Brumbies call for accountability as they begin long road trip

Wed, Mar 23, 2022, 1:47 AM
Nathan Williamson
by Nathan Williamson
The Brumbies hosted the Reds in a replay of last year's Super Rugby AU final.

Brumbies backrower Rob Valetini believes there are still major areas of improvement left in the side as they prepare to hit the road.

The Brumbies are the lone unbeaten side in Super Rugby Pacific after grinding out a 16-12 victory over the Reds last Friday.

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However, coach Dan McKellar was quick to show his disappointment in their standard of play, critical of the sloppy showing in their four-point win.

Valetini agreed with this sentiment, calling on the side to show greater accountability at training in order to fulfil their potential.

“We’re feeling good at 5-0 (but) obviously we think there’s a lot of room for improvement,” Valetini told reporters on Tuesday.

“As you saw with Friday’s game, it was a bit scrappy from us so we found a way to win.

“I think it all starts with training, just being accountable and players being responsible for their own roles in the team to make sure we can do our jobs at the best of our ability.

“We weren’t accurate with our set-piece attack. There was plenty of drop ball in contact, we just weren’t accurate with our skills in attack so it was very sloppy and there were plenty of scrums and lineouts.”

Friday's clash with the Western Force starts a four-game streak on the road, not featuring at GIO Stadium until May after an early shift in schedule.

Following the stint in Perth, they will spend a fortnight playing at Suncorp Stadium before heading to Melbourne as part of Super Round.

Valetini and the Brumbies and well aware of the threats the Force possess, escaping with the win on the siren in round one, with hot conditions expected to await them at HBF Park.

“We know they are going to have a lot of possession, (we’re trying to) find ways to get the ball back through our defence,” he said on the Force.

“We had good patches on the weekend but we’re not happy with just making tackles, we’re trying to force mistakes through poaching or getting through the ruck.

“It’s going to be a good game, it’s going to be hot so probably more suited to them so we’re looking forward to the tough game.”

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Valetini was one of 15 Brumbies named in the Wallabies' squad for a training camp on the Gold Coast next month.

With the goal of a Super Rugby Pacific title firmly on the mind, the 23-year-old was parking any talks of International football, confident it would work itself out.

“I think from last year into this year, you just do you work here and let it take care of itself,” he believes.

“I just remain focused at 'Brums' and just do my job here and if I’m doing it right, it’ll sort itself out.”

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