Wallabies' No.7 battle is a sideshow
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The Brumbies and Waratahs will square off this weekend with a massive battle expected between two of the best openside flanks in the business, David Pocock and Michael Hooper.
The showdown is one that many fans will be licking their lips for, and it could go a long way in helping Waratahs and Wallabies' coach Michael Cheika's decide on his best option for the World Cup.
However, for the players on the field, this is more of a sideshow, with Waratahs and former Brumbies forward Mitchell Chapman admitting he is not fussed by the pre-match buildup as they battle for the Wallabies spot.
"It doesn't irk me, I enjoy watching both the guys play," Chapman told the Australian Associated Press.
"That can take a bit of attention off the rest of the game, but as a team we're not focusing on one guy.
"We'll be focusing on the team across the board."
What the Waratahs will be focusing on, especially after last weekend, is the Brumbies maul, which allowed Pocock to pick up a hat-trick of tries without running a single metre.The conference-leading Brumbies used the tactic to devastating effect against the Highlanders last weekend, as Pocock picked up three first-half tries off unstoppable rolling mauls after lineouts.
Chapman concedes the Brumbies' key weapon is extremely difficult to counter.
"I think once the maul is set up really well, it's hard to stop," Chapman said on Monday.
"Either defending it in the air or stopping it before it gets going is pretty crucial.
"They've got a technically good maul. Once they get set up we could be in a bit of trouble so we have to look at getting stuck in early on."
The Waratahs also scored a try from a rolling maul against the Rebels last weekend, with their openside flank Hooper, dotting the ball down.
AAP
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