Brumbies Dark Horses?

Granted that first half was not very impressive by an means, I was however very impressed by the second half showing. They grew in confidence and showed a lot of character to beat a Force side that is not short of quality! They opened things up, and when they did, looked dangerous. And there was a hint of Jake's influence on defence as they absorbed immense pressure in those last minutes with accurate and committed defence. If they continue to grow in stature they might just go far in this competition. It's very unfortunate though that they've lost the service of the impressive Coleman for the next few weeks, as it really does stretch their already immensely limited playing resources. Before the season started they lost 16 players and fielded six debutants. It's one of the youngest squads I have ever seen at Super level, particularly given the all-round lack of Super rugby experience, it puts this win into perspective. It was a might leap for the side. Here are some stats to glean through to appreciate what they achieved:

Clean Breaks: 11
Defenders Beaten: 15
Offloads: 6

Tackles Made: 146
Tackles Missed: 10
Tackle Success: 93.6%

Lineouts Won/Lost (Own Ball): 5/2
Lineouts Won/Lost (Opponents Ball): 4/15

The Brumbies lack a quality kicker. I cannot understand why Australia kickers have a very upright and straight approach to the kick. It reminds me more of the approach of an NFL kicker. It often tends to drift badly. I haven't seen anyone else in other countries do this. Their work at the breakdown needs to be more accurate and to be fair it's something that did improve.

In conclusion, a big statement made by Jake and a big setback for his critics. this is arguably the toughest assignment yet for the World Cup winning coach. I look forward to the game against the Cheetahs in a fortnight. I think we could be in for a very open and exciting game. I just hope injuries don't disrupt things too much. There have been talks of McCabe moving to fullback, or one of the few standout 12s of the weekend, Lealiifano, being moved to fullback to accomodate McCabe at 12. Very unfortunate.