The Brumbies have outclassed the Fijian Drua as they cruised to a 42-3 win at GIO Stadium.
Whilst Dan McKellar is confident there is still plenty of improvements to be found from the performance, they certainly showed why they are considered one of the teams to beat as they dominated their opposition.
So what did we learn from the convincing victory?
1.Bank on it
Tom Banks has returned to his dangerous best, lighting up the Drua’s defence with every touch.
He floated around the field and looks like he’s added an extra step of pace as he returns from a broken arm. The highlight of his performance came in the 13th minute with a blistering 60-metre run to score the second try of the match.
After a strong showing from Jock Campbell last week and the confirmation of Kurtley Beale’s return, this performance was a reminder of why Banks is the front-runner when fit for the Wallabies.
2. Decision Making
The Fijian Drua looked good in patches but there are still plenty of learnings and improvements in this team.
In particular, there were certain decisions that just made the game harder for themselves. This was shown in the 23rd minute when they did some excellent work to earn the turnover, but opted for the quick tap inside their 22 instead of going for the clearance kick, gifting the ball back to the Brumbies.
This combined with several mistakes ensured they regularly found themselves under pressure in defence, something they need to curb if they want to turn around their fortunes.
3. Using the opportunity
Vinaya Habosi made the most of his tightrope with the law, providing the main spark in attack for the Fijian Drua.
During Banks’ solo effort, Habosi collected and tip-ended Andy Muirhead, which looked ugly on replay. Fortunately, referee Rueben Keane took into account the fact Muirhead seemed to jump before the tackle, with the mitigating factor lowering the sanction to just a penalty.
This allowed Habosi to show off his impressive speed and strength, twice breaking through the Brumbies defence. The Drua will still take plenty of rounds to gel and show their full potential but performances like Habosi’s will go a long way to building confidence in attack.
4.Depth shines
Brumbies coach Dan McKellar’s decision to freshen his side paid off perfectly as they dominated the Drua across the park.
Both Ryan and Lachlan Lonergan looked strong, with the two nearly combining for a try, eventually pulled back for a mistake in the build-up.
Meanwhile, Jesse Mogg shined in his brief moments on the field, earning a double after two nice finishes.
5. Pollard power
Speaking of depth, is there any other team in the world with as good depth as hooker as the Brumbies?
When Lonergan departed at half-time, their fourth-string Billy Pollard took over, showing the speed that lit up the NZ Schools a couple of years ago as he burst down the wing in the 49th minute.
He then earns a vital turnover on their goal-line as well as making several crucial tackles.
The fact McKellar has Wallabies Folau Fainga’a and Connal McInerney watching from the sidelines is almost unfair. How they manage minutes for all four, with Pollard looking like a player of the future and a potential starter for the '27 World Cup, remains yet to be seen.
