Sunwolves vs Brumbies: Five things we learned

Fri, Mar 6, 2020, 6:47 AM
Beth Newman
by Beth Newman
The Brumbies have extended their Australian conference lead with a comprehensive 47-14 win over the Sunwolves.

The Brumbies made it four from five with a big win over the Sunwolves on Friday afternooon.

What are we talking about after that 47-14 victory?

1. Brumbies getting the wins they need


Often in a strong season, it is games like Friday’s that can be the most dangerous.

Coming in off a bye, against a team that were $21 outsiders can prove a banana skin to even some of the best teams - it's the danger of the unexpected.

It had all the ingredients for a banana skin game. But the Brumbies clearly aren’t much worried about bananas.

This was a solid win by a very good Super Rugby team and it will set them up for the weeks to come.

Though it was not a shock, these are the kinds of games the Brumbies simply have to win to put themselves at the top of the Super Rugby tree.

The Brumbies host the Waratahs next weekend before taking on the Reds in Brisbane and then hosting the Hurricanes.

The Bumbies have marked this next block as season-defining and they managed to get off to a strong start.

2. Sunwolves take a small win

It was a tough old day for the Sunwolves on Friday but they can take one big victory away - they became the first team to score a maul try against the Brumbies in more than a year.

While that mightn’t sound all that significant, it was enough to be singled out by coach Dan McKellar as an aberration on an otherwise impressive outing.

The Brumbies maul, both attack and defence of the maul, has been one of their anchors in recent seasons.

A string of penalties in the first half gave Sunwolves hooker Efi Ma'afu the chance to notch a small, but significant, victory.

3. Halfback competition as hot as ever at the Brumbies

Ryan Lonergan's goal kicking could be giving him the edge in Super Rugby selection. Photo: Getty ImagesRyan Lonergan has been patiently waiting for a starting chance at the Brumbies and he made the most of his opportunity against the Sunwolves.

The 21-year-old didn’t miss a beat at no. 9, recycling the ball quickly and cleanly and acting as an effective link man across the park.

Lonergan scored the opening try and opened the door for the second and was among the best on the park.

The former Junior Wallabies scrumhalf Lonergan also showed something that could even give them the edge in the halfback race - his goal kicking.

Lonergan has goal kicked all through his career and on Friday, he returned a perfect five-from-five off the boot including two sideline conversions.

When push comes to shove, that could be the element of his game that puts him ahead in what is fierce competition at halfback in Canberra.

4. It’s Miller time

Will Miller has been earmarked as a strong talent for a number of years now but he hasn’t quite had the opportunity to shine in his favoured no. 7.

At the Brumbies, he has flourished given a series of openside flanker starts and he was again one of their key players in Wollongong.

Miller is always industirius without the ball but on Friday, he again showed off his danger in attack.

The flanker was on the end of a very nice Cadeyrn Neville ball to score the Brumbies' second try and that moment capped off a standout afternoon.

5. Sunwolves positive in face of adversity

It’s been a wild ride for the Sunwolves in Super Rugby this season but captain Jake Schatz maintained a positive attitude post-match.

Already knowing that this season would be their last in Super Rugby, they were hit with a major curve ball last week when told they would be playing their upcoming home games in Australia amid the coronavirus outbreak, putting them on the road for four weeks.

While they could have reason to feel hard done by, Schatz maintained that they were staying positive in adversity.

“It’s like refereeing, it’s out of our hands. We just have to deal with the cards we dealt," he said.

It can't be easy being the Sunwolves right now but the Japanese outfit are certainly doing the best they can to keep their smiles on.

 

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