Brumbies still boast strong line-up despite loss of injured players, NSW prop Benn Robinson says

THE Brumbies will be without a number of Wallaby stars for their clash with the Waratahs but NSW prop Benn Robinson says they still pose a threat.

Prop Benn Robinson passes during Waratahs training at Kippax Oval,Moore Park.Picture Gregg Porteous

IT has been labelled as the Waratahs’ “biggest game of the year” but that may be selling it short.

Outside of finals appearances, it is one of the biggest in the Waratahs’ Super Rugby history.

With the potential to secure the Australian conference title by beating rivals the Brumbies tomorrow night, NSW can also take a big stride to their first ever minor premiership, and a long-awaited maiden title as well.

If the Waratahs win their final three games, victory in a home semi-final could then see them host a first home final as well.

The Tahs targeted a top two finish at the start of the season but history shows hosting a final is essentially a must to win a Super Rugby premiership. In 18 seasons, the host of the final has won the final 14 times.

Teams like to have destiny in their own hands, but favourable circumstances now has destiny in NSW’s catcher’s mitt.

The Brumbies will be without nine injured Wallabies or first-teamers at ANZ Stadium, after which NSW meet the Highlanders at home next Sunday afternoon and then finish against a Reds side missing Will Genia, Quade Cooper and Liam Gill.

For veteran prop Benn Robinson however, who becomes the equal second-most capped Waratah on Friday night, the experience of 130 games has trained him to do one thing: ignore all of the above. Every calculation and permutation.

“The key thing is winning, and we haven’t played any of those games yet,” Robinson said.

“It is week by week for me at the moment, and it is week by week for the team. Destiny will sort itself out.

“If we are a good enough team to win three in a row, then hopefully we will get that home semi. But we haven’t done it yet, and the players and the coaches aren’t talking about “if this happens and then that happens”.

“You don’t want to get caught up calculating things or presuming a result will go your way. That’s a fast way to ensuring it won’t.

“It is a week by week scenario, and that’s the way it’s always been for me.”

The Waratahs won’t believe the hype and even though Andrew Smith yesterday joined a casualty list already containing Stephen Moore, Pat McCabe, Matt Toomua, David Pocock, Sam Carter and Joe Tomane, NSW were keen yesterday to downplay suggestions the wounded Brumbies were easy marks.

“For those guys, its situation perfect. We are quite settled and things are going OK, and it seems that everyone thinks they’re in disarray down there,” defence coach Nathan Grey said.

“You only have to look at the quality of their coaches and their players to know they’re going to be very well prepared. Whatever issues they’ve had in terms of guys not being available, they’re going to adjust their strategies accordingly. They’ll be very, very dangerous.”

Waratahs wing Rob Horne admitted the stakes were high and said he hoped the buzz of last week’s Wallaby win over France at Allianz Stadium could flow through to ANZ Stadium.

“It’s a big game. It’s the biggest game of the year for us, for sure,” Horne said.

“A game against the Brumbies always a big game. They have their “Tah week” set up, so they obviously put it on a pedestal as well,

“There’s a really good feeling in NSW at the moment about the Waratahs and rugby, in general. We need to turn up.

“When you get a full house at the footy stadium on Saturday arvo, it’s pretty special, and every single person who turned up to that game … are potentially NSW supporters. If we can get them to every home game, it’s looking pretty good.”

Originally published as Brumbies still boast strong line-up despite loss of injured players, NSW prop Benn Robinson says