1
Blues up first in fortnight that could make or break Brumbies’ season
By AAP
It's the fortnight that could make or break the ACT Brumbies' Super Rugby Pacific season.
An away trip to Auckland to face the Blues, before returning home to host the league-leading Crusaders seven days later.
Wins, particularly one at the Eden Park fortress, could set the Brumbies on course for a top-two finish and a potential home semi-final as they seek to make their first trans-Tasman decider since 2013.
Even the ever-balanced Brumbies coach Stephen Larkham admitted there was a degree more weight put on the importance of performances in the next fortnight to send a message to the rest of the competition.
"It certainly would (build confidence), but you don't want to fall into the trap of getting complacent," he said.
"This is our first challenge … the top-of-the-table New Zealand teams two weeks in a row is a tough challenge.
"We'll look for our performance first, and if the results come our way then we'll know we're on track in terms of the way that we prepared.
"If they haven't, then we'll change a few things into next week."
A win this weekend would require snapping their Eden Park hoodoo, with the Brumbies having failed to beat the Blues at the venue since 2013.
The Blues have been an absolute buzz-saw at Eden Park against Australian teams, winning their past 10 encounters by an average margin of 26 points.
The hosts also have a trio of handy inclusions, with All Blacks superstar winger Mark Telea joined by lock Patrick Tuipulotu and centre Bryce Heem back in the side.
"Traditionally it's probably the hardest game of the season whenever you have to play at Eden Park," Larkham said.
"Since Super Rugby started they've always been a good team, they're close to the top of the table ... they've been playing some amazing footy, so this will be our biggest challenge so far."
Trending on RugbyPass
2
'I don't see them being that dominant force that they have been'
3
'Cat is out of the bag' over Curry after 'uphill battle': Sanderson
4
Saints confirm severity of Ollie Sleightholme setback
5
Latest Comments
You can take the boy out of Queensland but you can’t take the Queensland out of the boy 😀.
Thor is getting paid very nicely by the Tahs but to expect him to turn against Queensland was always fantasy. He’s just pretending to be a fake Tah.
Taniela is human and a deeply emotional one. Trying to turn him in to a traitor is just typical Tah arrogance and hubris. After all, a Tah would have no problem with it. Look at Michael Hooper and Kurtley Beale …..
Seru Uru is fantastic and is just growing and growing. Almost Fardy like which is probably the highest compliment you could pay him. Schmidt will ignore him because he represents a serious threat to the All Blacks.
If Schmidt doesn’t get some serious wins this year, Australian rugby and the Tahs would have wasted another couple of years and another couple of million Australian rugby dollars on another hopeless kiwi, when we could have been giving a real Australian coach some invaluable experience.
I don’t think Schmidt will be able to handle the pressure and will crumble and become completely irrational in his selections and tactics just like Deans and Rennie did.
Or he could be like every other kiwi who has failed in Australia and say, it wasn’t my fault !
Go to commentsRUDER CYBER TECH SLEUTHS specializes in recovering lost cryptocurrency assets like USDT and Bitcoin. They use advanced technology to trace funds sent incorrectly or to scammers. I was amazed to learn asset recovery was possible. Their professionalism and dedication give clients hope for retrieving lost funds. They deserve more recognition for their exceptional work. Email: support@rudercybertechsleuths.com WhatsApp: +12132801476 Telegram: @rudercybersleuths Email: info@rudercybertechsleuths.com
Go to comments