As Brad Thorn would put it about his former teams the Crusaders and the Broncos as well as rugby league in general, I am “quite fond” of the Brumbies.
I moved to Canberra 14 years ago for four years and really came to appreciate how much Canberrans love their great rugby team. And why wouldn’t they? In their short history the Brumbies have forged a place in Super Rugby folklore as the most consistent Australian franchise and have nurtured Wallabies legends such as George Gregan, Stephen Larkham, George Smith and Stirling Mortlock to name a few.
That’s why it’s a little disappointing that following a great match at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday night Brumbies coach Dan McKeller and captain Allan Alaalatoa bleated about Reds tighthead prop Taniela Tupou’s scrummaging. As Thorn alluded to, the main reason Tupou owned Brumbies loosehead Scott Sio is that he is a 138-kilogram bundle of muscle and bone who has been taught to scrummage well by the Reds.
(Photo by Mark Nolan/Getty Images)
Deal with it, Dan and Allan. Some men are stars and others live in their shadows. Complaining in a press conference because your team lacked the ability to win the scrum is pretty poor form.
Unfortunately it wasn’t the only bit of poor form by the Brumbies on the night. Sitting not far from the sideline, the view was clear as they systematically engaged in a lot of cheap off-the-ball play, pushes in the back and jersey pulling mainly. The worst offender was Tevita Kuridrani. The K-Train has been a legend of Aussie rugby over the years, but he looks so unfit at the moment that I felt like asking around for an asthma puffer and offering it to him. Kuridrani was so puffed early in the game that he couldn’t catch a ball to save himself and missed tackles when he would never have done so previously. All he had left when faced with the Wonder Kid Jordan Petaia were cheap shoves in the back.
Is that the sort of thing that a World Cup final try-scorer like Kuridrani wants to be remembered for? Is this the sort of team culture Dan McKeller wants for his legacy at the Brumbies, when he has been so committed to improving the Brumbies attack beyond the ubiquitous rolling maul? I reckon that the Brumbies legacy deserves better additions than that.
It was clear that the Brumbies were using the dead rubber to try some attacking moves from their own half. Brumbies fullback Tom Banks ran the ball back rather than kicking it – he also stepped up to first receiver on at least one occasion – and there was an attempted counter-attack from the Brumbies’ own line. This was a good start for the Brumbies, but it is uncertain whether they have the tools in the shed to make that sort of attack really effective in the next two weeks.
In contrast the Reds have invested two years with Jim McKay as their attack coach, learning his practices on unstructured play, with all the mistakes and criticism risk-taking attracts. What is notably superior about the Reds attack is the reaction time when there is an unplanned occurrence, the awareness of space, the standard of support play and the consequent confidence of players that if they offload, their teammates will be where they should.
What is telling is the number of times a risky offload is made that goes to ground but is still picked up to maintain possession and often score. These players have complete confidence in each other, making their attack at tool no other Australian team presently enjoys. Good on the Brumbies for trying, though, and if they keep doing so over the next two weeks and if Kuridrani does twice the usual number of star jumps, perhaps they will get better results than they did from their cheap play.
For the Reds, though, facing the Brumbies is not guaranteed as they have the Rebels to contend with in the semi-final next week at Suncorp. They are playing well enough to suggest that it is their game to lose. However, the try they allowed the Brumbies to score off the lineout at halftime gives a pretty strong hint of how that could happen. From the sidelines the loss of focus and urgency as the siren went off was palpable. The Reds checked out and paid the price.
There are only 80 minutes to play next week and, if the Reds get that right, another 80 to glory. Skills-wise these Reds have the tools in the box, but the real battle is for mental perfection, as it has been all season.
Richie
Roar Rookie
Of course! Dangerous though. Having said that it’s one more game to go. Who wants it most.
gatesy
Roar Guru
....do you think it was a smokescreen?
Rhys Bosley
Roar Pro
Thanks Buk
Buk
Roar Rookie
For a schmuck, your articles are extremely well written. :thumbup:
Rhys Bosley
Roar Pro
If the Brumbies need some schmuck like me off the internet to motivate them, they really are in trouble.
Dougie
Roar Rookie
Markus is Lolesio available for the final ?
Buk
Roar Rookie
Sure hope they don't put the title of this piece up in the Brumbies dressing room
stillmissit
Roar Guru
Should be a couple of great weekends.
JD Kiwi
Roar Rookie
Fair post Ringside. But I think he's only done three or full seasons as a coach at any level? That's baby territory really.
Ringside
Roar Rookie
I'm still here! But I agree they are improving and its great to see and I'd love for Thorne to prove me wrong. It's his third season at the helm though with the first two being bitter disappointments so I'd hardly call him an inexperienced coach. My biggest gripe with the Reds under coach has surprisingly been defence and their discipline, two areas I would of thought Thorne had control of much much quicker than he has. Great to see though that this is starting to really turn around and is having a huge impact on their overall game as they build confidence in their defensive structures and have much better continuity in their gameplay. The recent defensive hire should be the one signalled out, as he has really turned around the defence since the Waratah debacle.
Mudslider
Guest
Reds played a cohesive game and were the best on the day. A few brief points Brumbies blew several tries, points lost. Extreme scrutiny by the the referee. But that’s how it goes. The game was a dead rubber as the Brumbies gage really secured the home final with a bye week. However not widely reported was the extensive 4 hour travel time undertaken by the Brumbies due to QLD COVID restrictions on the Game day before they played in Brisbane. Th Reds are in there best form for some years which is great, should be a good final if they win this coming weekend. Don’t think they’ll get it so easy in Canberra.
Derek Murray
Roar Rookie
And after 2014, they were the saviours. Oh well
Richie
Roar Rookie
Nice summary Gatesy. Word here on the ground is Lolesio is close! It was clear the game plan used by the brumbies was high risk, however I guarantee their next game will be different, way different. No matter who they play. The reds should be very careful this weekend.
Rhys
Roar Rookie
Totally agree and that's why I'm excited for the final, Brumbies will hopefully have been slapped in the face and now know they need to lift. Reds, need to continue to prove they're improving and Rebels will be hungry as underdogs to prove they belong in their first finals series. Lots to play for, hope for some great matches.
They have said they are looking for 15k to the first final Butcher
I definately think he has ( is on ) the sauce
Spot on Ozinsa....To sign Gibson was dumb...To re sign him was beyond belief. Between him and Cheika Aus rugby has had it tough over the last few years and has performed way below their capability...
Muglair
Roar Rookie
I am not even buying that. Australian rugby does not have many more chances. Setting a low benchmark of achievement for 5+5 risks not reaching it again. We have to grow from strength. SR AU is an OK competition with a reasonable standard of rugby usually played by at least one team in a match. Some really good games and some shockers where both teams played poorly. I do not understand why all of the boosters thinking that SR AU is proof that we can go it alone, can't see an alternative that finally we could have a great NRC competition instead of the one round of rubbish post season for SR fringe players to win a contract. 2 teams (max 3) in a TT plus a good NRC provides a really solid foundation to build from strength plus two good pieces of viable content. It will only work for rugby when there is a sensible pathway from club to NRC to SR to Wallaby. That is the only thing that will work for broadcasters too. RA is trying to create some concept which a mug TV buyer thinks they can sell to a non-rugby audience. I watched the Raiders/Chooks game on Saturday, to see SBW and Morris' 300th game. It just kills me to watch the monotony of tackle and play the ball. Watching breakdowns does the same thing to non-rugby supporters. It is time we accept it and focus on competitions and initiatives which improve rugby and and are attractive to rugby supporters. That is a big and lucrative enough market to be chasing.
Muglair
Roar Rookie
It was great to see the Reds putting a lot of the pieces together. Given all the grief NSW and Qld get from the other states I have started to like them. Just a little bit. Like SMI I have been waiting all year to finally see it start to click. It will be disappointing if they do not keep improving from here. Definitely a team I like to watch and it will be a bit of a step back for SR AU if they do not go on to win the competition. The Brumbies and Rebels are not good enough to be champions.
Markus
Roar Rookie
TK has had two poor games in a row, I can't remember the last time that was the case. Even when he has had average games in the past it has largely just come from not threatening in attack, he was still retaining possession and making his tackles. With Kuenzle there Simone is essentially running the backline, it is understandable if he is confused as he has never been a specialist flyhalf. Lolesio is not a saviour but they play well off each other and give each other more options. Miller a good game again but needs to be that bit more clinical next time, he gave away 3 crucial penalties.