Jake White’s Brumbies look to equal another record and extend another when they take on the Stormers in Cape Town this weekend following one of their finest performances.
The Brumbies lead the competition with four wins from four games and if they defeat the Stormers on Sunday morning (AEDT) it will match the Canberra-based team’s best start to a season.
They’re also aiming to extend their Super Rugby record for most consecutive away wins to eight.
White has limited his team changes to just two, saying they want to replicate their first half against the Sharks in Durban last weekend when they turned on a four-try blitz.
Dan Palmer will start at prop to give Ben Alexander a rest and Ian Prior takes over at halfback for the injured Nic White.
“We won’t change much from the first 40 minutes of last week,” said White.
“The idea will be to play a high-tempo ball in hand game that asks questions of the opposing defence.”
That won’t be easy.
Despite their slow start to the season with two away losses, the Stormers have won the South African conference for the past two years and are renowned for their punishing and solid defence.
They also haven’t lost a regular round home game since round 17 in 2011.
And while they go into the match without injured 2012 South African rugby player of the year Bryan Habana, Brumbies inside centre Christian Lealiifano noted they still had plenty of firepower in their backline.
Elusive Juan de Jongh will start at outside centre for his first game of the season for the Stormers, with captain and fellow Springbok Jean de Villiers shifting to inside centre, while livewire winger Gio Aplon is always a threat.
However the Brumbies are happy with the way their own backline is developing, notably the maturing partnership between Lealiifano and five eighth Matt Toomua who both had their 2012 seasons cruelled by early injuries.
The Brumbies backline has scored the second most tries (12) this season, behind last year’s champions the Chiefs (13), and three times as many as the Stormers (4).
“If we score tries I can’t see the Stormers winning against us with kicks,” White said.
Felix
Guest
Sheek & BB nice insight on White & the Wallaby job,back to the game I cant think the Brumbies are better than a fresh Chiefs side Stormers faced last time at Newlands,I think this game will define just how good Kolisi would be on international level
Malo
Guest
Cracker of a game ahead brumbies will come over the top to win. No kidding JW wants the job and will get it. Bleeding obvious isnt it you goes really stick your necks on the line in predicting near certainties. Up there with Brett M uncontroversial and obvious insights.
sheek
Roar Guru
Personally I would prefer White to McKenzie, as treasonous as that might sound to some. I want the best man to coach the Wallabies, & I don't particularly care where he comes from. If an Aussie isn't good enough, then a Kiwi or Saffie will do.
atlas
Guest
New Zealand ...won’t accept non-kiwis I'd say that is wrong. "don't NEED" would be correct if you look at their coaching pool nationally and internationally - 34 coaching professionally overseas in 2012.
kingplaymaker
Roar Guru
So you can make sure if White has to wait, he'll wait, as long as it takes. He wants one more big shot, that's all he'll get. He's only just turned 50, so he doesn't need to rush but will wait for the perfect moment.
Tie me kangaroo down boy, tie me kangaroo down.......
kingplaymaker
Roar Guru
biltong even if he starts to win Super rugby? I think the issue here is that it would be a huge admission of defeat too. White I think wants to coach one of the talent pools that can produce a regular number 1 team in the world. South Africa, New Zealand, Australia, France, England. South Africa won't have him back it seems. New Zealand and France won't accept non-kiwis and non-French respectively. England would never accept him after he beat them in the 2007 RWC final. So that leaves.........
Sheek, as you rightly say, Jake White is a very, very smart man, and ontop of that he is a very, very ambitious man. If you watch closely at what he has done since arriving in Australia, the signs are all there. No doubting that he wants the Wallaby job,
kPM, Jake's bridges is burnt mate, he won't return to SA. The same with every other coach we have had since the pro era. SARU burns bridges, they aren't into creating continuity and relationships. Sadly that is how SA rugby is run, it truly peeves me off big time.
Sheek, I think it was him that chose hise gameplan mate, not the players. He indoctrination was so inbred into John Smit who he incidently coached from school level, that it lasted until John's retirement from international rugby.
kingplaymaker
Roar Guru
sheek and biltong, I think there is a crucial thing not mentioned here. In 2009 the law interpretations changed, hugely altering the game. This significantly favoured more attacking rugby and is the reason why attacking teams have been predominant since. White presumably recognises this and has adapted, to his credit. PDV'S failing was that he didn't adapt: a year or two before the RWC it was clear that the pre-2009 gameplan wasn't working, but instead of evolving a style to suit the new law interpretations, he fatally stuck with the old style. The problem now of course is that Meyer is persisting with this outdated style, while White has seen the that new law interpretations need a new style and is adapting..
kingplaymaker
Roar Guru
biltong a question for you. If Meyer has a bad year as South African coach, what chance a return for White? I assumed, maybe wrongly, that SARU could never reappoint White because it would mean admitting the mistake of replacing him with De Villiers in the first place, which would be difficult politically.
sheek
Roar Guru
Biltongbek, A wise coach cuts his coat to suit his cloth. Aussies prefer a more expansive game to you Saffies, & White is smart enough to understand this. So while adhering to the basics of a solid scrum, lineout & breakdown play & defence, he is also allowing his charges the opportunity to use their flair. The guy is smart, very smart.
You gotto love a guy like JW, when he coached SA tries was often not on the menu for his team, now he is advocating try scoring and basically hinting SA teams can't score tries.
sheek
Roar Guru
I am going to offer this observation - Jake White probably has the inside running on the Wallabies head coaching position. A lot of life is about timing (especially when we're conceived, being prime example!) & luck can either be good or bad for individuals. In 2008 Ewen McKenzie was not ready to be Wallabies head coach. In 2012, he was ready to be Wallabies head coach. By 2014, White will have moved into pole position. When John O'Neill extended Robbie Deans contract into 2012-13, McKenzie lost his great opportunity. Now White is heading up a rampant Brumbies outfit. The starts are aligning for White, & unraveling for McKenzie. Wallabies fans may have to get used to having successive foreign head coaches.