McKellar lauds Brumbies' belief

Sat, Apr 7, 2018, 11:04 PM
Sam Phillips
by Sam Phillips
Both teams were looking to make a statement in Canberra in this Australian derby. A high scoring spectacle took place as a remarkable rise from the ashes occurred after the halftime break.

Brumbies coach Dan McKellar has lauded his side's resilience after they stared a 15-0 deficit in the face and turned it into a 45-21 win.

The rugby the Brumbies played in the 33-3 second half was a direct result of the changes McKellar has made to ACT's attack, a system which the players have backed despite a spluttering start to the season.

"Tonight was a step forward, it was excellent," McKellar said.

"In the second half we managed to create space and have the confidence to and the belief to play footy, to back ourselves.

"In this game you have to have pretty thick skin and just believe in what you're doing.


"I'll give it to the players - at no stage over the last few weeks have they come and said they don't think this is working.

"They believe in the change we are trying to make and we just have to stick at it."

The Reds flew out of the gates with tries to Taniela Tupou and Chris Feauai-Sautia but the Brumbies didn't panic down 15-0, outscoring Queensland 45-6 in the next 60 minutes.

McKellar said that was his side's resilience on display for all to see - a core value in Canberra.

"We speak a lot about resilience, it's one of our pillars within our group, within our club, and I thought the boys showed a lot of that tonight - we had to," he said.The Brumbies fired back after a slow start. Photo: RUGBY.com.au/Stuart Walmsley"Even at 15-0 down I thought our defensive effort was excellent - it was just some one-on-one tackles and they've got some powerful footballers in their team.

"But I thought our ability to not drop our heads and go into our shells was pleasing."

Another big challenge awaits the Brumbies, tasked with snapping Australia's New Zealand Conference hoodoo when they take on the Highlanders in Dunedin.

"It gives us more confidence to go over to Dunedin," McKellar said of the win.

"They're a good side, we're a good football side as well.

"It's a challenge for us but one we are excited about and one we think we can conquer."

On the injury front, Lachie McCaffrey has dislocated his elbow and will have scans to determine the severity of the injury today.

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