Super Rugby AU: Round 9 Talking Points

We look at the four big talking points to come out of the round, below. 

Brumbies Secure Home Final
The Brumbies delivered the goods last weekend as they beat the Rebels 31-14. While it was a far from vintage a Brumbies performance – they really struggled to convert some gilt-edge try-scoring opportunities – the bonus point win did secure them top spot on the standings and a home final. 

Head coach, Dan McKellar, now finds himself in a rather tricky position; does he field his big guns in this weekend’s dead rubber with the Reds? His side will be off duty come the first set of play-off fixtures as they have already claimed a berth in a final. He has a catch 22 on his hands because of this as while he risks having one of his star players pick up an injury should he field a strong squad against the Reds, if he opts to field a weakened side he would risk sending his big guns into the final with a bit of ring rust. It’s going to be a very tricky week for the man at the helm of the Brumbies. 

The Reds had a great time of it last weekend and they didn’t even take to the field. The Queenslanders were granted play-off hosting rights by virtue of the Waratahs beating the Rebels last weekend. 

It was an ideal result for head coach Brad Thorn as he now knows this weekend’s clash against the Brumbies is a dead rubber. While the former All Black is likely to field a strong side, he may well also throw a few fringe players into the mix so as to test his side’s depth prior to the play-offs. 

The Waratahs managed to keep their play-off chances alive by securing a vital 38-32 victory over the Rebels this past Saturday. 

The win sees the Waratahs move four points clear of the Rebels headed into the final set of round-robin phase fixtures. Unfortunately, for the men from New South Wales, they won’t be playing this weekend and they’ll need the Western Force to deny the Rebels a bonus-point win this weekend and lose to the Melbourne side by less than three points. Not an easy task for a side that is yet to win a game this term. 

Tom Banks Back to His Best
Tom Banks was back to his best this past weekend with the Wallaby picking up metres at will during his side’s win over the Force. 

Banks managed to bag a try and ran for 76 metres. He was also extremely impressive with the boot, peeling off many metres with his siege gun like left foot. His return to form is great news for the Brumbies headed into September 19 Super Rugby AU final. 

Written by Darry Worthington for Hollywoodbets.