Brumbies’ hardened edge will serve them well in Super Rugby finals, Eddie Jones writes

THE Brumbies were born out of a bunch of cast-offs with a strong “us v them” mentality - that toughness will serve them well in the finals.

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - JUNE 28: Jacques Potgieter of the Waratahs is tackled by Scott Fardy of the Brumbies during the round 17 Super Rugby match between the Waratahs and the Brumbies at ANZ Stadium on June 28, 2014 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Mark Nolan/Getty Images)

THE ACT Brumbies were born as largely a bunch of cast offs with a strong “us v them” mentality with their slightly blue collar ranks bristling against those with silver spoons.

The biggest silvertails were the NSW Waratahs, the province with the most players, most money and generally the most Wallabies.

The Waratahs also had a soft underbelly in the heat of the kitchen.

It was all fed by the Brumbies being somewhat remote geographically.

The Brumbies tonight must dispose of the courageous Chiefs in a knockout final to earn a crack at the Waratahs in a semi-final in a week.

The Chiefs from New Zealand have an ethic in defence that is second to none. A faltering lineout and slightly buckling scrum has derailed their title defence but they still remain outstanding.

Conversely, the Brumbies, under Steve Larkham, have improved their ability to take attacking opportunities anywhere on the field.

This is in contrast to last year’s method of a stricter field position game imposed by former mentor Jake White.

The likes of Matt Toomua and Henry Speight have thrived.

Toomua is now the best flyhalf in Australia and his clash with Bernard Foley if the Brumbies get through to face the Silver Spooners will be fascinating.

Waratahs coach Michael Cheika is a born and bred Randwick boy from Sydney. He is street smart and has roots embedded in a blue collar background so the change in the Waratahs has been through the force of his personality.

Now, previous part-time performers like Wycliff Palu, Tatafu Polota-Nau and Adam Ashley-Cooper are week in, week out nose-to-the-grindstone types.

All the elements have made the Waratahs a far more resilient team.

The Brumbies defence is still good and they have the ability to rush the Waratahs, forced handling errors and charge downs on the kick.

The Waratahs beat their rush last time the team’s played by kicking and playing off halfback Nick Phipps more. They were very smart tactics by Cheika so the Waratahs have coaching acumen in their corner too.

I’m tipping the Brumbies to edge the Chiefs in an excellent game tonight in Canberra before upsetting the Waratahs. The Brumbies will want a set piece contest and the Waratahs, with lineout problems to fix, a more unstructured contest.

Originally published as Brumbies’ hardened edge will serve them well in Super Rugby finals, Eddie Jones writes