Plus500 Brumbies hooker Josh Mann-Rea has his eyes focused on set-piece dominance as the Australians prepare to face the Kings at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in the early hours of Sunday morning, Australian time.
The Brumbies are renowned for their quality at the set-piece, with the infamous rolling maul a particular weapon, and the Canberra side will no doubt be aiming to utilise their skills at in this area to bring home the points in what is a crucial fixture.
“Our set piece is a big part of our game and this week will be no different,” Mann-Rea said from the team’s hotel in Port Elizabeth.
“They are going to come at us at scrum time and line out time so, as a forward pack, we have just got to make sure that the set piece is run very well and we deliver some good ball for the backs.“We have lost four in a row now so this week is a must-win for us to stay on top of the Australian Conference and keep our finals hopes alive.”
The Kings look to be a vastly different proposition than they appeared to be on paper around a month ago with a trio of victories over the Waratahs, Rebels and Sharks meaning the Eastern Province side will enter the match with a real spring in their step.
“They have a lot of confidence at the moment, they have won the last three and they are at home this weekend so they have a lot to play for,” Mann-Rea commented. “But it’s the same as us, so it will be a very physical and confronting game.
“The Australian Conference is getting tight now so every game is a must-win to secure that finals berth and we have some hard games coming up so we need to start by putting in a good performance this weekend.”
Mann-Rea has put in some sterling performances during the 2017 Super Rugby season, a competition that was curtailed for the hooker by a knee-injury suffered during the win over the Waratahs earlier in the campaign. But he’s back now and feeling strong whilst adapting to the differences of being on tour.
“I am feeling really good,” he revealed. “Every week the knee is getting a bit better and I am starting to feel that I am playing some better football again. It was a bit sore at first but now it’s getting back to normal.
“Being on tour is a bit different to being at home in terms that you can’t train as structurally as you can at home and you have to adapt to a lot of stuff on the road such as gyms and training fields.“You have just got to make sure that you are ticking all the boxes in terms of our program and your rehab and recovery is good.
“In our down time, depending on where, we are I generally just hang out with the boys and see what is going on. There is usually something going on in the down time, such as tours or checking out the City we are in, just getting the mind away from footy to freshen up and then get back on the field raring to go.”
With a 3.30am kick-off time for the supporters back in Canberra, Mann-Rea is determined to give those early-bird watchers something to cheer.
“I hope that they are up watching us! I know it’s hard when the team is overseas and you are a fan with the game time difference,” he said. “We are hoping to put in a good performance for them so if they are watching they are proud of our display.”
The Plus500 Brumbies face the Kings on Sunday morning Australian time with kick-off at 3.30am. The match will be screened live on Fox Sports.
