Chiefs all but extinguish Force’s finals hopes in record Tron trouncing, injury concerns for Dmac
The Chiefs have moved up the Super Rugby ladder and all but secured their inclusion in finals, putting on a commanding display to dispatch…
Having sat back and watched the Queensland Reds and Melbourne Rebels go into battle for a place in Saturday’s Super Rugby AU final, the Brumbies are primed for a slice of the action.
They will host the Reds at GIO Stadium on Saturday night in the first decider in Canberra since the Brumbies beat the Crusaders 47-28 in 2004.
The Brumbies earned a weekend off after topping the regular season ladder, while the Reds eliminated the Rebels in a brutal match that resulted in a number of casualties, including star Queensland centre Jordan Petaia.
The young gun was forced off with a head knock but is expected to take his place in the final while winger Chris Feauai-Sautia is in doubt with a groin injury.
Brumbies fullback Tom Banks said they took the weekend off to freshen up but kept an eye on the Reds game.
“It was a really physical battle and the Reds played really well,” Banks said on Monday.
“It was good to have the weekend off to get away from footy and now we’ve start a good week of prep to fine-tune a few things and really come into the game firing.”
The teams met in the final round, although it was effectively a dead rubber with both assured of their place in the playoffs.
The Reds outplayed the Brumbies 26-7 to level their head-to-head after they were pipped 22-20 in round five, courtesy of a penalty kick by the Brumbies’ Mack Hansen after fulltime.
“It all comes back to us this week,” Banks, who was one of 13 Brumbies included the Wallabies squad on Sunday, said.
“We know we didn’t do too well against them last time and we know what we need to improve on.”
© AAP
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.
The Chiefs have moved up the Super Rugby ladder and all but secured their inclusion in finals, putting on a commanding display to dispatch…
Not what the Force needed to start the half with...
The TMO gave this Emoni Narawa try the all-clear. Fair call?
It was carnage from the outset for the Force, with an error off the kick-off and then a penalty gifting the Chiefs the first…
A win 25 years in the making. The Reds' last victory over the Crusaders in Christchurch came in 1999 - and they celebrated hard…
This try put the Crusaders back in the game and set up a blockbuster finish in Christchurch. Was the right call made?