Roar Guru
The Brumbies host their southern neighbours the Rebels in this intriguing intra-conference game. Join us on The Roar for live scores and commentary from 7:20pm (AEST).
The only Australian team not to lose last weekend have the daunting task of winning in Canberra, having never won in the Nation’s Capital in their young history.
The closest they have come is to get within 15 of the Brumbies, who are two wins away from equalling their best ever home streak of 13 between 1996 and 1998.
The Brumbies will be hurting after their loss to the Blues last weekend, both mentally and physically.
The big surprise is the change at the base of the pack, with Nic White starting on the pine for Michael Dowsett, a scrumhalf from the Sydney club competition who has nine caps off the bench for the Brumbies in 2014 and 2015.
The Brumbies will look to dominate the set piece, with the best lineout success rate in the competition of 91 per cent, against the Rebels who hold the worst at 78 per cent.
The Rebels will arrive in Canberra refreshed after a week off, ready to capitalise on any Brumbies weakness and prove that they are closing the gap across the conference.
A strong battle at the breakdown is guaranteed with Sean McMahon growing with each game and, captain Scott Higginbotham leading from the front. However the main question will be whether they can give their inventive backs enough ball to make inroads and take advantage of some new Brumbies backline combinations.
A tough one to call as the Rebels have been unlucky in many of their games this year and are playing the conference’s most inventive footy.
However the Brumbies are a powerhouse at home and this advantage may just be enough.
Brumbies by 2.