1.An oldie but a goodie
Stephen Larkham has made much of the need for the Brumbies’ attack to use more flair but it was a golden oldie move that proved just as successful. Josh Mann-Rea and Stephen Moore finished off two Brumbies trademark rolling mauls in their 52-10 win over the Hurricanes.
2. Familiarity breeds success
The Hurricanes came to Canberra with a new-look side, missing All Blacks Ma’a Nonu and Conrad Smith. The majority of the Brumbies’ combinations have had almost four years to build chemistry and that showed on Friday night. The majority of their offloads stuck and they looked like a team that had started their season midway through, though with the freshness of a round one team. This could prove the critical advantage for the Brumbies in 2016.
3. Breakdown infringements are a concern
The Brumbies’ David Pocock was handed a yellow card after numerous infringements in the breakdown. Pocock has been yellow-carded in both matches he has played this season, first against the Reds in their trial before the Hurricanes game on Friday. Co-captain Stephen Moore was circumspect after the match, praising the referee for consistency but admitting that it was an area that needed to be looked at after the match.
4. Revenge is sweet
If there was a more emphatic way to open your season than a 42-point win over the team that ended your 2015 campaign, you’d be hard pressed to find it. While the Hurricanes brought a different side, the Brumbies would have enjoyed getting one back on a side that they have generally dominated in recent times.
5. The Brumbies are still the favourites
No one will be getting carried away after just one game but the favouritism that the Brumbies took into the Hurricanes match-up will not be going away anytime soon. They dominated the New Zealand side in their opening match and showed the dynamism that they’ve spoken about all season. A Rory Arnold injury was the sole negative for the Brumbies out of the match, in what was a near ideal start to the season.
