The most curious aspect to Saturday night’s blockbuster final is that it has taken 25 years for the Reds-Brumbies rivalry to reach such a crescendo.
Remarkably, this climactic occasion in front of more than 40,000 in the Super Rugby AU decider will be the seventh time the clubs have met in 15 months.
Watch every minute of Super Rugby AU on Stan Sport. Start your Free Sport Trial Now
The ledger is 3-all and the 40-38 and 24-22 decisions of earlier this season both went the Reds’ way in the final minutes through clutch comebacks.
Those constant and close collisions have fed an intimate sparring between the sides, fractious niggle between the rival front-rows, constant media comparisons of players in dueling Test positions and brought out the best in coaches Brad Thorn and Dan McKellar.
This is the measuring stick game in Australian rugby between two provinces who have always done things their own way.
It’s curious because this match-up has so rarely had a history and feeling that compares to the age-old Reds-Waratahs skirmishes or the classic Brumbies-Waratahs battles.
There once was a good reason for that. The Brumbies simply won all the time.
The Reds had just one success in their opening 16 clashes against the Brumbies from the birth of professional Super Rugby in 1996 to 2010.
There were Reds' cast-offs who fuelled the early Brumbies sides and didn't players like 1999 World Cup-winning lock David Giffin excel. Other Queensland products like hooker Jeremy Paul were savvy signings.
Queensland legends like John Eales and Tim Horan had far more success winning World Cup finals than they did beating the Brumbies.
The only Reds’ win in that early period came in 1999 when a skinny 19-18 victory was squeezed at Ballymore with a single Dan Herbert try.
The rest of the points came from the boot of Nathan Spooner in that season when Bomber, the kelpie, ran the kicking tee onto the field for every place kick.
Far more often, the Reds retreated with the tail between their legs. The standard was a Brumbies’ stampede like the 51-8 rout in their 2004 title year, the 36-0 cleansheet of 2006 and the 52-13 raid at Suncorp Stadium in 2009.
Most often, the Brumbies won the verbal battles too. When Reds halfback Josh Valentine was disciplined for arriving at training with alcohol on his breath in 2004, he was dropped to the bench for the visit to Canberra.
When he ran on in the second half, Brumbies niggler Owen Finegan couldn’t wait to needle, “Get off the drink, mate”, as the 51-8 scoreline unfolded.
The clubs had met only once in finals before last year’s grand final in Canberra was won by the Brumbies.
In 2001, a powerful Reds side under skipper Eales competed doggedly early before being overrun 30-6 in a semi-final in Canberra.
Not even the collective will of Eales, Chris Latham, Toutai Kefu, Daniel Herbert, Elton Flatley, Mark Connors, the young Nathan Sharpe, Michael Foley and Matt Cockbain could find a try against a vintage Brumbies outfit of Steve Larkham, George Gregan, Joe Roff and Co.
The Reds had to wait another decade before the droughtbreaker finally arrived. The 31-25 win of 2011 was the Reds’ first-ever in Canberra on the back of a Scott Higginbotham try and seven penalty goals from Quade Cooper.
Only over these past two seasons have the Reds and Brumbies really traded close wins to continually ignite the narrative that one big scrum, one big play, one opportunist moment or one mistake is all that splits them on any night.
When the sides played out their nine-try thriller in Canberra in March, it was the pulsating clash that rugby in this country needed.
It wasn’t hyperbole when McKellar said this post-match.
“(Wallabies coach) Dave Rennie would have gone to bed knowing we can name between 25 and 30 players from the Reds and Brumbies - and half a dozen players who weren’t playing on the night - who can genuinely win a Bledisloe Cup within a couple of years,” McKellar said.
Rugby keeps searching for a magic formula to capture fans when it’s right there in front of us when the quality and a rivalry that means something is right.
That Canberra game stirred nearly 20,000 fans to attend the rematch at Suncorp Stadium in April. They got a pulsating 24-22 night and, now, we are staring at double that crowd for Saturday’s final.
Let’s have a crack at a six-pack of key match-ups for the final.
1 BRUMBIES v SUNCORP STADIUM
The Brumbies haven’t won at Suncorp Stadium since 2015 and will be facing a Reds’ side which has rebuilt their “Fortress Suncorp” mentality to 9-0 in Super Rugby AU across 2020-21.
There won’t be a whole lot of Brumbies’ voices amongst the 40,000 fans in the stands either, except Brumby Jack.
2 JAMES O’CONNOR v NOAH LOLESIO
A classic old bull v young bull match-up at flyhalf. When the regular season game was in the balance at Suncorp Stadium in April, O’Connor grabbed the game by the collar. He orchestrated the Reds’ comeback from 15-6 down with a cool head. He took penalty goal shots when on offer, he directed the pinpoint high ball for the Jordan Petaia try, cross-kicked expertly in the lead-up to the Josh Flook try and was the clear general.
Lolesio, 21, has made huge strides in 2020-21. He's tough, he’s fearless, he can distribute and he can run. There is the pressure of a Test match in a final...best of all everything about Lolesio shouts bring it on. A terrific duel.
3 TUPOU TIME
The Reds have kicked eight penalty goals to two in the two clashes against the Brumbies this season and plenty of those have come from scrums dominated by prop Taniela Tupou. The Brumbies grumble at times that they cop an unfair scrum deal.
With more than 100 Tests of experience in the front-row through Scott Sio and Allan Alaalatoa, it’s up to the Brumbies’ props to deal with Tupou not any referee.
No James Slipper through injury erodes the 80-minute scrum-power of the Brumbies so this will be an area to watch.
4 LEN IKITAU v JOSH FLOOK
Ikitau has been one of the stars of 2021 at outside centre with his in-and-away and deceptive ability to get by defenders out wide to slip a pass. He is a Brumbies’ trump card capable of turning the final.
Flook is the youngest and most unheralded player in the Reds’ side. When coach Thorn says he reminds him of a young Conrad Smith, you need to take notice. Only slightly-built, Flook is a stout defender, sets up runners well and plays to the team pattern that the Reds are after.
READ MORE:
COMING HOME?: Rennie open to overseas return
ADDED MOTIVATION: Brumbies lift for Slipper
VIVE LA RENAISSANCE!: Wallabies Tests confirmed
5 THE FINISHERS
The Reds’ bench will add more turbos in the clutch final 25 minutes with Liam Wright, Filipo Daugunu, Alex Mafi and Seru Uru all capable of big plays.
Only outside back Mack Hansen really has that look on the Brumbies’ bench although hooker Folau Fainga’a has the big-occasion qualities to make a mark and hold the scrum strong in the closing stages.
6 ROB VALETINI v HARRY WILSON
Valetini has had his best and most consistent Super Rugby season. He's a hammering runner and defender and the Brumbies need that authority from their No.8 in the opening 30 minutes.
You can say Wilson has been a little quieter than his breakout season of 2020 but he's still immense for the Reds. He'll cart the ball a dozen or more times and the Reds need that go-forward. A nifty little off-load would be a bonus.
It’s a rematch of the 2020 Super Rugby AU decider as the Reds host the Brumbies on Saturday 8 May at Suncorp Stadium, kicking off at 7:45pm AEST. Click here to purchase tickets to one of the most anticipated Rugby matches of the year.
