Breakdown - Plus500 Brumbies vs Sharks by brumbies

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BREAKDOWN: THE HIGHLIGHTS

5 14 17 21 43 58 74

Season 2018, Issue 1

COACHES CALL - Read the view of our Head Coach Dan McKellar on tonight’s Super Rugby encounter with our guests from South Africa, the Sharks. FEATURE STORY - This week’s feature story, as we chat to one of the Brumbies stars about rugby, life outside the game, and more.

THE BRUMBY YEARS - Each week we take a chronological look back at a season from the Brumbies past, reviewing the campaign and seeing what else happened in the World. THE ACT AND THE WALLABIES - The ACT has always had a long association with the Wallabies and, in this eight-part series, we examine some of those connections.

OUR OPPONENTS - Our ten-page section on our visitors to GIO Stadium starts here and includes everything you need to know about our guests.

THE WORLD OF RUGBY - The section dedicated to the World of Rugby featuring stories from South Africa, New Zealand and globally. CLOSER TO HOME - The latest news and reports from the Griffin Legal John I Dent Cup, Canberra’s Premier Club Rugby competition.

TEAM MANAGEMENT Head Coach: Dan McKellar Forwards Coach: Laurie Fisher Backs Coach: Peter Hewat Defence Coach: Peter Ryan Scrum Coach: Dan Palmer Team Manager: Bill Swain Media Manager: Russ Gibbs Director of Athletic Performance and Innovation: Ben Serpell Head Physiotherapist / Rehabilitation: Byron Field Team Doctor: Dr. Stephen Freeman Performance Consultant: John Pryor Team Physiotherapist: Dave Wellington Performance Analyst: Angus Teece GPS Analyst / PHD Candidate: Carmen Colomer Strength & Conditioning Coach: John Mitchell Strength & Conditioning Assistant: Barry Horgan RUPA Player Development Manager: Robin Duff

Super R

CLUB HONOU

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Plus500 BRUMBIES RUGBY Established: 1996

BREAKDOWN - Editor: Russ Gibbs Designer: Chelsea Wilson Contributors: Rian Murphy Photography: Getty Images. Lawrence Atkin

All this and plenty more every week in your copy of Breakdown – Plus500 Brumbies Official Matchday Magazine

facebook.com/GilbertRugby.AUSNZ @GILBERT_UNION gilbertrugby.com.au

GILBERT IS THE OFFICIAL BALL OF THE BRUMBIES

COACHES CALL with Dan McKellar Good evening and welcome to GIO Stadium for our first home match of the Super Rugby season as we welcome the Sharks to Canberra. It’s great to be here in front of our home supporters for my first match as Head Coach at GIO Stadium and I’m looking forward to the occasion. After starting the season with a good win in Tokyo against the Sunwolves we’ve suffered a couple of disappointing defeats in recent weeks to the Reds and Rebels. I’ve mentioned previously that we are in the process of making changes to how we play the game. Whilst we want to continue to have strong set piece, a strong maul and strong defence that we have been known for over the past few years, as Coach I feel that to develop we need to add to our game and be more threatening from unstructured scenarios in attack. As a group we feel we have shown glimpses of this change in the first three games of

the season. The challenge moving forward is to turn glimpses into consistent passages throughout the 80 minutes. I have been especially encouraged by the performances of our young players who have done well so far this season. We have also welcomed many new members to the Brumbies family with debuts for Richie Arnold, Rob Valetini, Isi Naisarani, Chance Peni and Matt Lucas in Tokyo and Folau Fainga’a in Melbourne last week. They’ve each shown flashes of what they are capable of and I’m sure there’s more of that to come. Within the club we are looking forward to the challenges ahead with confidence and that starts this evening against a very good opposition. Your support can certainly make the difference tonight as we play at GIO Stadium for the first time in 2018. The players love playing in front of friends, family and the loyal Brumbies supporters here in Canberra it really does lift them. Get behind the boys tonight and I hope you enjoy the match.

WOMEN’S SUPER RUGBY SET FOR CANBERRA STAGE The Brumbies Women’s Rugby team will commence their inaugural Buildcorp Super W season when they meet the Queensland Women’s XV at GIO Stadium this evening and in doing so will make history in the process. For this will be the first Buildcorp Super W match at the iconic stadium for the team in the newly-formed competition which features five sides with fixtures against Queensland, Rebels, NSW and Western Australia all to come during a busy March and April period. After tonight’s first match of the season the squad embarks on tricky back-to-back away matches against the Waratahs and Rebels before finishing the pool stages with a home fixture against Western Australia, also here at GIO Stadium, hoping to end the season in the top two and earn a shot at lifting the very first Women’s Super Rugby crown on the weekend of 20 April.

Pre-season form has been good for Tony Doherty and his charges with a first-up go at the Brisbane Tens providing a win against the Rebels before a narrow loss to NSW and a reverse to eventual champions Queensland. Two trial matches have brought comfortable victories, and tries aplenty, as the Rebels were swatted aside 70-5 and Central NSW defeated 31-0. Heading into tonight’s opening match, the Brumbies will be hoping for a strong start to the campaign but know that in Queensland they face a strong and talented opposition that will likely be favourites, alongside NSW, to be crowned champions at the end of the season. At home, with the Brumbies crowd behind them, the team will be hoping to spring a surprise in the season opener.

FIXTURES February

March

April

Brisbane Global Rugby Tens

Victoria (Trial -A) W 70-5

Central NSW (Trial-H) W 31-0

10/11

Bye

Reds (H), GIO Stadium, 17:00

Waratahs (A), Warringah Rugby Park, 15:00

Rebels (A), AAMI Park, 17:00

Western Australia (H), GIO Stadium, 17:00

Grand Final

TONIGHT’S LINE-UPS Brumbies 1 Anna Korovata 2 Louise Burrows 3 Peta Cox 4 Charlene Gubb 5 Michaela Leonard 6 Shellie Milward 7 Georgia O’Neill 8 Tayla Stanford

9 10 11 12 13 14 15

Jane Garraway Ashley Kara Kiahan Bellchambers Samantha Wood Paremo Marsh Talei Wilson Michelle Perry

Queensland 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Liz Patu Cheyenne Campbell Hana Ngaha Kiri Lingman Kirby Sefo Lucy Lockhart Ivy Kaleta Alexandra Hargreaves

9 10 11 12 13 14 15

Asako Ono Lavinia Gould Ivania Wong Nareta Marsters Alysia Lefau-Fakaosilea Lori Cramer Sammie Treherne

Replacements

16. Emerena Aviga, 17. Brittney-Lee Bedford, 18. Merrin Starr, 19. Jessica Howard, 20. Skye Churchill, 21. Remi Wilton, 22. Cecilia Smith, 23. Kiara Meredith-Brown

16. Wynona Baice, 17. Toa Filimoehala, 18. Shannon Mato, 19. Jasmine Kemp, 20. Ashlee Knight, 21. Ana Afui, 2 2. Eseta Aho-Fangaloka, 23. Sarah Riordan

MATCH OFFICIALS Referee: Reuben Keane

Assistant Referee 1: Brodie Ingram Assistant Referee 2: Mitch Dwyer Fourth Official: Rob Boyes Fifth Official: Geoff Palmer

WHAT’S ON AT GIO STADIUM TODAY West Precinct Bartercard bucking ball Brumbies Inflatables Field (From 5pm) Brumbies Portable Lineout Machine Brumbies Inflatable Brumby Jack Bartercard Balloon Animals Hahn ‘Beer it Beautiful’ Garden Rugby Choir (From 7pm – 7.30pm) Brumbies Buildcorp Super W Team Signing and Photo Appearance 7.10pm until 7.30pm at Brumbies Inflatable field

East Precinct Bartercard Tattoo and Face paint Rugby Choir (From 6.0pm – 6.40pm)

The Wallabies Australian Rugby Team

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BRUMBIES ACADEMY AIMS FOR NEXT GENERATION The re-introduction of the Brumbies Rugby Academy in mid-November of 2017 saw the first group of players arrive at Brumbies HQ to continue their journey towards a potential Super Rugby contract. An eclectic group of eight backs and five forwards would join up with the senior Brumbies squad in preseason before embarking on their own set of personalised programs in an endeavour to produce the next generation of Super Rugby talent from within the club ranks. The Academy, which will bridge the gap for talented players from the current pathway to the elite Super Rugby team, will be instrumental in the developing of individuals as players and coaches with the key focus being on the improvement of their core skills and physical development. Daniel Hooper was named as the initial Academy Head Coach with Ben Norcott appointed as Strength and Conditioning Coach and Tom Anderson as Academy Analyst. “The Academy will improve the transition from our pathways to our Super Rugby team,” Head Coach Dan McKellar commented at the time of the announcement. “It will provide a clearer pathway to the Brumbies squad for local players and will assist us with our succession planning. It is hoped that the Academy will enhance the number of local players that may make the Brumbies Rugby Super Rugby squad in the future.”

Brumbies CEO Michael Thomson was enthusiastic about the new Academy and what it could offer aspiring players in Canberra and beyond. The initial Academy intake, which began training on Monday 20 November 2017, featured a host of local recruits alongside some promising interstate talent as the Brumbies utilise the Academy for future succession planning. “This concept provides the organisation with an opportunity to identify, observe and develop local players and coaches and target future opportunities within the elite squad,” Thomson said. “The launch of this Academy

will help us to speed up the development of players in certain positions and will expose those players to the professional rugby environment so that any transition to the elite level is that much easier to handle. “ The importance of proper succession planning at the elite level cannot be understated and it’s envisaged that the current crop of Academy hopefuls will provide two or three players that may progress into the main squad for the 2019 Super Rugby season as Damien Hill, GM Professional Rugby & Pathways commented.

U18, Schoolboys and U19, into the open age bracket,” Hill said. “The crossover from our junior pathway into our senior Academy will occur in the U19 space for some of the players as they continue their progression in the game. The focus of the Academy will be to continue the development of players who have come through our junior pathways, and provide an opportunity for senior players to come into our pathway with the aim of achieving opportunities in the senior Brumbies squad over a one to three-year period.”

“The Academy continues the junior pathway, from our underage rep teams, U15, U16, NAME

POSITION

CLUB/HISTORY

Angus Allen

Backrow

Tuggeranong Vikings

Isaak Fines

Scrumhalf

Gungahlin Eagles

Will Goddard

Flyhalf

ACT Schools

Byron Hollingworth-Dessent

Wing

NSW CAS

Len Ikitau

Centre

Tuggeranong Vikings

Isaiah Latu

Centre/Wing

Queanbeyan Whites

Noah Lolesio

Centre

Australia Schools

Langi Lolotonga

Backrow

Easts

Lachlan Lonergan

Hooker

Tuggeranong Vikings

Liam Rasch

Lock/Backrow

Wests

Tom Ross

Prop

Gungahlin Eagles

Seamus Smith

Scrumhalf

ACT Schools

Angus Wagner

Scrumhalf

Tuggeranong Vikings

Head Coach: Daniel Hooper Strength & Conditioning Coach: Ben Norcott Academy Analyst: Tom Anderson

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BIRTHDAY BOY MCCAFFREY Turning 28 today, Birthday Boy Lachlan McCaffrey is back from a sojourn overseas to re-join the Plus500 Brumbies and is looking forward to the challenges that the 2018 Super Rugby season has in store. They say you should never go back, for as Mario Puzo, author of the Godfather book on which the movie trilogy was adapted, succinctly put it, “What is past is past. Never go back. Not for excuses. Not for justification, not for happiness. You are what you are, the world is what it.” And while that saying may hold true for many, there are always exceptions to every rule. One such exception is Brumbies backrower Lachlan McCaffrey who celebrates his 28th birthday today at a stadium he last appeared in back in 2014. Since then his rugby career, which had already included stints with the Waratahs and Force, had taken him overseas, specifically to England and London Welsh followed by the Tigers. So, what drew him back to the National Capital?

BACK AT BRUMBIES HOME “I enjoyed a year here previously and being close to my friends and family makes me very happy, and I think that’s when I play my best rugby,” McCaffrey confided in an exclusive interview for Breakdown. “Being close to home is where I wanted to be and I had good memories of the enjoyment I had last time, so I thought it would be a good fit for me. “The culture is still very much the same as it was and the club is run by some exceptionally good people. The biggest difference is the squad which, last time, had a lot more older heads in it and the majority of the squad was between 25-30. Now it’s around 20-25 and there are a lot of very talented young lads. They are a very receptive squad and are trying to learn new things and get better every day. It’s a very young group.” On his previous stint with the club McCaffrey was housemates with prop forward Allan Alaalatoa and, since his return, the pair have rekindled that friendship and share accommodation once more.

“It’s a little bit like old times living with Allan again,” McCaffrey commented. “But, I just love this club. They have always been near the top of the Australian Conference and if I was going to come back to Australia it was going to be a club close to home and when I found out the Brumbies were keen, I was very excited to re-join.” McCaffrey made something of a dream return to the team, coming on early in the match in Tokyo following an unfortunate injury to young tyro Rob Valetini, and claiming a try with his first touch of the ball. Since then he has also captained the side, taking the mantle last weekend against the Rebels when both Sam Carter and Christian Lealiifano had left the battle, although that honour was something of a surprise. “I didn’t know I was going to be captain until Fieldy [Head Physiotherapist Byron Field] came on with the water and told me that I was doing it!” McCaffrey said. “Really though it was just someone to talk to the referee and be a voice to the referee. It’s very unusual to have both Sam and Christian off at the same time but there are a lot of real leaders out there so really it was just being a figure for the referee to chat to.” Outside of his love of rugby, McCaffrey has developed another passion – for fly fishing. And that in turn is something that has led the

talented backrower into another sphere of influence, that of being an Ambassador to the Fly Program, run by Matt Tripet, down in Lake Crackenback. The Fly Program is a not-for-profit organisation seeking to raise the awareness and combat the impacts of depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and suicide in the Australian adult male community and McCaffrey is a proud ambassador. “I’ve always enjoyed being outdoors and being by the water,” he said. “It’s a very relaxing place to be for me. I’ve only been fly fishing for the last few years at places like Thredbo and Snowy River, before that I did a lot of beach fishing. “Matt Tripet and the Fly Program gave me the chance to be an Ambassador and to promote their program. It’s very relaxing and it’s a fulfilling role. I’m an outdoors person and always have been, what with having nine brothers and a sister so, growing up, we were always outdoors playing games and enjoying ourselves. “Being part of the Fly program allows me to continue to do that and I’m looking forward to sharing that experience with other people in the future.” For more information on the Fly Program please visit www.flyprogram.org.au or email info@flyprogram.org.au.

THE BRUMBY YEARS: 1996 THE SEASON Final Position: 5th The maiden season for the Brumbies in 1996 saw the team just fail to make the semifinals stage ending the year in fifth spot, but showcased some of the form that would make the club beloved of rugby fans worldwide. The team recorded seven wins and only four losses during the season, kicking off with a trio of wins against Transvaal, Hurricanes and the Blues before defeat at the hands of the Waratahs. It was a poor runin that ultimately cost them a finals spot however, as back-to-back defeats to Western Province in Cape Town, and more surprisingly Northern Transvaal in Canberra, left the Brumbies unable to take advantage of the Natal Sharks own end of season slump. Eventual champions, the Blues, were defeated 40-34 in Canberra and left many thinking what might have been.

THE KEY PLAYER Wing Joe Roff was the leading try-scorer for 1996 with seven but it was the hard-work, industry and sheer bloodymindedness of flanker Owen Finegan that ensured he won the Playersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Player of the Year award. Finegan put in some mighty displays during the year and crossed for three tries. A tireless worker, Finegan was equally happy carrying the ball into contact as he was crunching opposition runners in the tackle. Effective in the loose and adept at scrum time, Finegan had joined the club from Randwick to secure Super Rugby status and went on to play ninety times for the Brumbies, scoring a not insubstantial 155 points, and earn 56 international caps for Australia.

ONE TO REMEMBER

ONE TO FORGET

12/05/1996 Brumbies 70 Highlanders 26 (Bruce Stadium, Canberra) The Brumbies rounded out their debut season with a nine-try romp against the Highlanders at Bruce Stadium to end the campaign fifth on the ladder, a measly one point behind the Natal Sharks who claimed the fourth, and final, play-off spot. The home side did everything they could to make sure they were in the mix as they blitzed their Kiwi opponents in front of a large and enthusiastic crowd. The result was the biggest score racked up by any side in that first season of Super-12 and showed what the Canberra side could do on a good day. Mitch Hardy led the way in the try-scoring stakes, running in a treble, while Brett Robinson, making a surprise return to the team having suffered a fractured cheekbone earlier in the season, David Giffin. Ipolito Fenukitau, Joe Roff and Owen Finegan all crossed the line, with a penalty-try adding to the mix. David Knox contributed 21 points from the boot via six conversions and three penalties.

24/03/1996 Waratahs 44 Brumbies 10 (Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney) In front of 20,000 fans the Brumbies, who headed into the Round 4 match with three straight wins under their belts, came a cropper against their old foes from New South Wales, the Waratahs, being defeated handsomely, 44-10. Indeed, but for a brace of late consolation tries, by which stage the Waratahs had run in six unopposed scores, the margin of victory would have been even higher. It was one of those games thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s remembered in the long term as a pivotal moment, as it instilled in the Brumbies the fire and determination to always see off their interstate rivals. Joe Roff and Andrew Williams scored the Brumbies tries with a certain David Campese amongst the halfdozen to go over the whitewash for the hosts.

SUPER RUGBY FINALS RESULTS

SEMI-FINALS Reds 25 Natal 43 Blues 48 Northern Transvaal 11 FINAL Blues 45 Natal 21

ELSEWHERE IN….1996 • • • • • • •

Binti, a gorilla at the Brookfield Illinois Zoo, tended to a three-year-old boy who had fallen into her enclosure and was knocked unconscious and bleeding. After she heard the keepers coming in, she gave up the child freely. Jim Carrey was the first actor to make $20,000,000 to star in a single film, The Cable Guy. Rap star Tupac Shakur killed in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas. Sri Lanka win the Cricket World Cup, defeating Australia in the final. The North Melbourne Kangaroos won the AFL whilst the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles were crowned NRL Champions. Actor Charlie Sheen paid $6,537.50 to buy 2,615 tickets to a Major League Baseball game at Anaheim Stadium, hoping to catch a home run ball. Sheen and three of his friends sat alone, 20 rows up, but no home runs were hit that day. American TV presenter Oprah Winfrey started her world-famous Book Club.

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THE ACT AND THE WALLABIES: PART 1 THE SWINGING SIXTIES AND ACT WALLABIES Canberra, and the Australian Capital Territory in general, has had a close relationship with the Wallabies, and the international game, for over sixty years. In this new series, each week we will look at some of the stories that link our City, and its surrounding region, with the Australian international team. The 1960’s was a fairly lean time for Australian rugby in terms of fixtures with, compared to today’s multitest June series and Spring Tours, a limited amount of elite level action for supporters to get their teeth into. That didn’t make the games any less enthralling though and, for fans in the Australian Capital Territory, there was the bonus of five local players appearing in Wallabies colours.

When New Zealand toured Australia in 1962 they embarked on an epic tenmatch journey around the country that incorporated two test matches against the host nation. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fair to say they quite enjoyed the trip, winning nine of the games put before them and bagging a huge 426 points in the process. Some of the opposition were, however, simply lambs to the slaughter for a gifted Kiwi side. After New South Wales had stunned the New Zealanders 12-11 in the second match of the trip, the Kiwis would not lose again and they recorded a mammoth 103-0 thrashing of Northern New South Wales, a game in which wings Rod Heeps scored eight tries and Don McKay five as the New Zealanders ran in 22 unanswered scores. Heeps added four more for good measure it a 77-0 battering of South Australia. But it was the test matches that were to catch the eye of the general public and, in the first of those, the ACT would have representation through Peter Scott. The Brisbane Exhibition Ground was the venue and a rather disappointing crowd of only 10,000 turned up to see the All Blacks cruise to a 20-6 victory on a fine, but windy, afternoon, blessed relief after the rain that had fallen for most of the week.

The All Blacks were comfortable through most of the game after establishing a 17-0 half-time lead. That killed the match as a spectacle and the second half proved to be a lacklustre affair. Scott ensured the Wallabies got on the board on his debut, kicking two penalties, but Australia was well beaten. Scott kept his place for the Second test, kicking a conversion in the 14-5 loss at the Sydney Cricket Ground in what was to prove to be his final cap. England visited Australian shores in 1963 for a one-off test match on their way to touring New Zealand having won the Five Nations Championship that year. It wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t a great English side by an imagination however and the Wallabies, with star ACT full-back Peter Frances Ryan making his debut, won the international by 18 points to 9. Ryan had been an ACT representative since 1958 and finally earned his callup in the absence of Jim Lenehan. Ryan kicked three conversions during the match, as Australia scored four tries

to Englandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s three, with the accuracy of his boot being the difference in a close encounter. By all accounts Ryan possessed a powerful left foot and had represented NSW Country and New South Wales. He would win four full international caps for Australia. Winger David Grimmond was handed his one and only Wallaby cap at the age of 20, plucked from the Canberra competition to tour New Zealand with the 1964 Australian side. At 1.78m and 76kg he was considered slight for a winger but gave his all in every situation that he was thrust into. His one cap, in Christchurch, ended in a disappointing 3-18 loss and, despite claims that he was playing well enough, was neve selected at that level again.

The final local player to make elite representation in the Sixties was lock Owen Butler. Described as a natural sportsman, Butler excelled at tennis, cricket, athletic field events and basketball, before taking up rugby at the age of 21. He made his test debut in the rarefied climes of Johannesburg as the Springboks won 30-11. Butler would win seven caps in total, his last coming in 1971.

Fairing only slightly better around this time was another winger, Roderick Batterham. Locally. Batterham played for Ainslie and Norths and would when a brace of Wallaby caps, his first being on the 1967 tour to New Zealand when he was picked on the flank in a game in which the All Blacks won 299, celebrating the New Zealand unionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 75th Jubilee in the process.

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ONE-CAP WONDERS NAME:

Paul Brown

POSITION:

Scrum-Half

THE GAME:

Brumbies 70 Highlanders 26

THE DATE:

12 May 1996

THE VENUE: Bruce Stadium, Canberra Some Brumbies play for one season. Some play for several seasons and a rare few even reach the magical century of appearances. However, for each one of those players there are the guys at the other end of the spectrum, the one’s that only ever pull on the jersey in a competitive game once. This series looks back at those players starting with Paul Brown. Brown was a scrum-half on the books of the Brumbies for their debut season in Super Rugby back in 1996. He had already appeared for the ACT representative team in its previous guises on eight occasions and was a regular with Canberra Royals in the local competition. A former ACT Kookaburras representative, the 178cm and 78kg pivot was behind young starlet George Gregan in the pecking order. As such, the Turf Manager – rugby was still not a full-time occupation for these players at the dawn of the professional era – had to bide his time to take to the field in the Super Rugby competition. For Brown, it was worth the wait as he finally got the chance to don the jersey in a competitive match in the final game of that inaugural Super Rugby season.

Brown replaced Gregan at half-back during the Brumbies biggest win of 1996, the 70-26 hammering of the Highlanders at Bruce Stadium. In a match that the Brumbies scored eight tries, Brown officially became Brumby #27. As a player who had represented the ACT at U19, U21, B-team and First Grade Level, as well as turning out for the Monaro Provincial side, it completed a nice set of caps. Brown was never to play for the Brumbies in Super Rugby again. The following season, 1997, he made the pre-season trip to Fiji and started against the Fiji Development XV in Suva but did not get on the field in the Super-12 becoming the Brumbies first one-cap wonder.

PROGRAMS FROM THE PAST THE DETAILS Competition: Tour Match Game: ACT 17 Tonga 6 Date: Tuesday 19 June 1973 Venue: Manuka Oval, Canberra Scorers: ACT â&#x20AC;&#x201C; T: John Weatherstone (2), Chris Lord, C: Mick Cuthel, DG: John Weatherstone; Tonga â&#x20AC;&#x201C; P: Laisake Moimoi, Sione Mafi

THE MATCH The ACT claimed a notable scalp when they defeated a Tongan side that would go on to inflict one of the most humiliating defeats on the Australian international team in the Second Test held at Ballymore, Brisbane in late June. The physical prowess of the Tongans was in early evidence in this encounter as well as they led 3-0 at the interval thanks to a penalty from flanker Laisake Moimoi. The ACT regrouped at the break however and came out all guns blazing in the second stanza.

RMC fullback Bob Brown, later to become President of the ACT Rugby Union, was a standout for the NSW Country Champions and his kicking and distribution was warmly appreciated by the large crowd in attendance at Manuka Oval. It was John Weatherstone who changed the course of the game however, capitalizing on a move that involved wing Kim Thurbon to swoop on a loose ball and cross. Weatherstone then added a snapshot left-footed drop-goal to put the ACT further ahead, and the Western Districts centre extended that lead when he accepted a high, looped pass from number eight Mick Cuthel to dot down. Northern Suburbs lock Chris Lord capped an impressive performance by claiming a third home try later in the match, which Cuthel converted whilst a late Sione Mafi penalty did little to alter the outcome of the contest.

THE PROGAM The Weekly publication Rugby News, dated Volume 51 Number 16, produced a 20-page program for the fixture with a bright cover split into a third green and two thirds red (illustrated). Priced at 20c it featured the match details and the Tonga national crest but little else. After an advert for Qantas on page 2, there was the traditional welcome from the president of the ACT Rugby Union, John Hunter. A two-page feature on Tongan rugby, entitled ‘the friendly islanders are fast footballers’ was batched with their tour itinerary which showed they had beaten South Australia and Sydney but lost to Victoria and New South Wales before meeting the ACT. Another advert followed, this for Wales Target Savings Account, before we were introduced to the Tongans via pen-pictures, across a page and a half, the other half giving an update on the Wallaby Trophy Competition in which Sydney led the way.

Page 9 had a short feature on commercial sponsorship entering rugby for the Varsity match at Twickenham, had the Tongan Team Statistics and told us that the curtain raiser was a Schools match between Canberra Grammar and Daramalan College (Canberra Grammar won the match 4-0, Ron Merriman scoring the game’s only try). The middle pages contained the team line-ups and informed the reader that the referee was Mr. R.G. Byres. The ACT Team in profile filled page 12 and was opposite a full-page article on rugby in the Soviet Union and its celebration of fifty years. An advert for Tonga as a holiday destination filled page 14 alongside a feature article on Roger Spong, an English international legend who had been entertained by the Waratahs whilst in Sydney. A Travel Lodge advert on page 16 led into a two-page feature on Referees and the New Laws which went in depth on the new law changes implemented by the IRB. A Shell advert in the inside back cover and an advert for Ansett on the back cover completed the issue.

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MATCH STATISTICS

V OVERALL - Played: 21

BIGGEST WIN 2000 BRU 51 SHA 10 BIGGEST DEFEAT 2009 SHA 35 BRU 14

IN CANBERRA - Played: 12

LAST FIVE 2017 BRU 22 SHA 27 2014 BRU 16 SHA 9 2013 SHA 10 BRU 29 2012 BRU 26 SHA 29 2011 SHA 16 BRU 34 29

MATCH PREVIEW Super Rugby is finally back in Canberra. After enduring three away games to start 2018, the Plus500 Brumbies return to GIO Stadium tonight to take on the Sharks in Round 5. The Brumbies have, by their own admission, underperformed so far and will look to get their season back on track against a Sharks side which looks to be, alongside the Lions, the class of the South African conference. The Brumbies suffered a heart-breaking loss to the Sharks in Round 2 last season, a game which saw the Sharks win late thanks to a breakaway try by Lukhanyo Am. The Sharks have looked dangerous in their first three games, losing on opening day to the Lions, drawing with the Waratahs before really turning on the power last week against the Sunwolves, winning 50-22.

The Brumbies will have to get three things right against the Sharks if they are to win. Firstly, the set-piece has to get parity, if not dominance. The Brumbies were not at their best against the Rebels in Melbourne but the scrum performed, forcing penalty after penalty against the Rebels. However, the Sharks are no pushovers in the tight either. As all South African sides do, the Sharks will come to Australia thinking they have the dominant pack. The Brumbies will have to front up and match them in tight to slow down the Sharks potent backline. Secondly, turnovers ned to be reduced. The Rebels feasted off turnover ball against the Brumbies and with the back-three the Sharks possess, the Brumbies cannot give up the free space and quick ball they did in Melbourne. Lastly, the Brumbies need to stick to the game plan and build pressure. The statistics show that the Brumbies are dominating with ball in hand. Limit errors, and the Brumbies attack will fire against the Sharks. The Sharks are a well drilled side who produce moments of brilliance. They seem to rely on magic rather than tactics to score points, their levels of skill and athleticism evident but the structure around it not as clear. Their overall philosophy is to play in the right areas, and have the speed and guile to take chances when they come their way.

Expect the Sharks to shift the ball off turnovers but kick often in their own half. The Brumbies, in trying to counteract this, will likely keep the ball for large periods of the game. We have seen in the first couple of games this season, the Brumbies willingness to dominate possession. In some ways, the game will be a cat and mouse affair, the Sharks will be looking to capitalize on Brumbies mistakes while the Brumbies will know, if they can limit those mistake, they will have plenty of opportunity to build phases and establish their game plan. If the Sharks have a weakness itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s in defence. Weakness may be overstating the point however the visitors have conceded an average of three tries per game this season. With that in mind, the Brumbies will be confident they can score, with the Brumbies new attacking philosophy still being practiced and perfected. The unknown factor in the game is travel. The Brumbies will be feeling reinvigorated this week, getting a full week at home after being on the road for the first three rounds. This is the Sharks first road trip this season, and it is yet to be seen how the Sharks will perform outside of South Africa. Cut down on the errors, limit the Sharks star power, and the Brumbies will have every chance of winning. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been eight, long months since the Brumbies had a home game, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s nice to be back at GIO Stadium.

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WHAT YOU MAY HAVE MISSED

With the Sharks arriving in Canberra for the first home game of the 2018 Super Rugby season itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s worth reflecting on what action you may have missed leading into this clash at GIO Stadium. The Plus500 Brumbies have been busy to date playing two pre-season friendly matches, competing in the Brisbane Global Rugby Tens and travelling to Tokyo, Brisbane and Melbourne for Super Rugby fixtures. The first action of the season saw the Brumbies take on the Rebels at Seiffert Oval in Queanbeyan back in February in what was the first hit-out of the campaign for newly appointed Head Coach Dan McKellar and his staff. In a team that featured several Academy and local club players, against a Rebels side that was also a mash-up of regulars, newcomers and potential, the Brumbies romped to a 5019 success, crossing for eight tries. Hooker Robbie Abel led the way with a brace whilst fellow rake Connal McInerney was also the beneficiary of the fabled Brumbies rolling maul in the last of the

three thirty-minute periods. Earlier, Henry Speight, Sam Carter, Isi Naisarani, Andy Muirhead and Len Ikitau had all crossed the Rebels try-line to the delight of a reasonable pre-season crowd. Queensland was the nest stop for the Brumbies and the annual Brisbane Global Rugby Tens in which the Canberra side was pooled with Fiji, Crusaders and the Hurricanes in what promised to be a tough group. After an opening win against the Fijians, Henry Speight (twice) and Chance Peni claiming tries in a 1712 success, the team were defeated by both Kiwi teams, latterly a narrow 10-12 defeat to the Hurricanes halting any progress to the knockout stages. It was on to the Sunshine Coast the day after the Tens and a few days training before a Valentineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Day meeting with the Chiefs at Sunshine Coast Stadium in Kawana. Oppressive heat and humidity greeted both teams who, nevertheless, put on a display of running rugby with nine tries scored, five for the Chiefs and four for the Brumbies. The New Zealanders edged the match 38-26 with their final score coming in stoppage time.

RESULTS

After the pre-season formalities had been completed, it was down to the serious stuff and a first-ever trip to Japan to face the Sunwolves in Tokyo. The Brumbies took a while to get going and, despite a Lachlan McCaffrey try, trailed 19-8 at one stage of the clash. The team showed excellent character and resilience to bounce back crossing through Kyle Godwin before the interval, and thereafter taking command of proceedings. Further tries from Tevita Kuridrani, Josh Mann-Rea and Tom Banks ensured a winning start to the season.

ROUND 2 Sunwolves (19) 22 (T: Saumaki (2), Lafaele, C: Parker, Nakamura P: Parker (2)) Plus500 Brumbies (15) 32 (T: McCaffrey, Godwin, Kuridrani, Mann-Rea, Banks, C: Lealiifano (2) P: Lealiifano) ROUND 3 Reds (6) 18 (P: Tuttle (3), Lance (3)) Plus500 Brumbies (5) 10 (T: Powell, Naisarani) ROUND 4 Rebels (14) 33 (T: Mafi, Hodge (2), Maddocks, Ruru, C: Hodge (4)) Plus500 Brumbies (5) 10 (T: Peni, Speight)

A week later conditions could hardly have been different as the team stumbled to a frustrating 18-10 loss to the Reds at Suncorp Stadium. Six penalties did for the Brumbies who outscored the hosts by two tries to nil, Joe Powell and Naisarani getting over the whitewash. Ill-discipline at the set-piece was to prove costly as James Tuttle and Jon Lance kicked the home team to victory. Our last outing was one to forget as the team stumbled to a 33-10 loss to the Rebels in Melbourne. A yellow card to replacement prop Leslie Leuluaialii-Makin proving costly as the home side ran in three tries in the period in which the Brumbies were down to fourteen. Earlier, tries from Chance Peni and Henry Speight had given the Brumbies hope before it was extinguished late on.

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TRIES PENALTY GOALS CONVERSIONS DROP GOALS HALF TIME FULL TIME

STARTING XV 1 Scott Sio 2 Folau Faingaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;a 3 Allan Alaalatoa 4 Rory Arnold 5 Blake Enever 6 Lachlan McCaffrey 7 Tom Cusack 8 Isi Naisarani

Replacements

16. Connal McInerney 17. Nic Mayhew 18. Leslie Leuluaialii-Makin 19. Richie Arnold 20. Lolo Falaosilea 21. Matt Lucas 22. James Dargaville 23. Tom Banks

9 10 11 12 13 14 15

Joe Powell Wharenui Hawera Lausii Taliauli Christian Lealiifano Tevita Kuridrani Henry Speight Andrew Muirhead

Match Officials: Referee: Glen Jackson Assistant referee: Will Houston Assistant referee: James Leckie No. 4: Brodie Ingram No. 5: Reuben Keane TMO: Ian Smith

TRIES PENALTY GOALS CONVERSIONS DROP GOALS HALF TIME FULL TIME

STARTING XV 1 Tendai Mtawarira 2 Akker van der Merwe 3 John-Hubert Meyer 4 Ruan Botha 5 Stephan Lewies 6 Wian Vosloo 7 Jacques Vermeulen 8 Tera Mtembu

9 10 11 12 13 14 15

Louis Schreuder Rob du Preez Makazole Mapimpi Andre Esterhuizen Lukhanyo Am Sbu Nkosi Curwin Bosch

Replacements

16. Chiliboy Ralepelle 17. Juan Schoeman 18. Ross Geldenhuys 19. Gideon Koegelenberg 20. Keegan Daniel 21. Cameron Wright 22. Marius Louw 23. Lwazi Mvovo *team subject to change, official line-up not available at time of publication

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SEASON IN STATS

TAKING A CLOSER LOOK AT OUR OPPONENTS FOR TODAY’S SUPER RUGBY ENCOUNTER AT GIO STADIUM, CANBERRA. WHO ARE THEY?

OPPOSITION PROFILE: SHARKS

The Sharks are one of South Africa’s proudest rugby teams and were the first side from the Republic to reach a Super Rugby Grand Final in the debut season of the Super-12 version in 1996. Unfortunately for followers of the South African powerhouse they were defeated 45-21 by the Blues in Auckland starting a horror run of bad luck in Super Rugby showdowns. Since then they have played three further Finals, 2001, 2007 and 2012, and have lost the lot, falling to the Brumbies, Bulls and Chiefs respectively.

WHERE DO THEY COME FROM?

Based in Durban, in the Kwa-Zulu region of Natal, the Sharks re the representative of the Natal province rugby team. Originally known as the Banana Boys, the advent of Super Rugby led to a re-branding of the team and they subsequently adopted the moniker of the Sharks. Durban is the third most populated City in South Africa, behind Johannesburg and Cape Town and was originally settled in 1824, the City being named after Sir Benjamin d’Urban, then governor of the Cape Colony at the time. There is archaeological evidence that the area was originally inhabited as early as 100,000 BC.

WHO ELSE IS FROM THERE?

A host of talented people can nominate Durban as their home-town including, of course, Sharks rugby star Patrick Lambie. Other sports stars from Durban include South African swimmer Chad Le Clos, who won the 200-metre gold and silver in the 100-metre butterfly at the 2012 London Olympics and cricketer Jason Roy who, despite being born in South Africa, has represented England at T20 and ODI level. A raft of pop singers and rappers are from here including Music Award nominated music producer Sketchy Bongo. Lauren Brant, famous for her role in international kid’s show Hi-5, is also from Durban.

RAISING THE BAR OR UNDERACHIEVING?

Depends on who you ask! Having made four Super Rugby Finals there is an argument that, outside of the Bulls, the Sharks are the most consistent side that South Africa have produced at this level. But the failure to turn any one of their four finals appearances into a trophy certainly grates on those from the Natal region, which is a true rugby heartland. Indeed, in the Super-10 years, Natal were also beaten in the 1994 Final by

Queensland, going down 21-10. They are long overdue a win at the elite level and, if it arrives, the celebrations are likely to be mighty and long!

125 games and captained the side from 20042011 as well as skippering his country to a Rugby World Cup success in 2007.

WHO’S THEIR GREATEST?

It would have to be the Bulls from Pretoria way. The Sharks first Currie Cup triumph came against Northern Transvaal in 1990 and matches between the teams are usually fully of passion and well-supported. The fact that the Bulls became the first South African side to win the Super Rugby title in 2007, and the small matter that they turned over the Sharks to do it, fuelled the flames of this match-up. Just to rub it in more, the Bulls have won all three of the Super Rugby Finals they have played, and we’ve seen how the Sharks fared in their encounters.

Now this isn’t an easy one to answer at all! The Sharks have been home to some legendary names of South African rugby throughout years, as well as many cult favourites who have made a name for themselves both home and abroad. Wing James Small set pulses racing at the height of his career with his speed and eye for a try, whilst lock Mark Andrews and alltime leading appearance maker Bismarck Du Plessis have rightful nominations to that title. But we will plump for former Springbok hooker John Smit who played

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PLAYER PROFILES Sharks

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FROM THE ARCHIVE: THE FIRST & LAST

To help set the scene for this evening’s clash, Breakdown looks at the first and last time we met today’s opponents in Super Rugby competition.

THE FIRST TIME

THE LAST TIME

Date: 29 March 1996 Result: Brumbies 44 (T: Joe Roff (4), Stephen Larkham, James Holbeck, C: Adam Friend (4), P: Adam Friend (2)) Sharks 31 (T: Henry Honiball, Jeremy Thomson, James Small, C: Henry Honiball (2), P: Henry Honiball (4))

Date: 4 March 2017 Result: Brumbies (15) 22 (T: Henry Speight, Josh Mann-Rea, Tevita Kuridrani, C: Wharenui Hawera, Isaac Thompson, P: Wharenui Hawera), Sharks (13) 27 (T: Tendai Mtawarira, Lukhanyo Am, C: Patrick Lambie, P: Patrick Lambie (5))

There were nine tries when the Brumbies first met the Sharks in late March 1996, but the undoubted star of the show was the livewire Joe Roff. Roff finished almost everything that came his way on a day to remember for the ACT team, running in four tries as the crowd at Manuka Oval were treated to a rugby-feast with both teams running the ball at every opportunity. Stephen Larkham and James Holbeck added to Roff’s try-haul with Adam Friend landing fourteen points off the boot. It was a bittersweet afternoon for Sharks number-ten, and Springbok star, Henry Honiball who claimed 21-points via a try, two conversions and four penalties, yet ended up on the wrong side of the 48-31 final score-line at the end of a pulsating eight minutes of topclass rugby entertainment in Canberra.

A try after the siren from winger Lukhanyo Am consigned the Brumbies to a second defeat of the season in their first home match of the 2017 Super Rugby campaign. The Sharks kept the ball alive when a draw looked most likely and Am won the race from a kick-through to nab the winner. The hosts had dominated the first-half but only had a narrow twopoint lead to show for their efforts as tries from Henry Speight and Josh MannRea warmed the locals in the crowd. The Sharks kept in touch throughout however and took their moment when it came to silence the Brumby support. The game was also noticeable for the one, and to date, only appearance of Isaac Thompson in Brumby colours, the replacement kicking a conversion after replacing Wharenui Hawera in the 64th minute.

In Opposition: The Key Players

The Playmaker: Robert Du Preez

Taking the reins at flyhalf at a new club can be hard for any player, the pressure of organising all elements of the game plan is a tough task no matter the situation. For Robert Du Preez Jr., there is the added pressure of his head coach also being his father, Robert Senior. When Du Preez was awarded the starting jumper for the Sharks this season, thoughts may have drifted to question the selection of the coach’s son in such a prominent role, especially with 20-year-old phenom Curwin Bosch fit and available. If there were any issues, they have been tabled for now. Du Preez has had an excellent start to his career at the Sharks, scoring two tries and kicking a having moved from the Stormers in the off-season. Du Preez, who also has twin-brothers (Dan and Jean-Luc) alongside him in the Sharks squad, made the switch to his hometown team after being instrumental in Western Province’s win in the 2017 Currie Cup Final, ironically coming against the Sharks. The 24-year-old out-duelled his

younger counterpart and future teammate Bosch, kicking three penalties in a shock 21-33 win for the men from Cape Town. It was in many ways Du Preez’s coming out party, and he has gone from strength to strength since.

The Try Threat: Makazole Mapimpi

For Makazole Mapimpi, 2017 was a year of electric performances on the pitch and maddening uncertainty off it. Mapimpi was a try scoring machine in Super Rugby last season, part of an exciting Southern Kings side who grew somewhat of a cult following in rugby circles. Many fans will remember his game against the Reds in 2017 where the speedster scored two tries and went viral for his ‘call me’ celebration. Mapimpi finished 2017 with 11 tries, an incredible achievement given the Kings struggles in the table. Mapimpi signed for the Cheetahs in the offseason for the rest of 2018, scoring six tries in the Currie cup before lighting up the Guinness Pro 14 where he is still the leading try scorer having left the Cheetahs to join the Sharks

mid-season. Mapimpi’s rise to prominence is a story of hard-work meeting fortunate opportunity. Mapimpi, meaning snake in isiXhosa, played provincial rugby for the Border Bulldogs before falling off the scene for a while. His perseverance saw him granted an opportunity with the Kings and he has not looked back since. Given an inch of space, Mapimpi will punish you, and the Brumbies will have to be on high alert any time the finisher has possession.

The Enforcer: Ruan Botha

If you were to create a physically imposing, hard-working Lock in a lab, chances are the results wouldn’t look much different to the Sharks captain. Standing at 2.05m (6ft 8’ in old language) and listed at 120kg though he looks far bigger, Ruan Botha is a physical marvel with ability to match his dimensions. Botha took over as captain for the Sharks in Super Rugby this season, after skippering the Durban outfit to the Currie Cup final in 2017. Botha made his Super Rugby debut for the Lions in 2012 before being selected for the South African U20 side that won the IRB Junior World Championship. Since then, the 26-year-old has played for the Stormers and the Western Province before eventually landing in Natal where he has established himself at the Sharks as a leader on and off the paddock. Known for being a quality lineout operator, Botha has built his game around the fundamentals of second-row play. Botha is often unseen but is constantly working. In many ways, Botha is a similar player to Brumbies captain Sam Carter. Respected by teammates, trusted by the coaches and ready and willing to work hard whenever they are required.

The One to Watch: Lukhanyo Am

Brumbies fans will be aware of the talents of Lukhanyo Am having watched him steal a win from the Brumbies in 2017 with a last-minute try. In a memorable game at GIO Stadium, the Brumbies did everything to secure a famous win, but a moment of magic from Curwin Bosch gave am the chance to break Brumbies hearts and his flawless gather and race to the line won the clash for the Sharks. Am’s season got rolling when the once capped Springbok scored twice against the Waratahs in round 3, his match - up with Tevita Kuridrani will be one of the key battles on the night. Am’s first taste of Super Rugby came with the Southern Kings where he made ten appearances before moving to Natal. The Kings loss was the Sharks gain and am started the next season, still in a black jersey, but now in the beautiful Natal. 2017 was a break-out year for Am, the dynamic centre scored twice for the Natal side. Am’s consistent performance was enough to break into the South African national team.

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Love Rugby? Plus500 Brumbies Have You Covered in 2018 Love Rugby? Plus500 Brumbies Have You Covered in 2018 Love your rugby? Well you are going to love 2018 at GIO Stadium as the Plus500 Brumbies host eight top quality fixtures throughout what promises to be an outstanding season in the national capital. And that’s not all. The Brumbies have a full program of pre-match action for you to enjoy prior to the Super Rugby matches kicking off! So, what’s on offer? New players, new coaching team and the return of some fan favourites. What could be better than that? Well how about a home clash against our fiercest rivals. That’s right, the Waratahs are in town facing our home town Brumbies on Easter weekend. And it’s not just at Super Rugby level that the interstate rivalry will be to the fore

two games that evening for supporters at the ground. If that’s not enough we have a pair of matches against our friends from New Zealand as the Champion Crusaders (28 April) and Hurricanes (30 June) come to town. The Crusaders match takes place on our Military Round weekend with a curtainraiser between ADFA and RMC. It will be the turn of the Vets to precede the Hurricanes match when they clash with the Navy Old Salts.

that day, as our pre-match entertainment comes in the form of local boys Marist College taking on their first XV peers from Riverview College in Let’s not forget the Sydney. youngsters either! With two afternoon fixtures, The mouth-watering the Jaguares on Sunday 22 Waratahs clash is one of April, and the Sunwolves, three home matches the on Sunday 3 June, it’s team will face against the perfect chance to Australian opposition introduce the family to the with the Reds and Rebels Brumbies and with the ACT also due in Canberra & SNSW Primary Schools on 7 April and 12 May Championships taking place respectively. The former before the Sunwolves game, clash will see the second the atmosphere should be home match of the loud and proud! So come Buildcorp Super W season and catch the Brumbies in as the Brumbies Women action in 2018! XV takes on Western Australia in the first of

CONNECTIONS: SHARKS The Brumbies connections with South Africa in Super Rugby go all the way back to our very first game in the competition as we welcomed Transvaal to Bruce Stadium to begin our journey in the tournament. March 5 1996 was the date that history was made in Canberra with our visitors led by skipper Francois Pienaar and coached by the legendary Kitch Christie. Following that first day success, for the record the scoreboard read 13-9 in favour of the home team, the club welcomed a handful of South African born players into our ranks over the next quarter of a century. One of those was scrumhalf Conrad Hoffman, a sniping scrumhalf who joined the Brumbies from the Sharks for the 2014 season. Hoffman, who was capped by South Africa ay under-19 level, had started his career with Western Province before moving to the Sharks and, after playing five matches with the Brumbies, he was to end up back in Durban with the Natal outfit. He made his debut as a replacement for Nic White in a Round defeat against the Reds in 2014 and made further bench appearances against the Force, Rebels, Blues and Bulls.

Twins Ruan and Jean-Pierre Smith both enjoyed spells with the brothers with Ruan racking up 51 caps for the ACT side whilst Jean-Pierre managed 24 matches. Ruan made his bow in the 2013 loss to the Waratahs at ANZ Stadium, coming off the bench to become Brumby #158. Jean-Pierre meanwhile was introduced to the Brumbies support as a replacement for Scott Sio in the 29-21 success over the Hurricanes at Westpac Stadium, Wellington in Round 3 2014. He was Brumby #164. A week prior to that match, fellow South African Lionel Cronje had been awarded Brumby cap #163 after coming on for Tevita Kuridrani in the 27-14 win over the Force. Cronje would play three matches for the club before joining the Sharks. Finally, lock Etienne Oosthizen, Brumby #156, played for both the Brumbies and Sharks, making his ACT debut in the 2013 match with the Bulls, having signed form the Lions, and playing in three fixtures before heading back to South Africa.

YENDA BREWERY SITS IN THE NSW RIVERINA IN THE SMALL TOWN OF YENDA, FARM 1471. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll never play for the Wallabies, but we make cracking beers.

PROUD TO BE THE OFFICIAL BEER OF THE WALLABIES AND SUPER RUGBY COMPETITION.

The Plus500 Brumbies Season Launch was held at the Rex Hotel in Canberra on Monday 19 February. Pat McCabe was MC in front of an early morning crowd of round sixty with the players and coaching staff for the 2018 Super Rugby season introduced.

THE WORLD OF RUGBY The 2018 Six Nations Championship comes to an end this weekend with Ireland travelling to England in search of their third Grand Slam Title. Ireland secured the Championship crown last weekend with a bonus point win against Scotland, owing their early triumph to France’s surprise victory over England. England have largely dominated the tournament since Eddie Jones took over from Stuart Lancaster, winning back to back championships in 2016 and 2017. Ireland denied England a second Grand Slam and a World Record 19th win in a row In 2017 with a final round win in Dublin. England will now have their chance at revenge, Ireland making the short trip to Twickenham on St. Patrick’s Day hoping to add an elusive Grand Slam to Joe Schmidt’s two tournament wins. Schmidt’s trust in youth has defined his tenure as Ireland coach, and it was that youth which saw them dominate Scotland at the Aviva Stadium. Ulster winger Jacob Stockdale’s double cemented the win, Ireland were comfortable from the get go and cruised to a 28-8 victory. France’s role in recent tournaments has been that of the spoiling act, and the Parisian banana peel showed up once again with England slipping up away from home. The game ebbed and flowed, with neither side able to breach the others try-line in the first half. France forced a

penalty try ten minutes after the break, Anthony Watson’s try saving tackle rightly deemed dangerously high and referee Jaco Peyper awarded the home side the automatic seven points. England never went away, the team’s perceived issues have been massively overblown, and could have won the game late after Jonny May crossed the line with five minutes to play. Ultimately, it wasn’t enough and France secured an unlikely 22-16 win. In the third game of the round, Wales had a routine win over perennial woodenspooners Italy, with superstar winger George North crossing twice. There had been some controversy surrounding

Wales coach Warren Gatland’s decision to rotate his side for the Italy clash, the selection being described by some in Italy as ‘disrespectful’. That being said a strong Welsh side, led by first time captain Taulupe Faletau, ran away the victors, scoring five tries in a 38-14 hammering. Italy’s status in the competition has become more of a point of contention in recent years, the promise of highly rated coach Connor O’Shea’s appointment has not come to fruition. If a promotion/relegation format is in the distance, Georgia joining to make it a 7-team tournament may just be over the horizon. Given that Georgia are currently two World Ranking sports above Italy (Japan and Tonga are also ahead of them) changes to the tournament may be a necessary measure. Competition review aside, 2017 has been about Ireland vs England, as it has been since 2014. England have been, and

remain, the only true threat to New Zealand’s dominance over World Rugby. Certainly, nobody in the northern hemisphere has shown that they will challenge the Rugby Championship sides at next year’s World Cup in Japan other than Jones’ England side. Ireland look to be travelling in the right direction however, having gone unbeaten in their past 11 games, including wins over England, South Africa, Argentina and the Wallabies. Ireland will visit Australia in June for a three-test series, in what will be a big challenge for the Wallabies ahead of the Rugby Championship. England and Ireland share history that goes far beyond the 80 minutes they do battle on the rugby field. That history breads a certain rivalry that is unique to the Six Nations, and gives the tournament a certain undefinable spirit. This weekend, that historical significance takes a back seat. The stakes are simple, Ireland have a Grand Slam on the line and England, the chance to take it away.

Notes From – SOUTH AFRICA Already it appears that the Lions will, once again, been the main challengers from South Africa leading their Conference by seven points, having played a game more than their two closest rivals the Sharks and the Bulls. The 2017 beaten finalists haven’t had it all their own way of course, downed in dramatic circumstances by the Blues last weekend to end their unbeaten start to the season. That run had begun when the South African sides kicked off the competition a week ahead of their peers from Australia and New Zealand. The Lions defeated the Sharks 26-19 in their season opener, before a twenty-point success over the Jaguares at Emirates Airline Park in Johannesburg, scoring six tries in the 47-27 win. They then claimed a remarkable 49-35 away win over the Bulls in Pretoria before falling to a first loss of the campaign as the Blues scored two late converted tries to surprise the Lions on their own patch. After defeat to the Lions first up, the Sharks had a bye before a 24-24 draw at home to the Waratahs for whom a converted try from Mitch Short earned the ‘Tahs a share of the spoils. A week later, at the same Kings Park Stadium in Durban, the Sharks racked

up half a century of points in hammering the Sunwolves 50-22, Robert Du Preez claiming a thirteen-point haul. The Bulls are currently third in the South African Conference with only one win from three matches, that success being their opening round defeat of the Hurricanes at Loftus Versfeld. A late score from Pierre Schoeman confirming the upset. However, that aforementioned loss to the Lions, in a game that featured eleven tries, meant the Bulls travelled to Australia on the back of a defeat and, despite racing into a 14-3 lead against the Reds in Brisbane they were eventually pegged back by the Queenslanders who claimed the victory by 20-14. At the foot of the ladder both the Stormers and Jaguares have one win each, the same as the Bulls, although have played four matches. The Stormers solitary win came against the Argentineans in Round 1 however, since then, they’ve been beaten by the Waratahs, Crusaders and Highlanders on their Australasian tour. As for the Jaguares, their only win came last weekend, as they saw off the Waratahs in Buenos Aires winning 38-28 after establishing a 26-0 lead as early as the eighteenth minute of the match.

Notes From – NEW ZEALAND Over the Tasman Sea they are also three rounds into the Super Rugby competition and it’s the Hurricanes who lead the way with two victories and a loss to their name so far. That puts them marginally ahead of the champions, Crusaders, after their Conference summit meeting last week went the way of the men from Wellington. Over 20,000 were at Westpac Stadium to see the Hurricanes storm into an early 21-0 lead, three tries in the opening 24 minutes from Chris Eves, TJ Perenara and Ben Lam all converted by Beauden Barrett, had the home supporters purring. But the Crusaders hit back and only a penalty from Jordie Barrett fourteen minutes from time sealed a 29-19 win.

who are currently third on the ladder. They kicked off their Super Rugby campaign with an exciting 41-34 success over the Blues in Dunedin, scoring five tries in the process, before downing the Stormers 33-15. Having only played two matches this season, the Highlanders are the only undefeated team in the New Zealand Conference to date, but whether they are serious contenders will be evident over the next fortnight when they meet the Crusaders and the Hurricanes respectively. Having won the Brisbane Global Rugby Tens, the Blues came into 2018 on a crest of a wave and with confidence soaring that they could improve on last season’s placement. However, defeats to the Highlanders and Chiefs stymied that momentum only for an exceptional 38-35 away win at last season’s beaten finalists, the Lions, to reignite their hopes. Two converted tries in the last five minutes turned that match on its head.

The Hurricanes had, perhaps surprisingly, fallen 21-19 to the Bulls in their season opener before hitting back with a 34-9 away win over the Jaguares in Argentina. The Crusaders meanwhile began with successive wins, 45-23 against the Chiefs and 45-28 against the Stormers and are the early The Chiefs meanwhile prop up the Conference favourites for the crown once more despite ladder, albeit having only played two matches themselves. After losing at the Crusaders first defeat in Wellington. up, they hit back with a six-point away win Also, on two wins but with only one bonus over the Blues and are likely to improve their point to their name, are the Highlanders position in forthcoming weeks.

MAKING HEADLINES AROUND THE WORLD A wrap of Rugby stories making Headlines around the Web

Spain win Rugby Europe Women’s Championship Spain enjoyed comfortable wins over Germany and the Netherlands to justify their pre-tournament favourites tag and lift the Rugby Europe Women’s 15s Championship trophy. The Dutch fought gamely in the first half of the final and only trailed by 12 at the break but Spain turned up the heat in the second half and scored 21 unanswered points to win 40-7. A hard-fought 24-5 win over host nation Belgium saw Germany finish third and improve their World Rugby Women’s Ranking to 19th with Russia the ones to suffer as a result.

US Eagles Soar in World Rankings

Having completed the Americas Rugby Championship ‘Grand Slam’ with a record 61-19 win over Uruguay, the US Eagles have risen to 15th place in the World Rugby Rankings for the first time since the early stages of Rugby World Cup 2015. Their fifth straight victory in the continent’s marquee competition was worth a fraction under two rating points

and boosts their overall tally to 69.23. As a result, they leapfrog Samoa, Romania and their beaten opponents Uruguay. The Eagles are now two points off Italy in 14th place, their best-ever position.

Latest Rugby Europe Championship News

Rugby Europe Championship leaders Georgia are unchanged in 12th place in the World Rankings as their 23-10 win over Spain in Tbilisi did not come with any rankings reward, due to the large points differential between the sides. Defending champions Romania find themselves dropping down a place to 17th despite beating Russia 25-15 in a crucial RWC 2019 qualifier, as the prize for the victory – 0.17 of a point – was not enough to prevent them being overtaken by the USA. Also enjoying a three-place rise over the weekend were a rampant Belgium. The Black Devils beat Germany 69-15 in the Rugby Europe Championship to pick up 1.22 rating points and climb above Chile, Germany and Brazil into 25th place. Lowlands neighbours the

Netherlands were also in top form as they posted a record 71-30 win at home to Poland in the Rugby Europe Trophy.

Jaco Kriel & Sam Underhill Ruled Out for Season Springbok flanker Jaco Kriel has been ruled out for the entire Super Rugby season after being forced to undergo another shoulder operation. Kriel sustained the shoulder injury playing for the Springboks in a Rugby Championship match against Australia on September 9. It was then decided he would undergo surgery. But it appears that operation was unsuccessful and now Kriel will need to go under the knife again. Meanwhile, in the UK, Bath and England flanker Sam Underhill will miss the rest of the Premiership season after rupturing a tendon in his big toe. Underhill suffered the injury in a training session when an England team-mate stood on his foot.

Western Force Announce Fixture List

Western Force will return to the field in under two months’ time after billionaire mining magnate Andrew Forrest announced a series of invitational matches, dubbed World Series Rugby. The Force will face several international sides as well as Super Rugby outfits the Crusaders and Rebels in seven separate matches from May through to August. The seven matches will help prepare the

Force for the National Rugby Championship, after Rugby WA revealed the club would replace Perth Spirit in Australia’s third-tier professional competition.

Eddie Jones Lined Up for Wallabies Role

England head coach Eddie Jones is being lined up to take over as Australia Head Coach should Michael Cheika step down after the 2019 Rugby World Cup. Cheika led the Wallabies to the 2015 Rugby World Cup final and the former Leinster and Stade Francais head coach has already said he’d walk if they don’t go one better in Japan. Rugby Australia high-performance manager Ben Whitaker revealed that Jones, who led Australia between 2001 and 2005, is in the frame. “I can’t speak on behalf of the board, but if I’m tasked with pulling together a list of potential candidates, is Eddie Jones on there, yeah he is,” told Fox Sports Australia. “You appreciate the skills he’s got as a head coach and if he’s willing and able – things you’d have to work out – he’d be on the list, probably another dozen would be too.”

OUR FAVOURITE: Photos from Pre-Season GAME REHEARSAL SHIRT DEBUT

The Plus500 Brumbies brand new Game Rehearsal Shirt got its first run-out in Tokyo before the Sunwolves match modelled here by Isi Naisarani, Tevita Kuridrani and Rob Valetini. And doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t it look outstanding?

MARIST JERSEY PRESENTATION

Some of the boys took time off from their training schedule to pop over to Marist College and help with their 2018 season jersey presentation. Tom Cusack, Joe Powell and David Pocock do the honours here.

PRE-SEASON ON THE SUNSHINE COAST

The weather was hot and humid and the Sunshine Coast Stadium in Kawana glittered in the evening floodlights ahead of our preseason trial match with the Chiefs.

SNOW AT SUNTORY

At the other end of the weather scale were the conditions that greeted the team during their training session at Suntory. It was that cold that snow fell towards the end of the run in which the lads set themselves for the Sunwolves clash.

MEETING OLD FRIENDS

Whilst at Suntory Henry Speight took time out to catch up with former Brumby star Jordan Smiler who has made Japan his home and is now an integral part of the Suntory team that won the Japanese Championship last season.

WORDSEARCH

BRUMBY JACK’S FUN ZONE

Can you find these ten Brumbies Players in our grid below? Plus can you find the letter that appears only once and is not part of any of the Brumbies names? CARTER GODWIN ENEVER

W R E S G O D W I N E A

H G D W C P A D P T S R

ABEL POWELL PENI

E I V L I S L E O H B N

S D E L E D C D P G E O

BANKS SIO

L G N G H B V C S I B L

L D E W A C A E P E O D

SPEIGHT ARNOLD

E O V D G R I D O P I C

W P E S T H W I L S E A

O L R E D R H L Q C V S

P H R G S G E W S V I E

A C L S K N A B V O A D

W V R L P D C P E N I W

BRUMBY JACK’S FEARLESS MATCH PREDICTION The first match of the season at home is always an exciting occasion and the Brumbies are looking forward to welcoming our friends from South Africa. But, sadly for them, Brumby Jack thinks it will be a Brumbies win!

BRUMBIES 25 SHARKS 17 WHAT DO YOU THINK? PUT YOUR PREDICTION IN THE BOX BELOW!

BRUMBIES (

) SHARKS (

)

MIX AND MATCH

Can you match the eight players on the left of the column below with a club they previously played for on the right? McCaffrey Banks Mayhew Pocock Lucas Lealiifano Hawera Godwin

Waratahs Force Southland Stags Reds Ulster Rugby Blues Leicester Tigers Panasonic Wild Knights

Answers McCaffrey – Leicester Tigers Banks – Reds Mayhew – Blues Pocock – Panasonic Wild Knights Lucas – Waratahs Lealiifano – Ulster Rugby Hawera – Southland Stags Godwin – Force

BRUMBY JACK’S PACK – RUGBY IN AUSTRALIA Today’s Brumby Jack’s Pack, eight quick-fire questions, are all about Australian rugby! Do you know the game in your country? Test yourself and your friends with these questions below! 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

In what years did Australia win the Rugby World Cup? What is the name of the Rebels Stadium? Who is the most-capped Wallaby of all-time? Which of the Brumbies was the most recently capped at international level? In which city did Australia lose to Scotland in November last year? Who did Australia beat in the 2015 Rugby World Cup Semi-Final? Who is the leading try-scorer for Australia of all-time? How many tries did Israel Folau score for Australia in 2017?

Answers 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

1991, 1999 AAMI Park George Gregan Blake Enever Edinburgh Argentina David Campese Twelve

MY FAVOURITES

SAM CARTER

COLOUR: Green FOOD: Eggs on Toast TV SHOW: Entourage HOLIDAY DESTINATION: Cape Town, South Africa HOBBY: Golf GROUND I’VE PLAYED AT: GIO Stadium, Canberra

Half-time Entertainment The Plus500 Brumbies are pleased to announce that our half time entertainment during the season will consist of several junior U7’s game, ACT & SNSW Junior clubs march pass, Foxtel Touch 7’s as well as our ‘Beat a Brumby Segment’ in which members of the public will take on members of the Plus500 Brumbies in various activities. Our first two U7’s clubs to take the field will be the local clubs Gungahlin Eagles and Queanbeyan Whites. These two proud clubs play against each other from U7’s all the way through to Premier Division 1st Grade. For many of these children this is their first taste of Rugby Union and what a stage to play it on.

Queanbeyan Whites U7’s 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

Tom Gibson Asha Geddes Hugh Gibson Daniel Flack Camden Marshall Zac van Zyl Kahurangi Clements TBA TBA TBA

Coaches: Hannah Harvey & Ronan Booth

Gungahlin Eagles U7’s 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

Ava Connolly Charlotte Power Ta’u Lolohea Thomas Grove Luke Cowan Laura Corkhill William Davidson Lachlan Scott William O’Rourke TBA

Coaches: Lincoln Corkhill & Matt Power

COMMERCIALLY SPEAKING: Austbrokers Canberra The Plus500 Brumbies are delighted to announce that Austbrokers Canberra have extended their rugby partnership by becoming back of shorts sponsor for the duration of the 2018 Super Rugby season. Austbrokers Canberra has been operating in Canberra since 1983, initially as AEI Brokers, becoming Austbrokers Canberra in 2007 and offers over 120 years of collective experience in the insurance industry with their team having a wide-ranging scope of expertise and specialist knowledge. Austbrokers Canberra are already a major part of the Brumbies family by being the Official Membership Partner of the club.

“We are looking forward to working with Austbrokers Canberra throughout the 2018 Super Rugby season and beyond.” Austbrokers Canberra Managing Director, Greg Johnston, was excited by the expansion of the partnership with the Super Rugby side having already been a valued member of the Brumbies suite of partners. “Austbrokers Canberra have been proud supporters of the Brumbies for a number of years and it gives me great pride to partner with this iconic sporting entity again in 2018,” Mr. Johnston said. “This partnership allows us to demonstrate our support not only on the field but also through the delivery of our insurance solutions.”

“We are very pleased that Austbrokers Canberra have increased their support of rugby in Canberra by extending their partnership to back of shorts sponsor,” Plus500 Brumbies CEO Michael Thomson commented. “Austbrokers Canberra have already demonstrated their commitment to the game in the ACT and the surrounding region by their sponsorship of the Brumbies and we thank them for extending their involvement by becoming back of shorts sponsor.

LAND ROVER DISCOVERY

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VI SI TC AN BE RR

A. CO M .A U

GRIFFIN LEGAL JOHN I DENT CUP SET FOR APRIL LAUNCH

The John I Dent Cup will be known as the Griffin Legal John I Dent Cup following an agreement between the legal firm and the Plus500 Brumbies which sees Griffin Legal become the Naming Rights Partner for the ACT’s premier rugby competition.

Established in 2009, Griffin Legal partners with business, government, national bodies, community organisations and sport and prides itself on the ability to provide an alternative to the traditional, inflexible law firms. Griffin Legal provides accessible services to local and national clients of all sizes, as well as a supportive environment with their values reflecting what they are, where they have come from, and what they are striving to achieve. “We are delighted to welcome Griffin Legal to the Brumbies Rugby family as Naming Right partner for the John I Dent Cup,” Plus500 Brumbies CEO Michael Thomson said of the announcement. “Griffin Legal are a well-established company based in Canberra and espouse similar values to ourselves in that they strive to achieve

Excellence, Commitment, Integrity and Respect. They are a perfect fit for our local rugby competitions being a Canberra born and bred company with a strong culture of social and corporate responsibility. We are looking forward to a mutually beneficial partnership.” “Griffin Legal is proud to support the John I Dent Cup as Naming Right partner,” Managing Partner, Claire Carton, said. “As a consistent supporter of community sport in the region, we have chosen to sponsor the Cup this year in recognition of Partner Peter McGrath’s significant commitment to rugby in Canberra, as a player, official and administer. The sponsorship also fits well with our commitment to the local Canberra community generally and our Australia wide focus on sports law.” The Griffin Legal John I Dent Cup will kickoff on Saturday 7 April with three huge fixtures including reigning champions Royals travelling to Viking Park to take on Tuggeranong. Easts will kick-off the seventeen-round competition by

celebrating its 80th year with a clash against Uni-Norths Owls at Griffith Oval with the Owen Brown Memorial Cup up for grabs. 2017 Premiers Royals start their defence of the crown they memorably won with a victory over Wests by returning to the scene of that triumph at Viking Park where they will front-up to the Tuggeranong Vikings. Meanwhile, Queanbeyan Whites begin their season at Campese Field with Gungahlin Eagles the visitors leaving Wests to have the bye in the first week. Looking further ahead, the 2017 Grand Final replay between Royals and Wests will take place in Round 5 whilst the Worbac Cup is on the line in the Round 2 encounter between Gungahlin and Tuggeranong. The Women’s competition begins on Saturday 14 April with five teams entered for the 2018 edition. Defending Premiers Royals start the season with a trip to Dowsett Oval to play ADFA with Gungahlin Eagles meeting Tuggeranong Vikings in the other match as the Uni-North Owls receive the bye. The much-anticipated Grand Final re-match is scheduled for Round 5 as Royals meet Vikings in a replay of their epic denouement to the 2017 season. Elsewhere, the First Division competition, a 12-team competition encompassing

ACT and Monaro based clubs, will start on Saturday 7 April the same date as the Second Division commences, which encompasses a nine-team competition with South Coast and Monaro based clubs, along with the ACT based Gungahlin Eagles (Bald Eagles).

FIXTURES

PREMIER DIVISION Saturday 7 April Round 1 Queanbeyan Whites v Gungahlin Eagles @ Campese Field Tuggeranong Vikings v Royals @ Viking Park Easts V Uni-Norths Owls @ Griffith Oval Wests – Bye WOMEN’S PREMIER DIVISION Saturday 14 April Round 1 ADFA v Royals @ Dowsett Oval Gungahlin Eagles v Tuggeranong Vikings @ Nicholls Enclosed Uni-Norths Owls – Bye

HOW THEY STAND Australian Conference #

Team

PTS

Rebels

115

+69

Reds

-12

Waratahs

-3

Brumbies

-24

Sunwolves

119

-55

New Zealand Conference #

Team

PTS

Hurricanes

+33

Crusaders

109

+29

Highlanders

Blues

103

-10

Chiefs

-16

South African Conference

Team

PTS

Lions

157

119

+38

Sharks

+21

Bulls

-18

Stormers

132

-34

Jaguares

137

-43

CLUB STATS Name

2017 APPS

2017 PTS

CAREER APPS

CAREER PTS

Robbie Abel

Allan Alaalatoa

Ben Alexander

147

105

Richie Arnold

Rory Arnold

Tom Banks

Sam Carter

Tom Cusack

James Dargaville

Blake Enever

Mees Erasmus

0 0

Folau Faingaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;a

Lolo Fakaosilea

Kyle Godwin

Mack Hansen

Wharenui Hawera

122 0

Ben Hyne

Jordan Jackson-Hope

Tevita Kuridrani

100

Christian Lealiifano

121

805

Leslie Leuluaialii-Makin

Ryan Lonergan

Matt Lucas

Josh Mann-Rea

Nic Mayhew

Lachlan McCaffrey

Andrew Muirhead

Isireli Naisarani

Chance Peni

David Pocock

Joe Powell

10 20

Scott Sio

Faalelei Sione

Andrew Smith

Henry Speight

175

Darcy Swain

Lausii Taliauli

Rob Valetini

James Verity-Amm

HOME AND AWAY

We are back in action in a fortnight, we have the bye in Round 6, as we welcome our old friends the Waratahs to GIO Stadium on Saturday 31 March, kick-off at 19:45. This will be the first time we have hosted the ‘Tahs since 4 March 2016 when we won 32-15 here at this venue. Anticipation for the blockbuster encounter is expected to be very high and you can secure your spot by visiting www. ticketek.com.au or, alternatively, purchasing from the ticket office on Matchday. Corporate Hospitality packages are available for this fixture under the Tier A pricing structure. After the Waratahs, we extend the welcome mat to the Reds on Saturday 7 April in Super Rugby Round 8. We hammered the Reds 4310 in their last trip to the Capital and this promises to be a huge match in the context of the Australian Conference Championship. As usual, match tickets can be purchased in advance from www.ticketek.com.au or on Matchday at the ticket office at GIO Stadium. Corporate Hospitality packages are available for this fixture under the Tier B pricing structure.

SUPER RUGBY FIXTURES NOW

ROUND 5 Saturday 17 March – Sunday 18 March Chiefs v Bulls (FMG Stadium) Highlanders v Crusaders (Forsyth Barr Stadium) Brumbies v Sharks (GIO Stadium) Stormers v Blues (DHL Newlands) Lions v Sunwolves (Emirates Airline Park) Jaguares v Reds (Velez Sarsfield) Waratahs v Rebels (Allianz Stadium)

ROUND 6 Friday 23 March – Saturday 24 March Crusaders v Bulls (AMI Stadium) Rebels v Sharks (AAMI Park) Sunwolves v Chiefs (Prince Chichibu Memorial Stadium) Hurricanes v Highlanders (Westpac Stadium) Stormers v Reds (DHL Newlands) Jaguares v Lions (Velez Sarsfield)

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