The Brumbies outline where they must improve to beat Chiefs
While a 27-point win over the Rebels looks good on paper, the ACT Brumbies were far from happy with their opening Super Rugby Pacific match and are out to make amends in Melbourne on Sunday.
The Brumbies will face the Chiefs at AAMI Park as part of Super Round, with all 12 teams in action there over the weekend.
The Chiefs were also first-round winners, exacting some revenge from last year's grand-final loss to the Crusaders.
Brumbies skipper Allan Alaalatoa said the scoreline against the Rebels at the same venue had flattered his team and they'd identified areas for improvement.
Among the telling statistics the Canberra team missed 42 tackles and conceded a whopping 20 penalties.
"The score was good and we scored some points off some individual brilliance there with Charlie Cale and and Corey Toole, but there's definitely plenty to work on and that's something that we've touched on throughout the week," the injured prop told AAP.
"We're in for a massive game on Sunday - the Chiefs played really well against the Crusaders and that was a great game - so we've spoken about a lot of areas that we need to improve that will be key for us.
"Penalties have been a massive point for us especially ones that we can control around the ruck area, so we need to make sure we're better there because that could definitely hurt us this weekend.
"That's an area we've focused for this match and through the season."
Playing at No.8, Cale had a breakout Super match scoring two tries including one where the 23-year-old kicked ahead down the sideline and regathered to touch down.
Alaalatoa said he wasn't surprised by the athleticism of the Dubbo product, who has replaced France-based former Wallaby Pete Samu at the back of the scrum.
"It wasn't a surprise to me because he's been delivering that training for the last couple of years and been learning a lot off Pete (Samu) and has been biding his time," he said.
"Some of the stuff he does, he has a skill-set of another back."
Rupturing his Achilles during a Bledisloe Cup match last July, Alaalatoa has been working his way back to fitness and said he hoped to start running next week, targeting a return to Super Rugby in late April.
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It’s not new for nines to be the key playmaker. For the Boks it has been common, with Fourie du Preez and Joost vd Westhuizen being obvious examples. It's also not that recent for nines to be box kicking, covering high balls in the back field, and tackling in the defensive line. For example, Faf de Klerk has been doing all of that for years.
Go to commentsThe hell with this constant regurgitation of what this pretty boy is doing. For all I care he might as well be doing a Jamie Oliver cooking course. Rugby is not a progression toward the NFL, which, given its prominence in your reporting, you appear to regard as the ultimate contact sport. It has virtually nothing to do with rugby, and forever may that remain the case. I know that if I don’t like it I don’t have to read it, but I’m sick of seeing this dishwater-dull nonsense.
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