Brumbies v Tahs: Waratahs discard Lachlan McCaffrey fired up for battle against old club
David Pocock is in danger of missing Friday’s clash against the Waratahs, but another Brumbies backrower is determined to do damage against NSW.
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The “not good enough to be a Waratah” motivation factor has virtually disappeared these days for the Brumbies, but not for the man who could step in for David Pocock on Friday night against NSW.
Former Waratah Lachlan McCaffrey is in line to start if superstar Pocock succumbs to a calf injury, and like veteran Brumbies teammate Sam Carter, still carries the irritation of being overlooked by NSW coaches while coming through for Eastwood and Sydney University respectively.
McCaffrey, who played one Super Rugby match for NSW in 2010, says the rivalry between the Brumbies and NSW is not what it has been.
“Obviously a lot of the boys at the Brumbies were probably seen as never good enough to make it at the Waratahs, but that’s a healthy competition,” McCaffrey said.
“We had a healthy win versus those boys last round in Sydney.
“We’ve got a young squad that are mostly from Canberra. Probably 10 years ago most of the squad were probably down from Sydney who couldn’t make the squad like me and Carts, could never get to the Waratahs.
“It’s probably a little bit [of motivation] for us, but a lot of the Canberra boys don’t have any affiliation with the Waratahs system at all.”
If Pocock is ruled out, it would be a huge blow for the home side at GIO Stadium.
Their Wallabies prop Allan Alaalatoa is already expected to be sidelined with a wrist injury for the crucial game, to be replaced by 20-year-old debutant Tom Ross.
Brumbies coach Dan McKellar has several options if Pocock is unfit, but they certainly will not be the same force without the openside flanker.
“We’re pretty lucky, Tom Cusack is not a bad player, or Pete has the flexibility of playing across the whole back row, Robbie Valetini is in really good form,” McCaffrey said.
“So I think as a forward pack in general, not just the backrow, everyone looks after each other there if someone is out or someone is not up to scratch.
“The tight five is doing a really good job. As a complete package as a forward pack I think we’re doing some really good things.”
McCaffrey was rested from last weekend’s defeat to the Melbourne Rebels, which left the Brumbies with three losses from four games.
“It’s never nice having the week off but I think it’s important in a long season, important for myself coming in fresh for this week, but also the backrow mix for the squad,” McCaffrey said.
“We’ve got five or six backrowers there that are pushing for selection, it’s healthy to have that competition for spots within the backrow and the squad.
“The advantage of this year is we’ve got players who can step up, and Dan can rotate the squad in different positions a little bit.
“I feel great this week and hopefully can play as many minutes as possible.”
In their previous encounter, the Brumbies produced a huge 40-31 upset at Allianz Stadium in the final round last season, ensuring the Tahs did not get a top two finish and therefore had to travel to Johannesburg for the semi-final, which they lost to the Lions.
Originally published as Brumbies v Tahs: Waratahs discard Lachlan McCaffrey fired up for battle against old club
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