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'We won't disappoint': How the Brumbies plan to upset the Crusaders in Trans-Tasman opener
By AAP
The Brumbies are hopeful three weeks on the road against new opponents will help ease the heartbreak of their Super Rugby AU grand-final loss to Queensland.
It doesn't get any easier for the Brumbies, who were beaten after the bell and face New Zealand's top three teams in the opening rounds of Super Rugby Trans-Tasman which kicks off this Friday.
Their first match is against the Super Rugby Aotearoa champions the Crusaders in Christchurch on Saturday afternoon.
Lock Darcy Swain said packing their bags for the new challenge meant they didn't have time to dwell too much on the defeat and don't plan to revisit the loss either.
Swain himself has particularly painful memories after being yellow-carded in the 77th minute and being sidelined while James O'Connor scored the 84th-minute match-winner.
"We're not going to review it; we're trying our best to park it," Swain said on Tuesday.
"It's a good opportunity to jump back on the horse - it's a big task but we back ourselves.
"We've played those Australian teams twice now as well as last year so it will be a good challenge to go over to New Zealand and play their style."
Bookmakers have written off the hopes of Australian teams of winning the inaugural title but Swain feels they have the talent and game plan to be competitive.
"We don't need to go over there and start doing a crazy amount of different things; we just need to back ourselves and stick to our defensive plans and attacking shape and play with heart," the Wallabies hopeful said.
"We go over there as now probably the second best in Australia having lost to the Reds but a lot of what we do will reflect on Australian rugby ... we won't disappoint."
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SBW’s bro’town commentary and lazy default to hyperbole should be ignored, a technical analyst he is not. Sotutu is a good player when games get goosey loosey, high skill set that fans of Zinzan recall with starry eyes. But you need power and mongrel at no8 in the Test arena and Sotutu gets found wanting there, much like Akira Ioane. No8’s like Zinzan and Ardie have bucketloads of mongrel and power and tenacity which allow the skill sets to flourish.
Go to commentsAn inside pass to attacker on the angle can make a drift defence look lead footed. Relies on fleet footed forward/s to get across from the breakdown. An argument for the smaller faster 7 perhaps?
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