It’s make-or-break time for defending champions ACT Brumbies in their return home for the showdown with shaky front-runners New South Wales Waratahs on Saturday.
The Brumbies, for so long the benchmark of Australian provincial rugby, have slumped to fifth spot with five matches left to next month’s playoffs after losing their last three games on the road.
ACT, tournament winners in two of the last three years, must win their fierce Australian derby with the Waratahs or risk losing touch with the top four.
The Brumbies threw everything at the Otago Highlanders in Dunedin last Friday, going down by a point, 19-18, but their form is nowhere near what it was last season and injuries continue to bite into their playing depth.
They suffered another blow last week when outstanding number eight Scott Fava broke a hand and he will be on the sidelines for at least a month while Wallaby playmaker Stephen Larkham is still out with injury.
The Waratahs, who still lead the southern hemisphere provincial series despite losing to the Canterbury Crusaders and Wellington Hurricanes, have not won in Canberra in four Super 12 visits and confidence is slowing draining from the Sydney franchise.
Lachlan Mackay returns to fly-half in an attempt to blunt the individual brilliance of his Brumbies opposite Matt Giteau.
Mackay has been eased back into the game from the reserves bench since returning for the round six match against the Crusaders but showed enough with a strong individual try and sound kicking game late in last weekend’s loss to the Hurricanes to suggest he was ready for a start.
Waratahs coach Ewen McKenzie said Saturday’s match was not only an opportunity for MacKay but anyone in his side that had Wallabies aspirations.
”The added bonus is the national selectors pore over this game a little bit harder than other games and the head-to-head contests are rightly deemed to be important for selection down the track,” McKenzie said.
The pressure is also on five-time winners Canterbury Crusaders in their away match with the Western Stormers in Cape Town on Saturday after last weekend’s upset 35-20 loss to the Northern Bulls in Pretoria.
After looking ominous with convincing wins over the Auckland Blues and the Waratahs, the Crusaders got a rude comeuppance against the fired-up Bulls and will have to overcome the loss of captain Richie McCaw, who is out with concussion after he was knocked out in the third minute against the Bulls.
Johnny Leo’o will replace McCaw’s place with coach Robbie Deans believing his size is a better attacking option than Sam Harding, who replaced McCaw against the Bulls.
The Crusaders are fourth and will be looking to take maximum points against the Stormers, who are eight points behind them in seventh position.
The Stormers, who were knocked out of the semifinals by the Crusaders last year, are rated as a more talented team than the Bulls with a spread of Springboks throughout their line-up.
Yet they were lucky to beat the Queensland Reds 15-13 in Cape Town last weekend and also have many players battling injury, including talented flanker Schalk Burger.
With the second-placed Hurricanes and third-rung Highlanders having the weekend off, the chance is there for Auckland Blues to make some ground up against the Coastal Sharks in Auckland on Saturday.
Auckland were too strong for the Golden Cats last week but will find the Sharks a stronger proposition.
”We have been able to focus well on this Blues game. We are in a situation where we just want to build and get better and be more efficient,” said Sharks’ coach Dick Muir.
”We are making headway. Sometimes these things take time and we are hoping for a good result this weekend.”
The Blues will be without All Blacks playmaker Carlos Spencer, who fractured a cheekbone during an opposed training session on Wednesday.
The Bulls, riding high after beating the Crusaders, are confident of more success against the Queensland Reds in Pretoria on Friday, while skipper Jono Gibbes is back for the Waikato Chiefs at blindside flanker for Friday’s match against the Cats at Waikato Stadium. – Sapa-AFP