Brumbies have backs to the wall
THEY LAST BEAT A FOREIGN SIDE IN 2016
The Sharks begin their overseas tour against a Brumbies side that will be desperate to somehow, anyhow, get back on the winning trail in Super Rugby in Canberra today.
The Brumbies are coming off successive losses as they play their first home game of the season, but even being back in Canberra is not necessarily a good omen as they haven’t won a home game against a team from outside Australia since 2016, a run of six successive losses.
To make matters worse for the Brumbies, the Sharks will be comfortable playing in Canberra because they have won four of their last seven games in Australia, losing two by margins narrow enough to earn the losing bonus point. Last year they won 27-22 in the Australian capital.
The match brings two exciting backlines together, but coach Robert du Preez has preferred to focus on the Brumbies pack.
“This is a really good Brumbies team with a formidable pack of forwards who like to drive. It’s going to be a big, big game and we want to get our tour off to a great start,” Du Preez said.
“We’ve seen a lot of lineout driving from them, they probably play a bit more than they did in the past and they’re not scared to run the ball out of their own 22.
“If you give them any opportunities or scraps, they will really pounce on that. We are going to have to be on top of our game to make sure we control it the way we want. We need to dominate up front, that’s where it’s all going to start. We need to bring big physicality, that’s really important for us.”
The Brumbies are tied first for rucks won and in second place for dominant tackles in the Sanzaar Super Rugby statistics, illustrating how difficult they are to break down as a side. The Sharks will certainly need to show patience, something that has been a problem area for them at times this season.