Brumbies
Like every fine season of Super Rugby, all is not revealed until the final weekend of the regular season, and the 2014 campaign, and 19th tournament overall of the Southern Hemisphere’s premier provincial competition, will be no different.
However congratulations must be offered to the Waratahs, who offered one piece of clarity over the weekend with their 44-16 win over the Highlanders.
With that, the Waratahs has for the first time qualified as the top-ranked team after the regular season, and become the ninth franchise in history to finish as ‘minor premiers’.
For coach Michael Cheika and his troops, this will be a significant fact even though he was quick to remind all who would listen that the Super Rugby Finals Series would be another step up for a team that looks the goods.
However, as Cheika correctly pointed out, there will be teams with more experience at this stage of the season and this is a crucial factor for potential champions.
Matt Toomua
The Brumbies have called in the cavalry with six highly experienced players returning for Friday’s do or die match with the Force.
Pat McCabe, Matt Toomua, Tom McVerry, Josh Mann-Rea, Sam Carter and Joe Tomane have all been included in the match-day 23 providing the Brumbies with world class talent to chase a spot in the competition’s top six.
Nic White will line up for his 50th cap with the side while Ben Mowen equals George Gregan’s record 49 caps as captain.
Fotu Auelua
Brumbies cult hero Fotu Auelua has put pen to paper to stay with the club for another season, through to the end of 2015.
With 30 caps to his name, the 30-year-old loose-forward has developed into one of the club’s old heads and was a member of the Brumbies leadership group through pre-season 2014.
Arriving in Canberra from Japan in 2012, Auelua has become a fan favourite over the last three years thanks to his take-no-prisoners approach to getting his side over the advantage line.
Auelua said he was looking forward to another 12 months in the Australian capital.
The Waratahs are top of the table, three points clear of the Sharks, with guaranteed Super Rugby Finals Series qualification which sees them placed as Australia’s best hope.
The Brumbies and the Force are not out of it yet.
A win to the two-time champions against the Western Australians in Canberra will give them 44-45 points, right on the threshold of what might be the lowest mark to reach the top six.
Meanwhile the Reds and Rebels play for pride.
Stephen Larkham
Stephen Larkham has committed to another three years as Brumbies Head Coach, taking him through to the end of the 2017 Super Rugby season.
The announcement comes as Laurie Fisher confirmed he will finish his tenure as Director of Rugby with the Brumbies at season’s end to pursue opportunities in Europe.
“It’s a huge moment in my career to be extending my position here. I’ve had a long history with the Brumbies with some success, but the idea of new challenges has made this really exciting for me and my family,” Larkham said.
Waratahs (14) 39 / 8 (5) Brumbies (Final Score)
The Waratahs and Brumbies did battle in Super Rugby at
ANZ Stadium, Sydney at 11:40 SA Time (19:40 AEST, 09:40 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 & SHD on TV in SA.
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Joe Tomane
Wallaby coach Ewen McKenzie believes Joe Tomane will soon be back in the selection frame for the national team.
The Wallaby and Brumbies wing, Tomane, signed a new two-year deal with the Australia Rugby Union that will take him through until at least the end of 2016.
His signature further bolsters the rich talent available to the Wallabies in the outside backs with Tomane determined to add to the nine caps he has earned since making his debut in 2012.
The Brumbies have named their team to play the Waratahs in Sydney with Robbie Coleman winning his 50th cap and prop Ruaidhri Murphy making his first start at hooker.
In the backs Robbie Coleman will celebrate his 50th game on the wing after making his debut against the Reds back in 2010 and has since gone on to cement a spot in the top squad in 2014.
Ruaidhri Murphy will make his first appearance as a hooker on Saturday when the Brumbies travel to Sydney to take on the Waratahs.
Matt Toomua
The Brumbies hopes of reaching the 2014 Super Rugby finals have been dealt a blow as Wallabies star Matt Toomua has joined an joined a growing list of casualties.
The Canberra based Super Rugby franchise are now feeling the cost of a three week break for the June Internationals which has left several key players in doubt for this week’s match against the Waratahs on Saturday.
Toomua (adductor), Josh Mann-Rea (hamstring) and Joseph Tomane (cheekbone), will all have scans on Monday to determine whether they will be able to play against the Waratahs at ANZ Stadium.
Pat McCabe has a shoulder problem and is being considered as a 50-50 chance to play while Sam Carter is still wearing a moon boot and is in a race to reach fitness for the match against the Western Force on 11 July.
Brumbies (25) 37 / 10 (3) Rebels (Final Score)
The Brumbies and Melbourne Rebels did battle in Super Rugby at
GIO Stadium, Canberra at 11:40 SA Time (19:40 AEST, 09:40 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 & SHD on TV in SA.
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Clyde Rathbone
Forgotten Wallaby wing Clyde Rathbone will retire at the end of the season after being called up by the Brumbies for his first Super Rugby game this year.
Rathbone, 32, who has not featured for the Brumbies since last year’s Final against the Chiefs – as a result of injury and illness – will play on the left wing against the Rebels in Canberra on Saturday.
South African-born Rathbone, who has had a chequered playing career punctuated by serious injuries, said he would be calling it quits.
The Chiefs’ two-year reign as Super Rugby champions is under threat after their 45-8 loss to the Hurricanes during the Round 15 clash, in which tournament standings underwent seismic transformation.
South Africa’s Sharks provided an element of stability by beating the Auckland-based Blues 29-23 to remain atop the championships ladder, five points clear of the New South Wales Waratahs.
The Chiefs and ACT Brumbies, who were beaten 44-23 by the Pretoria-based Bulls, not only gave up their places atop the New Zealand and Australian conferences but entirely dropped out of the top six.
It is a measure of the closeness of this season’s playoffs race that a single round can so thoroughly change the leading standings and a single defeat can impinge so heavily on any team’s title hopes.
Bulls (23) 44 / 23 (6) Brumbies (Final Score)
The Vodacom Bulls and Brumbies did battle in Super Rugby at
Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria at 19:10 SA Time (17:10 GMT, 03:10 Saturday AEST).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1, SHD & M-Net on TV in SA.
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The lowest mark for a Super Rugby Finals Series qualifier over recent years has been 53, meaning that this season one can mathematically assume in 2014 at least 45 points gives a team a chance of playing knockout rugby.
Remember 8 less points are on offer in 2014 with nothing awarded for a bye.
The Melbourne Rebels are now out of calculations, for while a potentially brilliant perfect 25 from 25 points in their closing run covers the rudimentary maths, they would need to rely on a perfect maelstrom of losing chaos at the top of the table.
The Blues, although 1oth and in a precarious position on the Log, have 5 games left, but from hereon in it is crunch time for them. They almost need a flawless run from here and a loss to the Sharks, will certainly put them out of the running on the weekend.
For the Vodacom Bulls, it becomes doubly difficult now, they only have 4 games left, compared to 5 by most of the teams above them in the pecking order. One more loss, and you can write them off. They need a near perfect run in their 4 games, earning at least 17 Log points from 4 games, so that means at least one bonus point try win and the rest all wins.
Evaluation in reverse order:
Frans Ludeke
The Bulls won’t have revenge on their minds when they face the Brumbies in a Super Rugby clash at Loftus Versfeld on Friday night.
The Brumbies broke the Bulls hearts when they beat the men from Pretoria 26-23 in last year’s semi-final at Loftus, with centre Tevita Kuridrani’s late try sealing the win for the men from Canberra.
While it would be important to have a look at what cost them in that game, coach Frans Ludeke said revenge would not be on their minds.
The Brumbies have taken to the courts in an attempt to get A$25 000 (R 240 000.00) from Jake White for walking out on them half-way through his contract.
According to reports, White was served papers in Canberra the day before the Sharks clashed with the Brumbies on 10 May.
According to documents lodged in the ACT Magistrates Court, the amount is understood to be the final portion of an estimated A$200 000 (about R1.93m) White owed the Brumbies after violating a non-compete clause in his contract with them.
Cheetahs (9) 27 / 21 (11) Brumbies (Final Score)
The Toyota Cheetahs and Brumbies did battle in Super Rugby at
Free Sate Stadium, Bloemfontein at 19:10 SA Time (17:10 GMT, 03:10 Sunday AEST).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1, SHD & M-Net on TV in SA.
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Henry Speight returns to the wing for his first appearance since fracturing his jaw in Round 5 when the Brumbies take on the Cheetahs at the Free State Stadium on Saturday, the Brumbies’ official website reports.
Scott Fardy and Jesse Mogg remain committed to representing Australia at the Rugby World Cup after re-signing new deals to the end of 2015.
The Brumbies have had a busy week or two retaining players, the likes of Wallabies Nic White, Christian Lealiifano and Matt Toomua have all resigned for the Canberra club.
Henry Speight has recovered from a broken jaw making him available for the Brumbies against the Cheetahs clash in Bloemfontein on Saturday.
Speight is also itching to stake his claim for a long-awaited Wallabies berth with only five rounds plus finals remaining to prove himself to Test coach Ewen McKenzie.
The Brumbies have paid a dear after toppling former coach Jake White’s Sharks at the weekend.
Star wing Joe Tomane’s Super Rugby season may have come to an end, the result of a fractured cheekbone suffered in the 16-9 top-of-the-table win in Canberra.
Wallaby playmaker Christian Leali’ifano becomes the third Brumbies representative to re-sign with the Australian Rugby Union in the past week, signing a new two-year deal.
His signature follows the recent re-signings of provincial teammates Matt Toomua and Nic White and ensures Leali’ifano will remain in Australia beyond next year’s World Cup – with the talented backline star committing his future to at least the end of 2016.
Brumbies (6) 16 / 9 (3) Sharks (Final Score)
The Brumbies and Cell C Sharks did battle in Super Rugby at
GIO Stadium, Canberra at 11:40 SA Time (19:40 AEST, 09:40 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1, SHD & M-Net on TV in SA.
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This article is the 2nd of the series and continues the 3-part series analysing the fortunes so far and what could happen in the future with but several rounds of 2014 Super Rugby remaining.
It is time to look at the rising Australian Conference.
SUMMARY: With 3 teams in the top 6, Wallabies supporters have plenty of reasons to feel confident, the Brumbies and Waratahs are looking like contenders while the Force are arguably the fairy-tale of the campaign.
The Rebels have shown plenty of starch, even if there are few worried brows in Queensland of late.
Fotu Auelua returns to the starting line-up for the first time in 2014 when the Brumbies take on the Sharks in Canberra on Saturday.
Auelua is the only change to the starting side that went down to the Crusaders last weekend, with Jordan Smiler dropping back to the bench and Jack Whetton out of the game-day 23.
The Brumbies have re-signed Matt Toomua until the end of the 2017 Super Rugby season after he signed a three-year contract extension
Toomua is one of two players that have been signed to full-time Brumbies contracts from school and his new deal will see him playing for the Brumbies for 10 years.
Brumbies coach Stephen Larkham says his side will add some variations to their game to counter the inside knowledge of former coach Jake White this weekend.
White left the Brumbies last season after two years in charge, having guided them to the Super Rugby Final against the Chiefs, and he returns to Canberra this weekend as coach of the table-topping Sharks.
Crusaders (22) 40 / 20 (6) Brumbies (Final Score)
The Crusaders and Brumbies did battle in Super Rugby at
AMI Stadium, Christchurch at 06:35 SA Time (16:35 NZ Time, 14:35 AEST, 04:35 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1, SHD & CSN on TV in SA.
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The Brumbies have made just one change to the matchday squad ahead of the Super Rugby crunch encounter with the Crusaders.
Ruaidhri Murphy comes onto the bench for JP Smith ahead of Saturday’s trip to Christchurch.
The Toyota Cheetahs delivered their best performance of the Vodacom Super Rugby season when they won comfortably against the DHL Stormers in an exciting local derby, but the Vodacom Bulls and Cell C Sharks were kept try-less as they ended up on the losing side in Round 11.
The team from Central South Africa and the Capetonians were involved in an thrilling derby where the most tries were scored this season. The Toyota Cheetahs won this encounter in Bloemfontein on Saturday afternoon by 35-22, outscoring the visitors by five tries to three.
It was the most tries scored against the DHL Stormers in a local derby since the Cell C Sharks and Vodacom Bulls put five and seven respectively past them in 2007.
Earlier on Saturday, the Vodacom Bulls had to battle the elements and Sias Ebersohn’s boot in Perth. The Force beat the visitors from Pretoria by 15-9 in a kick-fest where no tries were scored.
The Brumbies will be crowned 2014 Vodacom Super Rugby champions – if bookmakers are to be believed…
The Brumbies, currently atop the Australian Conference and in second place in the Overall standings, have been installed as 33/10 favourites to add to their titles from 2001 and 2004, by SA bookies BetXchange.
Brumbies (13) 41 / 23 (6) Chiefs (Final Score)
The Brumbies and Chiefs did battle in Super Rugby at
GIO Stadium, Canberra at 09:40 SA Time (17:40 AEST, 19:40 NZ Time, 07:40 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1, SHD & CSN on TV in SA.
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Sam Carter returns to the starting side this Friday when the Brumbies take on the Chiefs in a Super Rugby Final rematch, Anzac Day showdown at GIO Stadium.
Two of the competition’s leading sides over the last two years go head to head in Canberra for the first time since 2011, with Carter one of just two adjustments to the side which also sees a return to the starting side of Christian Lealiifano at inside centre.
Pat McCabe moves back to the bench, while Tom Staniforth drops out of the match-day 23.
The Brumbies will play in a one-off, Anzac Commemorative jersey next Friday when the ACT-based side takes on the Chiefs in an Anzac Day, Super Rugby Final replay at GIO Stadium.
Celebrating the contributions of both Soldier On (Match Day Charity) and the Australian War Memorial, the Brumbies strip will feature iconic images on both the front and back of the jersey with the gold trim replaced by sky-blue for one night only.
Clyde Rathbone insists he is ready for a Super Rugby recall if required after making a successful comeback from injury on Saturday.
The South African-born Rathbone surprised many by joining up with the Brumbies’ Super Rugby squad at the end of the 2012 season – he announced his retirement in 2009.