The Brumbies can beat the Chiefs on Saturday if they play to their set pieces and the likes of George Smith and Henry Speight fire, according to the ACT side’s former captain Stephen Hoiles.
The ex-Wallaby and Waratah forward, who spent five seasons with the Brumbies from 2007 to 2011, described the Australian conference champions as a “young side that seem undaunted by big challenges”.
Hoiles said the last minute semi-final 26-23 win over the Bulls in Pretoria was “fantastic”, and believes that the Brumbies can take the next step and defeat the Chiefs in Hamilton.
“They need to play to their set piece, not allow the Chiefs open runners too many opportunities and make the breakdown as competitive as possible,” he said.
Brumbies legend Smith is one of the keys if the Aussie team is to get over the outfit from Waikato, Hoiles believes.
“They couldn’t have won without him last week,” he said of his old teammate.
“His presence is absolutely crucial.”
Flying Fijian winger Henry Speight is one rising Brumby who has caught Hoiles eye.
“Henry Speight doesn’t get too much credit for his form,” he said. “He’s got to be the best winger in Australia.”
Hoiles was coached at the Brumbies by the likes of current assistant Laurie Fisher, Andy Friend and Tony Rea.
The 31-year-old, who has also been coached by Ewen McKenzie, Eddie Jones and John Connolly during his rugby career, said current Brumbies boss Jake White has had a massive impact on the Canberra-franchise.
“He’s made significant change to their program,” he said.
“They have spent more time and money on making the players bigger, fitter, faster and they work exceptionally hard on basic skills.
“He along with Dean Benton, Laurie Fisher and Larkham have put together a program that makes players far better than when they arrived in Canberra.”
The Brumbies are Australia’s most successful Super Rugby team, after capturing two titles from five finals, and Hoiles said the club is special because of the close-knit nature of its set-up and squad.
“Many guys move down there on their own, without much of a support network,” he said.
“Not many have family or friends in Canberra so they use each other to help them through life’s challenges.
“Even though they are young footballers, they still face off-field challenges in life and having a teammate help you through these day-to-day challenges adds to the spirit in the team.”
Follow John Davidson on Twitter @johnnyddavidson
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