Can the Brumbies upset the mighty Crusaders?
Brumbies skipper Allan Ala’alatoa will be aiming to come away with family bragging rights when he goes head-to-head with his older brother in Saturday’s Super Rugby Trans-Tasman clash with the Crusaders.
The Brumbies were left heartbroken last week when the Super Rugby AU title slipped through their fingers thanks to an after-the-siren try from Queensland Reds star James O’Connor in the decider.
Ala’alatoa says the group quickly shifted their attention to the Trans-Tasman competition and they have been busy formulating a plan to topple perennial heavyweights the Crusaders, who beat the Chiefs 24-13 in the Super Rugby Aotearoa Final.
An interesting subplot to Saturday’s match in Christchurch is the brother v brother battle in the front row.
Ala’alatoa’s older brother Michael, a Samoan international, plays for the Crusaders, and they have both been named in the starting side.
“There’s a bit of banter being thrown around, but there’s a lot of love there,” Allan said.
“Once that whistle blows, we’re going to be ripping into each other.
“I’m sure as the older brother he is going to try to stamp his authority there, but I want to do everything I can to ruin his game.”
Ala’alatoa said the trip to NZ gave the Brumbies a fresh spark following the club’s heartbreaking loss to the Reds.
“Off the back of last week, it was tough to come in on the Monday,” Ala’alatoa said.
“But we knew we had a great challenge ahead, and we use this opportunity to come overseas and connect, to get tighter as a Brumbies family.”
The Western Force have been boosted by the return of star Irish fullback Rob Kearney for Saturday night’s clash with the Chiefs in Perth.
The Force’s confidence is high after breaking through for their maiden finals appearance in Super Rugby AU, and coach Tim Sampson says they’ll have nothing to fear against their more-fancied NZ rivals.
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“You don’t go into a game being overawed by the opposition,” Sampson said.
“We’ve built some lovely momentum in the past month or so, and that was the key focus for us after that Brumbies loss. Straight away it was to keep the ball rolling.
“The breakdown is huge for us. They’re very physical the Chiefs.
“But I said to the guys at the start of the week that we can take comfort knowing that we’re a team that has high possession percentages.
“We’ve dealt with threats in the Super Rugby AU competition, where the Brumbies are very good at the breakdown as well. We’ve got to take confidence out of that and not be spooked.”
The Melbourne Rebels host the Blues at AAMI Park in Saturday’s other match, a clash of two teams who have under-achieved so far this season.
