Brumbies go on booze ban to focus on winning for Mackay
Greg Growden Chief Rugby Correspondent | April 13, 2009

THE Brumbies players have placed themselves under an alcohol ban to ensure they provide the right tribute to Shawn Mackay by making the Super 14 finals.

On a wet, miserable Canberra Saturday night, the Brumbies succeeded in celebrating the life of Mackay, who died earlier in the week in a Durban hospital, by defeating the Stormers and keeping touch with the competition leaders.

After the victory, Brumbies fullback Mark Gerrard was asked whether they would raise a glass for Mackay that night. Gerrard said they would be showing restraint: "We'll toast 'Macca', but what we are going to do as a team is stay off it [alcohol] for a couple of weeks," he said. "The goal for us is to make him proud and get as many wins as we can. So with that comes a few sacrifices. Not having him here means we won't be celebrating as much as if he was here. But we will continue to celebrate his life by winning games of rugby."

The Brumbies are just one win out of the top four, but can realistically afford to lose only one of their last five matches if they want to stay in contention.

It doesn't get any easier this week, with the Brumbies to play the in-form Bulls at Canberra Stadium on Friday night, just two days after Mackay's funeral in Sydney.

However, Brumbies coach Andy Friend believes his group has the rare ability to remain composed and focused in the face of adversity.

"They showed a lot of character this week, and they were always going to turn up on the night against the Stormers," Friend said. "I must admit that the Stormers try just after half-time when their captain Jean de Villiers ran around so many, had me a bit concerned. This came just after we gave the team a big rap in the dressing rooms during the break, especially over how our defence had worked really well in the first half.

"But there was great character shown after that. It wasn't pretty, but we got the win, which was very deserving. Winning becomes a habit, as does losing, so this is something we can build on."

The end of the Canberra dry spell may also have helped the Brumbies. From the 20th minute, the game was marred by torrential rain, but it had the desired effect with the Brumbies playing a more direct game, which limited their errors.

The Brumbies' strength up front, especially at the scrum, gave them great confidence, even though the Stormers succeeded in disrupting the home team's lineout ball.

The Brumbies will also have to wait until today to find out whether they will be confronting Bulls and Springboks second-rower Bakkies Botha.

Botha was cited for striking during the Waratahs match, but his SANZAR judiciary hearing was adjourned to today.

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