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The team for the first test is starting to take shape. Saturday’s floundering performance against the NSW Waratahs was the last chance saloon for the ‘mid-week’ players (a misnomer on this tour, but still an apt description) but Wednesday’s game will be a dress rehearsal for the real thing. Their opponent has dominated Australian elite rugby for a decade. Here’s everything you need to know about the ACT Brumbies.
The Brumbies were founded in 1995 to participate in 1996 the Super12 season – the first running of what we would recognise as modern Super Rugby. Based in Australia’s capital city of Canberra, they have won Super Rugby twice – in 2001 and 2004. A brumby is a type of wild horse found in that region of Australia, and can be found on the clubs logo.
Despite failing to win a title in over 2 decades, the Brumbies have recently re-asserted themselves as the top Australian franchise, finishing above the other 3 franchises in 7 of the last 8 full seasons of Super Rugby and winning the COVID-19 enforced Super Rugby AU – a reduced format featuring only Australian teams – in 2021. Currently coached by Stephen Larkham, they were knocked out of this season’s super Rugby play-offs in the semi-final by table toppers the Chiefs.
The Brumbies achieved notoriety in 2013 by being the only team to defeat the British & Irish Lions outside of the test series, with the scoreline ending 14-12 to the hosts. The Lions team playing that day had a makeshift feel to it with several players flown in last minute to cover for the test starters being rested.
The most famous of these late additions was Wales legend Shane Williams, who had retired from test rugby 18 months prior. He was playing his club rugby in Japan (one of the first big name stars to move out there) and had been planning to head to Australia as a TV pundit, not a player. He later admitted that he had to call Lions assistant coach Rob Howley the morning he was due to fly into camp, just to make sure his call up wasn’t a dream!
The Brumbies are a team with a clear playing identity, as can be seen from their stats. They have a very reliable set piece, with the fewest scrum penalties conceded by any club side in the world this season (Super Rugby, TOP14, Premiership, URC) and the most opposition scrums won in Super Rugby, whilst also have the league’s best overall scrum win percentage. They also top the global stats for mauls win percentage and they have more tries originate from set piece than any other team in the world.
When it comes to open play, the Brumbies are extremely direct. They have the most carries and the most rucks of any team in Super Rugby this season whilst having the lowest tackle evasion. They rarely score from deep, with the fewest tries originating from their own half of any team in the world. They also have the fewest offloads in the league and their offloading stats are poor, showing this is not a skill they prioritise.
Their direct, set piece orientated tactics have proved successful: they won 9 of their 14 regular season games, scoring 66 tries in the process. Their average scoreline was 32-26, the best of any Australian team this season, and they finished in the 3rd overall table. In fact, they came close to hosting a home semi-final but, suffered an agonising home loss to eventual champions the Crusaders in the final round of the regular season.
Many Brumbies players boast impressive stats this season, with the Canberra side registering no fewer than 5 players in the league’s top 10 try scorers. Their own top scorers were hooker Billy Pollard and winger Corey Toole who both got 11 tries each. Toole also chipped in with 4 try assists and registered excellent ball in hand stats, including: 43% tackle evasion, 24 clean breaks, 38 defenders beathen and 730 metres gained.
Their top carrier was Tom Hooper who registered 60% gainline success from 164 contacts. Number 8 Rob Valentini and centre Len Ikitau were both also impressive carriers with 72% from 137 carries and 65% from 129 carries respectively.
Their top defender was Rory Scott with a 92% success rate from 204 tackles, including 7 dominant hits and 8 turnovers won. Elsewhere, Nick Frost registered 85% success from 219 tackles and Tom Hooper got 92% success from 194 tackles as well as 13 turnovers won.
Finally, special acknowledgement must got to Brumbies fullback Tom Wright. From his 160 carries this season, he achieved 71% gainline success, 38% tackle evasion, 19 clean breaks and 59 defenders beaten. He was the only Super Rugby player to gain more than 1,000 metres this season, and he gained 1,314 – 500 metres more than any other player!
The Brumbies may be without most of their first-liners for this Lions game, with only Toole, Hooper and Scott of the above names available on Wednesday, but they will still be the sternest test the Lions have faced since they arrived in Australia. With Andy Farrell going strong with his selections, the tourists should still have too much for their hosts, but don’t be surprised to see a tight scoreline at half time.
The game will also represent a homecoming for Lions back Mack Hansen. The Ireland winger was born in Canberra and made his professional debut for the Brumbies back in 2018, scoring 65 points for the franchise in 45 appearances.
