Roar Guru
The Brumbies have an opportunity to secure a rare Super Rugby away win when they travel to Argentina to take on the struggling Jaguares. Join The Roar for live scores and commentary from 7:40am AEST.
After starting the season with a 4-1 winning record, the Jaguares have failed to kick on, losing 5 of their past 6 matches which included a hugely disappointing defeat to the Force a fortnight ago.
Indeed the Jaguares have failed to make the most of a favourable home draw in recent weeks, only securing a win over the Sunwolves to go with defeats to the Sharks and Force.
Now, a win against the Brumbies is a must for Argentina’s sole Super Rugby outfit. The Jaguares need to win their remaining matches against the ACT, Rebels and Waratahs to even stand a small chance of securing a finals birth. They also have to rely on the Sharks losing their remaining matches.
The Brumbies meanwhile have plenty to play for, given that they are well in the running to finishing as the best team within the Australian conference, with the Waratahs close behind.
The Jaguares at their best though could prove a significant hurdle for the Brumbies, and with plenty on the line for both teams, tonight’s contest should go down to the wire.
In team news, the Jaguares have named a powerful side to tackle the Brumbies as they look to bounce back from their upset loss against the Force.
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The team is laden with Pumas Test stars including captain Agustin Creevy, five-eighth Nicolas Sanchez, fullback Joaquin Tuculet and halfback Martin Landajo.
Meanwhile, the Brumbies will field an unchanged side for the first time this season as they look to take another step towards securing a finals berth.
Coach Stephen Larkham will rely on the same team which beat the Kings in Port Elizabeth last round for Sunday morning’s match in Buenos Aires where a win will tighten their grip on the Australian conference.
A victory will put a significant gap on the second-placed Waratahs.
Prop Ben Alexander is set to equal club legend George Smith’s record of 142 Brumbies caps.
Tom Banks keeps his place at fullback after a mixed performance against the Kings, making amends for giving away a penalty try and being sent to the sin bin by scoring an important five-pointer in the second half.
Aidan Toua remains on the wing after also scoring in the come-from-behind victory in the first leg of the Brumbies’ world tour.
Halfback Joe Powell will be among the Brumbies who are hopeful of making Michael Cheika’s 33-man Wallabies squad to be announced on Tuesday, after a strong season replacing injured Pumas playmaker Tomas Cubelli.
Prediction
The Brumbies simply have too much to play for to let this match slip. With the international break coming up, both teams should be expected to give it their all but the Brumbies have what it takes to secure the win.
Brumbies by 5