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The Brumbies. Nice neutral ground to get started with. Nobody hates the Brumbies. With new coach Andy we are all Friends (hah!) with the Brumbies. This is an exciting year for Australian rugby. For New Zealand and South Africa is a bit same old perhaps with players off to Europe and largely the same squads as last year but for us here in Oz we come into this Super 14 with stronger squads and more exciting young talent then we’ve had for a long time. It looks like the strain placed on the Super 14 teams by the arrival of the Force has finally lifted and a golden era will return to Australian rugby. There is just no room for success for all four teams though is there? So who will sink and who will swim. It could be anyone but is it going to be the Brumbies?
Form from 2008
The Brumbies had their worst year in a long time in 2008. They ended up 3rd out of the Australian teams and in the lowly 9th place and three straight losses to end the season. Had those last three gone the other way they could’ve made the finals but for the fourth and final time (for ex-coach Laurie Fisher anyway) they just didn’t have enough gas in the tank. Fisher’s reign was characterised by patchy form- beating a great team one week only to lose to an average one the next. It’s fair to say they’ve had injury issues but so does everyone and that’s where depth comes in. After so many years of missing out on the finals by the skin of their teeth, was 2008 the beginning of the decline or will the Brumbies bounce back under Friend.
Comings and Goings
New coach! Years of near misses have taken their toll on Laurie Fisher who finds himself with a lot of other guys with crazy beards in the dole queue. From the Harlequins in the UK comes Andy Friend. Friend has turned the Quins from GP try-hards to a highly competitive unit that is making waves in both the GP and the Heineken Cup this year as a testament to Friends hard work.
The Brumbies sure have been busy in the off season and have some very interesting new recruits to show for it. The real big name for the Brumbies in 2009 will be Stephen Moore. Moore has hit his peak on the recent Wallabies season and will provide a more well rounded option than Huia Edmonds and Saia Faingaa who has done the old switcheroo to the Reds. Moore has spent time with almost all of the Brumbies pack through the Wallabies and won’t take long to get settled. After being out with injury for most of last season one hit wonder Wallaby Ben Alexander will be in for good this year and show that he has it in him to be Australia’s premier loose-head. The second row has seen a bit of a mix-up with Sitaleki Timani, Ben Hand and Shawn Mackay all coming into the squad. While not exceptional players they keep the Brumbies forward stocks looking strong. The trade off for these three, however, sees Ali Campbell, Richard Stanford and Adam Wallace-Harrison all move on making it a fairly even trade. Bruising back rower Jone Tawake has also left and the Brumbies and they will miss a player of his physical calibre in the loose forwards.
Following brother Saia, Anthony Faingaa has left for the Reds. The Brumbies are fully stocked in the centres and couldn’t find the room for Anthony despite knowing they needed him to keep Saia. The place that couldn’t be found for Anthony has been filled with Afusipa Taumoepeau, who impressed in the few appearances he made in 2008. After sustaining what he thought was a career ending neck injury Peter Playford called time on rugby at the Brumbies only to make a recovery and will be lining up for the Waratahs in 2009. Alfi Mafi, ironically from the Waratahs, takes his place and will push hard for game time amongst some exciting backs. Former Force scrum-half James Stannard has made a shock return to the Super 14 as a part of the Brumbies squad for 2009. Many expected him to head to Japan and were surprised to hear he’d been picked up by Friend.
Finally, I don’t think I’m alone in expressing a distinct sadness with the premature end of Julian Huxley’s rugby career due to a brain tumour. It takes a lot of character to turn from being one team’s reject to another team’s star. While he should be thankful that he has recovered safely it couldn’t have come at a worse time for Huxley who was at the peak of his career at the time.
Players to watch out for...
While Ben Alexander has been getting a lot of attention of late playing with the Wallabies, a lot of eyes will be on Brumbies beast Salesi Ma’afu. At a time when Australian rugby is still in desperate need for a quality tight-head the monstrous Ma’afu needs to show himself as a genuine test candidate. With competition like Al Baxter this shouldn’t be too hard. I think he’s got what it takes but he really needs to unseat Guy Shepherdson, who just hasn’t been himself since RWC 07, and get a full season at 3.
In a team game it’s not often that one player makes a huge impact on how the whole team plays but I think this will be the case this year for Josh Holmes. As the only truly explosive halfback in the Brumbies set-up they need Holmes at his best after an average 2008. Phibbs and Stannard are good enough if they have the talent outside them but the Brumbies just don’t have that luxury at fly-half. They need Holmes playing excellent rugby to really take the pressure off Lealiifano, who has a lot of work cut out for him.
The Strengths
The Brumbies have great depth in some areas. The pack is really strong and the back three and centres have some great options. With many Wallabies and fringe Wallabies in the squad the potential is really there. They are probably the only Super 14 squad who can say that the players they’ve gained in 2009 are better or as good as the ones they’ve lost from 2008. Friend will have an exciting and fresh approach that may just be the catalyst for a Brumbies resurgence.
The draw also looks pretty good for them with key away games against Super 14 light-weights the Lions, Cheetahs and Highlanders. Win those and the home fixtures and there are home and dry in the finals.
The Weaknesses
Ball players. The Brumbies have some real tackle breakers- Mortlock and Adam Ashley-Cooper are very hard men to bring down- but there is really no one there to help out and take the pressure off fly halves Christian Lealiifano and Matt Toomua. Neither of them is experienced and under pressure may not be up to the task. If they can’t control the attack and run the game and keep things organised the Brumbies just won’t be able to make good on their impressive backline. Not having a fixed and reliable scrum-half doesn’t help the pair either.
Another concern for the Brumbies in 2009 is ball-carriers in the back row. Simply put there aren’t really any big powerful guys to get go forward ball and keep play over the advantage line. Smith and Hoiles are lock-ins and neither is renowned for their ability to make yards through sheer physicality.
Prediction for 2009
It all comes down to the 9-10 combination. I hate to bring it up but the hangover from the Gregan-Larkham combo still hasn’t lifted. With an ace 9-10 combo I’d peg the Brumbies as tournament favourites but the reality is much closer to having one of the weaker pairings in the competition. Does anyone care to remember what happened when Sam Norton-Knight was Wallabies fly-half? It could be like that where complete ineptitude under pressure causes a team much, much better than their opposition to come within a whisper of what would’ve been their most embarrassing loss for many, many years. Remember when the Wallabies routed the Springboks 49-0? It was because the half-back pairing of Januarie and van der Westhyzen just wasn’t working. Could it be the same for the Brumbies? Am I being melodramatic? Probably.
The Brumbies have the goods. They’ll have a fresh approach. They are one of the few squads in 2009 that is better than it was in 2008. They’ll score a few away wins and enough at home to set themselves up for a well-deserved 5th place.
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Originally Posted by mudskipper
