The ACT Brumbies and Queensland Reds have been the strongest Australian teams in this year’s Super Rugby and have worked hard to help Australia’s comeback in the competition. Their match in Round 14 on Saturday will decide which team has the better chance to challenge New Zealand’s hold on the top two spots.
Finishing in the top two means getting home games in the first two rounds of the playoffs. In the past three years of Super Rugby Pacific, only New Zealand teams have had this advantage.
The Brumbies, based in Canberra, know how important this is. They’ve made it past the first round of the playoffs every year, but always lost in the semi-finals in New Zealand.
This weekend, the Brumbies have a chance to go to the top of the table because the leading team, the Waikato Chiefs, are not playing. If the Brumbies beat the fourth-placed Reds at home, they will take first place.
Also Read: Bologna Wins First Title in 51 Years on Magical Night in Rome
“Right now, we have two of the best Australian teams facing off, and it’s an important match for us,” said Brumbies coach Stephen Larkham after naming his team on Wednesday.
“The Reds are comfortably in the top six, but like us, they want to finish higher on the ladder to have the best chance in the finals.”
Both teams will have backup players at flyhalf, as Brumbies’ Noah Lolesio and Reds’ Tom Lynagh both suffered concussions last weekend. However, the absences in the forward positions might have a bigger effect.
While the Brumbies are also missing in-form flanker Luke Reimer (concussion), the Reds have added locks Lukhan Salakaia-Loto (shoulder) and Seru Uru (knee) to a growing injury list, which already includes Wallabies captain Harry Wilson.
If the Brumbies make a mistake, the 12-time champions Canterbury Crusaders could move into the top two, but only if they end their two-match losing streak against the NSW Waratahs in Sydney on Friday.
There are some important player absences in this match. The home team, Waratahs, will miss their star player Joseph Suaalii, who is out for a month due to a jaw injury. Meanwhile, the Crusaders won’t have the world-class fullback Will Jordan or the All Blacks captain Scott Barrett.
Crusaders coach Rob Penney, who was fired by the Waratahs in 2021, said, “We need to be good over there. The Waratahs are tough at home because they enjoy the challenge of playing against one of the best teams in the world, and they always rise to that challenge.”
Last year, the Wellington Hurricanes and Auckland Blues finished on top of the regular standings. Both teams will be looking to continue their late-season recovery after slow starts this year.
The Hurricanes, in sixth place, are hoping to secure a third straight win to keep their playoff hopes alive when they play the Otago Highlanders on Friday night.
The defending champions, the Blues, have moved up to fifth after winning two games in a row. They will travel across Auckland to face Ardie Savea’s Moana Pasifika, who are in seventh place, on Saturday.
Moana, after a break, earned their fifth win of the season with a last-minute victory over the Highlanders two weeks ago. They will now aim to win back-to-back games against New Zealand teams for the first time.
In Saturday’s first match, Western Force, currently in ninth place but just four points away from a playoff spot, will face the bottom team, Fijian Drua, in Lautoka.
