Brumbies v Force

[Ash]

BrumbiesForce
15. Mark Gerrard15. Drew Mitchell
14. Clyde Rathbone14. Cameron Shepherd
13. Adam Ashley-Cooper13. Ryan Cross
12. Stirling Mortlock12. Junior Pelesasa
11. Francis Fanifo11. Nick Cummins
10. Christian Lealiifano10. Matt Giteau
9. Patrick Phibbs9. Josh Valentine
8. Stephen Hoiles (captain)8. Richard Brown
7. George Smith7. David Pocock
6. Julian Salvi6. Matt Hodgson
5. Mark Chisholm5. Nathan Sharpe (captain)
4. Ben Hand4. Tom Hockings
3. Guy Shepherdson3. Ben Castle
2. Stephen Moore2. Tai McIsaac
1. Nic Henderson1. Pek Cowan


Brumbies replacements: John Ulugia, Ben Alexander, Sitaleki Timani, Peter Kimlin, Josh Holmes, Matt To'omua, Tyrone Smith.

Force replacements: Luke Holmes, Kieran Longbottom, Richard Stanford, Tamaiti Horua, Chris O'Young, James O'Connor, Haig Sare.

Looking at the way these teams have played this year, Brumbies should get a comfortable win. Looking at the team sheets, it should be fairly close.

Interesting that the Brumbies are unchanged after 3 rounds, and surprisingly Ben Hand is still starting.

Smith v Pocock the highlight?

With no Spooky, where's the Brumbies fans?

 

[Ash]

PS Has anyone looked at the Rugby Heaven tipping page?

http://www.rugbyheaven.com.au/tipping/index.html

I guess the Quokka picks (not the force) every week...

 

[cyclopath]

That's why Sally Loane got her Rugby job - knows her beans!!

 

[Ash]

Brumbies up 3 - 0 early. Greg Martin astutely noted that all 6 starting flankers have played openside before. Should be interesting. Unfortunately for the Force, the Brumbies loosies won't have to carry their tight 5.

 

[Ash]

Good kicking so far from the Brumbies.

Shepherd makes a nice break down the side, breaking Mortlock's tackle - but looked to be in slow motion. He might've lost some pace.

Force forwards once again not commiting to the breakdown to protect their own ball. Worse than the Reds, gees they are going to struggle like that.

Great charge down from Brown and the Force are hot on attack.

 

[Ash]

Shepherd makes another break, breaking AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper)'s tackle and showed quite a bit more pace this time, still not lightning though. Drawns Gerrard, passes to Cross, who offloads to Pelesasa but he can't take the rather high ball and knocks on over the line. Force looking dangerous so far, and the Brumbies are missing some tackles.

Camera cuts to Deans and Nucifora in the stands.

Force have had the majority of the ball, but a better more aggressive pack is going to hammer them. Brumbies turn over the ball again, kick it to Mitchel, Mitchell gets the ball, runs to 24m out and kicks it off the side off his boot and out on the full.

Now the Force counter ruck and turn it over.

3 - 0 to Brumbies, 22 gone.

 

[Ash]

First ball not straight for the night goes to McIsaac.

Might watch Hand closely. Hand is loosehead lock by the looks.

Brown warned for a high tackle.

Hand watch not going so well.

Gerrard kicks the penalty, 6 - 0 Brumbies 24 gone.

 

[Ash]

Great try from the Force off a set peice. Giteau with a long pass to Cross who lets the ball do the work to round a poorly positioned AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper), then Cross with a long cross out to Shepherd showing some decent pace down the tryline to score. Shepherd definitely looks to have lost a little pace, but he is looking sharp.

Gits misses the conversion, 6 - 5 Brumbies after 29.

Hand takes a lineout. Hand watch looking better.

Hand then takes a short ball off a ruck and pops to Phibbs on the wrap.

Brown with another high tackle and another warning (and Pek Cowan with a late tackle). Both not real dangerous though.

Pek Cowan looks small for a prop.

Gerrard kicks the penalty, 9 - 5 to the Brumbies, 31 gone.

Anyone around here? (Crickets...)

 

[cyclopath]

Crickets chirping at my place too.
Beautiful try - pity Giteau doesn't run at the line more then distribute like that.
Smith out-pointing Pocock so far - early days still.

 

[Ash]

Hand bombs the take off the kick off.

Not sure who the ref is, but he's being a bit unfair on players on their feet.

Might switch from Hand watch to Pocock v Smith watch soon.

Force ruck protection again poor after a strong Cummins run.

Gerrard kicks out on the full from a ball carried into the 22, Force on attack...and they are again sloppy at the break down. Really poor work from the Force.

Brumbies wheel the Force scrum and win a tight head (with help from Smith) and break down to the half way line through Rathbone. Force then pinch the line out but Smith kicks the ball though.

Hand cleans out a ruck.

 

[Ash]

These rucks are really messy. Rathbone caught, turnover, then Moore has his habitual silly run offside.

Giteau kicks the penalty, 9 - 8 to the Brumbies at half time.

 

[cyclopath]

I gotta say this habit Aussie scrums are developing of standing there, yapping constantly and taking ages to get set is pissing me off. Take for farkin' ever to reset anything. Moore is a master.
Breakdowns really messy. More than a few are doing the McCaw grab and twirl onto the wrong side - only less elegantly than McGod!!
Stark contrast between kick chasing from these teams and watching the Sharks tonight. Lazy stuff from the Oz teams.
Smith over Pocock.
Valentine over Phibbs - the latter doing too much hop-step-pass.
Shepherd looks good.

 

[Ash]

Force with another nice try by swinging it wide on the counter. Sherpherd it was, again. Gits misses the conversion from out wide.

Force lineout has been pretty poor, with a few turned over now.

Mortlock in trouble with a shoulder charge off the ball. Giteau misses the penalty.

Hard to spot Hand around.

Alexander and Holmes on early.

Pelesasa with a huge run, breaks around 5 tackles over 30-odd metres, offloads to Brown who goes over the line. Did he get it down? Camera is inconclusive. Video ref says it's down. Gits just gets the conversion. 20 - 9 to the Force. After 50m

Hand does some ball watching. Joins a ruck.

 

[Ash]

Brumbies sloppy on attack and turn over the ball.

Bloody Force are going to screw my tipping week.

Hand tries to counter ruck, helped by the Force accidently kicking it through Cheifs-style.

Holmes picking up and doing a Gregan before he passes. Gerrard makes a half break by beating Shepherd but Alexander drops it.

Brown subbed. WHY? Brown has been very good. So has Hodgson and Pocock though. Horua on.

 

[Ash]

Moore and Phibbs were shown two of the players with woeful attempted tackles on Pelesasa.

Hand off, Hand watch is over. Kimlon on. Rathbone off, T. Smith on, AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) to the wing.

Kearns is right I think, Brumbies scrum is pinged for its dominance.

Salvi offside at the ruck gifts a penalty and Brumbies take the lineout. Mortlock been very well contained tonight, or he's off his best. (A few of the Brumbies have been poor - Lealiifano has kicked a few out of on the full again for the second week in a row.)

Holmes looks like ahe does everything in slow mo. He looks all hype and no substance.

Hodgson in trouble for a spear tackle - going past the horizontal in the tackle. Fair penalty, I think, despite it being called soft by Marto. Gerrard misses the relatively easy kick.

20 - 9 to the Force, 59 gone.

McIsaac off, Holmes (Luke) on.

 

[Ash]

Horua wins a free kick, but Sharpe drops it off the tap.

Bloody Force looks the goods to win this despite their sloppy ruck work and set peices. Backs and Loosies are carrying the Force and Brumbies don't have the werewithall to deal with it.

Force give away some silly penalties at ruck time. Card might come soon.

Shepherdson hits Holmes (Luke) in the face with a swinging arm after the whistle. Gets away with it.

Mortlock cunched. Brumbies haven't looked dangerous. Smith makes a half break and throws a ball at Mortlock's ankles - and he drops it.

Salvi off, Timani on. Salvi has been largely ineffectual this game.

20 - 9 to the Force, 62 gone.

 

[Ash]

Tighthead to the Brumbies from a scrum 5m from the Force line. Force scrum not good at all.

Brumbies go for a pushover from 5m out, but the ref calls it back as the front row goes up just 3m out.

Take two sees the Force collapse 2m out. Brumbies take another scrum. Someone from the Force goes down. It's Pek Cowan.

Take three after a long break. Scrum goes up from the Force 4m under pressure. And it's a penalty try. Deserved. Force don't like it, but they were dominated.

Mortlock converts, 20 - 16 to the Force 66 gone.

 

[Ash]

Longbottom on for Pek Cowan.

Hodgson with a good tackle, gees, his defence has improved this year.

T. Smith dances down the right hand side, but G. Smith is crunched and Pocock wins it back.

Gits pops a miracle ball out the back, a ruck later it's swung wide and Shepherd dances down the left touch line again as Shepherd takes his hatrick. Gerrard rushed up, and Mitchell drew his man beautifully to put Shepherd away.

Giteau hits the post with his kick. 25 - 16, 69 gone. My tipping!

 

[Ash]

Shepherdson off, Henderson back on. Wonder who will be tight head. Henderson it is. Gerrard off too by the looks with a thigh injury. To'omua on?

Lealiifano throws a shocker. Nothing has gone right for the Brumbies really. They haven't looked like scoring apart from that penalty try from a 5m scrum.

Brumbies nearly win another tighthead. Yup, To'omua is on for Gerrard. Lealiifano with another silly static inside pass and Timani puts it down.

Lealiifano deserves to be dropped, but the Brumbies don't have anyone else apart from an inexperienced 19 year old.

Force win a half arm off their scrum by falling straight down.

25 - 16 to the Force, 73 gone.

 

[Ash]

Force kicking to touch well deep into Brumbies territory.

Force lose another lineout off their throw.

Mitchell kicks a ball too long, To'omua picks it up with it moving and his foot dead in goal so it goes all the way back.

Force have had a pretty error ridden game despite looking the better team. Their set peices have been woeful.

T. Smith makes a great half break and finds his brother. It goes to Timani and he forces the miracle ball and it goes to no-one.

Force turn over the ball at ruck time. There's been plenty of that for both teams.

To'omua kicks it out on the full, just. Right idea, just wrong. On the line t was.

But the Brumbies win yet another Force lineout.