ACT Brumbies brimming with belief that they can wreck NSW Waratahs hopes of staging Super Rugby final

THE Brumbies say they can “beat any team in the competition” as they attempt to reach their second successive grand final.

CANBERRA, AUSTRALIA - JULY 11: Scott Sio of the Brumbies is tackled during the round 19 Super Rugby match between the Brumbies and the Force at Canberra Stadium on July 11, 2014 in Canberra, Australia. (Photo by Stefan Postles/Getty Images)

THE Brumbies say they can “beat any team in the competition” as they attempt to reach their second successive grand final.

While favouritism for this weekend’s semi-final rests heavily with rivals NSW, the visitors are planning to ruin the party in Sydney on Saturday night at Allianz Stadium.

The Waratahs hammered an undermanned Brumbies team 39-8 three weeks ago, while the Canberra side won the first clash this season 28-23.

And while NSW finished minor premiers and will enjoy raucous home support from a packed stadium, Brumbies prop Scott Sio declared: “There is the belief in our team that we can beat any team in the competition on our day.

“And it’s finals time. This brings a new vibe to both teams.

“The ledger is one-all, but finals time is a different story.”

Brumbies coaching director Laurie Fisher added: “There’s a lot of sporting events that aren’t won by favourites.

“We’ve just got to be confident in our game, we’ve got to work hard to execute our game, defend well, all the basics.

“The result won’t be determined by who is favourite, the result will be determined by who plays best on the night.”

The Brumbies vowed to provide a sterner challenge for NSW than their last encounter.

“We had a number of injures, six Wallabies and then T (Tevita Kuridrani) went down as well,” backrower Scott Fardy said.

“The Tahs took their chances and we didn’t.

“They came first, we came fourth [in the final standings].

“They’ve been excellent this year, they’ve won [seven] in a row, and they’re at home.

“They’re definitely favourites this week.”

Originally published as ACT Brumbies brimming with belief that they can wreck NSW Waratahs hopes of staging Super Rugby final