In perhaps the most interesting fixture of this round of the Super XV the highly fancied Stormers, who have battled for consistency to date, faced an unbeaten Brumbies side who top the table under the tutelage of World Cup winning Springbok coach Jake White.
To get the inside word on what we can expect in this heavyweight clash we’ve sought the opinions of two good friends, Shaun from JudgeRugby, and die-hard Brumbies’ fan Trev.
How important is this weekend’s game in the overall scheme of things? | |
It is huge for the Stormers to get their season and momentum going. Coming off a Chiefs win and bye things have been set up well for beating the competition leaders. A loss would seriously hurt our play-off aspirations. This game is our season’s turning point! | In the scheme of the Brumbies making the finals, the result of this weekend’s game is not that critical, as the Brumbies would have only planned on possibly 5 points out of the SA tour. The benefit of the Brumbies getting up this week comes in two cases, one being the continued run of away wins, as I would be keen to see the Brumbies set a really impressive record, after beating the Crusaders run with 7 after the Sharks win. The second benefit is it will assist in the Brumbies push to not only be the number 1 team in the Australian Conference, but be 1st overall to hopefully get a home semi-final and a home final, should they win that semi-final. |
What strengths do your side bring to this encounter? | |
The crowd at home is a massive advantage, while the return of Juan de Jongh and Tiaan Liebenberg will help the side hugely. Elton Jantjies has got to come good soon and has had time to settle so hopefully it will be this weekend. Nic Groom off the bench will be a man to watch in the game’s closing minutes. | The number one strength that the Brumbies bring is the team cohesion, which allows things like losing a superstar in David Pocock for the season, to not disrupt the flow of the team. The second strength that should assist the Brumbies in knocking over the Stormers is the perfect mixture of attacking rugby leading to tries, with a great defence, especially in the second half of games. While it isn’t really a team strength as such, some of the Brumbies are in top form which is raising Wallabies interest for the Lions tour, especially Ben Mowen, Jesse Mogg and Henry Speight. |
What weaknesses do the opposition have which your side will look to exploit? | |
It is difficult to pick a weakness anywhere in their side that can be targeted, the key will have to be consistent work up front that will provide the outside backs with good clean solid ball. Solid hard hitting game plan with our big forwards should do the job. | The key weakness that the Brumbies may look to exploit is the fact that the Stormers are so defence orientated that the Brumbies balanced attack v defence should put them in the box seat. The one time this season that the Stormers showed some attacking flair, their defence fell in a hole allowing the Chiefs to score 4 tries, where as the Stormers could only manage 3 themselves. |
Who will be the key player for your side? | |
Jean de Villiers has moved back to inside centre and will provide the necessary support and communication on defence for both Jantjies and de Jongh which may have been lacking the past few weeks. Up front we need Andries Bekker to regain some of his old solid form. | Rather than nominating a single key player, my assessment is that the Brumbies loose forwards of Ben Mowen at blindside, George Smith at Openside and Fotu Auelua as number 8 will be key to putting the Brumbies forward pack on the front foot, which should open up the Stormer’s defence for the Brumbies in-form backline. If I have to nominate one key player, then I predict it will be Ben Mowen’s leadership and current hot form. |
How will the match unfold? | |
If the Stormers can get into the defensive groove and establish their game plan early on to stifle the attacking dominance of the Brumbies we will have almost a test match like game on our hands. If not and the Stormers are in the same mood as the Aussie outfit it could turn into a try fest. The weather seems decent on Saturday with no real wind to speak of and partly cloudy conditions which will allow for some great running rugby. Both sides are more than capable of hitting their straps and scoring tries- Stormers 21 – 19 Brumbies | I expect the Brumbies to come out firing and possibly run in a try or two, before the Stormer’s defence quiets the Brumbies down, and the Stormers will edge their way back into the contest. While the Brumbies fitness is great, and will allow their defence to counter the Stormer’s comeback, I suspect that the Brumbies may be adversely affected by the two week tour. But the Brumbies defence will be strong enough to restrict the Stormers to a single try, allowing them to run out winners – Brumbies 24 – Stormers 19 (3 tries to 1) |