Super Rugby: Injury-hit Brumbies’ mid-season wobble could get worse

THE mid-season wobble the Brumbies are experiencing has the capacity to get a whole lot worse and ruin their premiership chances.

THE mid-season wobble the Brumbies are experiencing has the capacity to get a whole lot worse and ruin their premiership chances.

Losing 13-8 to Melbourne last Saturday – their first home defeat in 12 games – the Brumbies now face the daunting task of hosting the in-form Highlanders, then the rejuvenated Waratahs, before an arduous South African tour facing the impressive Stormers and Lions.

With five-eighth Matt Toomua sidelined with injury for at least the crucial two home games, the Brumbies will struggle to retain top spot in the Australian conference unless there is a sudden, remarkable turnaround.

They have now lost three of their past four games, allowing NSW to close the gap to three competition points with a game in hand.

The Brumbies are severely down on troops – Wallabies prop Scott Sio is unlikely to tour South Africa – but coach Stephen Larkham remains hopeful that key attacking weapons Tevita Kuridrani, Jesse Mogg, Nic White and James Dargaville will be available for selection against the Highlanders – who have more competition points than the Brumbies but because of the conference system, sit below them on the ladder.

Larkham blooded rookies Michael Dowsett, Nigel Ah Wong and Lausii Taliauli against the Rebels and while the side fell short, he will keep the faith.

“We struggled to carry the ball there, we battled away, but we didn’t really make a lot of metres - and it wasn’t a game for making a lot of metres, the ball was too slippery,” Larkham said.

“We need to give those guys another opportunity [this] week to see if they can really step up.”

Brumbies skipper Stephen Moore added: “It’s not up to guys who come in for their first game to win us the game, it’s up to the rest of us who’ve been there and played.

“That’s disappointing that the rest of us weren’t able to step up there.

“I thought the effort was pretty good, we were just a bit inaccurate at times.”

The Rebels continue to shine under coach Tony McGahan, whose influence at the franchise is taking inspiring shape.

The hard-nosed coach said his side, 11th on the table but seven points outside the top six with a game in hand over many rivals, will not get carried away with their tremendous victory in Canberra.

“We’ve had a few kick starts, our challenge is to continue to learn those lessons,” McGahan said.

“We’ve got a young group who are experiencing not only playing Super 15, but playing together for a lot of the time. Those relationships take a lot of time to form with training and playing, and coming out in really adverse conditions like this against a really good side.

“We’ve got to continue to seek improvement in what we do.”

In a better weekend for the Australian conference after the previous round yielded no wins, Queensland broke their losing streak by defeating the Cheetahs 18-17 largely on the back of a brilliant display from winger James O’Connor, who looks to be rediscovering his peak form.

Cheetahs five-eighth Joe Pietersen had the chance to win the game for his side in Bloemfontein with a relatively simple penalty in the final minute, but his kick hit the upright and was snatched by the Reds, with five-eighth Nick Frisby booting the ball into touch to secure Queensland’s second win of the season and lift them off bottom spot.

That unwanted position is now occupied by the Western Force, who still have not a won a game since their upset over the Waratahs in round one.

Should they lose on Friday to the Chiefs, it will equal a club record nine straight defeats.

The Force’s 13-6 home defeat to the Stormers last Saturday means they are the only team in Super Rugby yet to hit double digits in competition points.

Originally published as Super Rugby: Injury-hit Brumbies’ mid-season wobble could get worse