Brumbies take aim at old friend Lealiifano

Sat, May 28, 2022, 2:43 AM
Justin Chadwick - AAP
by Justin Chadwick - AAP
The Moana Pasifika hosted the Force at Mt Smart Stadium.

Moana Pasifika flyhalf Christian Lealiifano has been warned to be on his toes when he comes up against his former Brumbies teammates in Saturday night's clash in Auckland.

Lealiifano's 12-year stint at the Brumbies ended in 2019, but he remains close with many players in the team.

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Brumbies captain Allan Ala'alatoa and prop Scott Sio even had dinner at Lealiifano's place this week, but the pleasantries will end once they are on the field. 

"Scotty has given him that chat that he's going to be going after him," Ala'alatoa said with a smile on Friday.

"I'm sure Christian will be ready to display his footwork in case Scotty shoots out of the line and tries to put on a shot. It's going to be good.

"We haven't seen Christian for a while. So that was awesome to connect, to go over to his place and have dinner with his partner and little one.

"Christian has given so much to the club. It probably will be weird to see him on the opposition tomorrow, but it's also special for him.

"He's trying to build a great culture for Moana, and to be able to display that against the Brumbies is going to be really special."

The third-placed Brumbies (10-3) are guaranteed a top-four finish, but Ala'alatoa said the team was desperate to make up for last week's 21-19 loss to the Blues.

Moana sit last with just a single win to their name, but the Brumbies won't be taking them lightly.

"Moana definitely has strike power in their backline and forward pack, and they're the team that has nothing to lose," Ala'alatoa said.

"It's going to be a physical match, but the boys are excited for it."

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