Super Rugby
Reliance on big three is Brumbies' Achilles heel
ESPN Staff
April 23, 2015
Ruck'n Maul: Injuries are blighting the Brumbies

The Brumbies' recent woes have been well documented with the loss of Wallabies Matt Toomua, Tevita Kuridrani and Nic White leading to a downward spiral in attack.

The ACT side were devastating with ball in hand in the opening weeks of Super Rugby - albeit that two games were against a hapless Queensland Reds - but the backline has struggled to break down opposition defences since the loss first of Kuridrani, and then Toomua and White. And ESPN can now reveal the extent of their attacking inadequacies with Opta Stats painting a dire picture for Brumbies coach Stephen Larkham.

The Brumbies scored 19 tries in the first six weeks of Super Rugby, - with Toomua, White and Kuridrani each scoring two - but they have scored just four tries in three matches since the Round 6 defeat by New South Wales Waratahs, and just two since Toomua's departure to the sidelines in the 23rd minute of the shock Round 9 loss to the Blues.

In a more telling statistic for Larkham, the trio of White, Kuridrani and Toomua also combined for nine try-assists - meaning they've directly been involved with 79% of the Brumbies' tries this season. And this is where the Brumbies are suffering. Without the creativity of White and Toomua, and the powerhouse finishing of Kuridrani, the Brumbies are struggling to make line-breaks and seem to be playing a much narrower game.

The Brumbies attacking woes are plotted above © ESPNscrum with Opta Stats
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The final point that emphasises the importance of the Wallabies trio to the Brumbies is the fact that a competition-high 15 of the team's 19 tries have originated from within the opposition 22. This shows just how clinical the Brumbies were inside the attacking red-zone, and how the likes of White and Toomua - evidenced by their try-assists - ensure they turn pressure into points.

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The Brumbies are in desperate need of a win against the Highlanders in Canberra on Friday night, as a third straight loss could serve a potentially devastating blow for their semi-final hopes. With a second bye and a tough road trip to South Africa to come, another loss at GIO Stadium will offer the Waratahs a big chance to overtake them in the race for the Australian conference title and, based on the strength of its New Zealand equivalent, the only local representation in the play-offs.

Brumbies star Christian Leali'ifano doesn't see it that way, however, and he is confident the two-time champions can rediscover the classy attack in despite the absence of their key senior players.

"I don't feel like it's off track," Lealiifano told Fairfax Media earlier this week. "We've lost a couple of games and we've been right in it, we haven't played that well. We truly believe once we get our game going and execute that then we'll be fine."

The Brumbies are scoring the majority of their tries in the first and third quarters © ESPNscrum with Opta Stats
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They will face a weakened Highlanders outfit this week, with coach Jamie Joseph finally bowing to New Zealand Rugby's All Blacks resting policy. Other New Zealand coaches have mixed and matched the rounds in which they rest their All Blacks, but Joseph has opted to spell Ben Smith, Aaron Smith and Malakai Fekitoa at the same time. "They have had big workloads and we will have to rest them soon," Joseph said before later confirming the omission of the All Blacks trio.

The Highlanders coach says his side face a tough challenge in Canberra despite the Brumbies' struggles of late, pointing to a shortened turnaround following last week's win over the Blues in Dunedin.

"The Brumbies are always hard in Canberra," Joseph said. "We've got a six-day turnaround after two tough games against the Crusaders and Blues so we won't be doing too much training this week. Physically we are up against it but if we can get to Canberra and put the Brumbies under pressure, as the Blues did, we will have a chance."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd

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