being mentioned as Wallaby Coach. I had a similar thought early on in the season when I saw the results he was achieving, and put it aside figuring that sooner rather than later the Brumbies would crash to Earth in a reality check. It's not been the case though. Once that issue of 'Jake White to coach England' business was put to rest, one could see that the culture, confidence and invariably the results improved to the point where they are out in front in the Australian Conference. God who would have thought eh? I now have the feeling that, with what's going on in Qld, Ewen McKenzie may not be seen in quite the same light as future coach of the Wallabies. His future move within the Red set-up (Director of Coaching is it?) and bringing Richard Graham onboard smells fishy to me. Or to put it bluntly Graham will find Ewen a hard act to follow, so he's on a hiding to nothing. Is Ewen's move more about quarantining himself with an eye on the Wallaby job than what's best for the Reds? At this point in time one would have to score Jake White as the best Wallaby candidate of all the Australian Super teams & the National set-up. But could what he has done with the Brumbies translate to the Wallabies? For me that's the question.
Johnno
Guest
Get Jake White in now for the wallaby job.
apelu
Guest
The Brumbies have never been a kicking team, even in their glory days. In fact, Leali'ifano is kicking better than any of the kicker they had before. They have alwasy been a ball-in-hand team. Larkham will be remember for 'that drop goal', but he was first and a foremost a running and passing flyhalf of the highest order. No one, not even the great Ella in my opinion, could match him in the bullet-flat pass that hits the receiver on the chest. He was the greatest exponent of that style, and we are seeing it already in this young Bumbies team. White has created an environement where everyone in the organisation can peform at his best; that's a sign of a great leader and great teacher or coach. The ARU needs to seriously consider him to replace the floundering Dingo, say, after the next year's Super rugby.
Justin
Guest
God points Nick and gree with much of what you have said about White and Fisher. From memory (which is always great) Fisher was pretty stiff last time at the Brumbies. I think they missed finals by a beez and or a bp in a couple of years...
nickoldschool
Roar Guru
Very good summary of what's going on at the Brumbies John. They are not many coaches holding a WC trophy who would have taken up the challenge of managing a young, inexperienced team at SR level. His reputation was at stake and its never good to have a bottom three/wooden spoon line on your CV. Everyone predicted that and we were all wrong. And the more I listen to White, the more i realise what a class act he is: humble, honest and straightforward. And what about Laurie Fisher: from head coach to assistant with the same passion and professionalism. How many ppl whould have held a grudge or tried to undermine the new coach etc? Not Fisher. What a true professional he is. With guys like White and Fisher around, young Brumbies are exposed to the 'right values'. Great story.
Johnno
Guest
I saw Jake White and Grahame Henry both interview on the World cup and a lot in common it was 2 of the most impressive rugby union interviews I have seen in along time. The viewer was spoiled for choice 2 world cup winner head coaches on the same night. A lot in common how. -both classy and strong rugby union knowledge obvious. -both talked a lot about team building hence linked to building winning culture -Both world cup winners as head coaches -Both above Link and Robbie Deans Why oh why can't we just put Jake White in as wallabies coach right now. Cricket did it with Micky Arthur, they cut teflon Tim we need to do the same with Deans, send him to Italy Russia or Georgia or somewhere or team like that. -With cricket ht best coach in the nation was rightly given the top job and quite state cricket and took his rightful position. -Well Jake White should do the same and be given the same status, he is a much better coach than Deans, and has the runs on the board to prove it. -We have the lions series coming up massive series for aussie rugby we don't want to lose that not good for the sport if we do. We are playing a top notch Lions teams masses of depth more than our wallabies. Then the world cup we need a top coach for the Lions and that man is Jake White or Nick Mallett not Deans. How would anyone want Deans to stay on fate this awful world cup and the fact we have a better coach in the nation is beyond me just like the cricket scenario.