The Plus500 Brumbies are on the board in 2018 with a win, kicking off their Super Rugby campaign by beating the Sunwolves in Japan, 32-25.
Here we examine some of the finer points of the game, delving deep into the details to find out how the Brumbies secured the victory.
Top Performers
Isi Naisarani
Brumbies fans will be starting to get excited having watched 2018 recruit Isi Naisarani play a star role in the Brumbies win.
The 2017 RUPA Medal of Excellence winner had 19 carries on the day and was central to the Brumbies most fruitful attacks.
It was somewhat of a showcase performance by the former Force back-rower.Naisarani’s superstar potential comes from being an all-round destroyer, rather than a niche operator.
He is in the mould of a Kieran Read/Rocky Elsom type player.
He possesses the physical gifts to play loose on the fringes while having the toughness to handle the violence in tight.
Standing at 195cm, or 6’5 in old language, Naisarani has the perfect build to be a combination lifter/jumper at line-out time yet he gives nothing away at ruck time because of his quickness and instincts.
Naisarani gave only a glimpse of his full potential against the Sunwolves, yet he was arguably the man of the match.
With teenage sensation Rob Valetini likely to miss some game time, Naisarani may have to up his production even further for the Brumbies.
Judging by his debut in the Canberran colours, he should have no issues.
Ben Alexander
There is life in this old dog yet. Ben Alexander gave a classic ‘Benny A’ performance against the Sunwolves, showing why he has been the benchmark for front-row play at the Brumbies since 2008.
A Ben Alexander performance consists of a few things; consistent work-rate, solid scrummaging and a moment of magic.
That moment came for Kyle Godwin’s try when Alexander completely fooled not only the Sunwolves defence, but his own teammate Christian Lealiifano, who had the required reflexes to hang on to Alexander’s deft offload and put Godwin over for what was a crucial Brumbies score.
Scott Sio is not expected to miss much time with the niggle that kept him out of the Sunwolves contest, but should Sio be unavailable, Alexander will always be ready to answer the call to start.
Christian LealiifanoIt was a successful return to the Brumbies 10 jersey for Christian Lealiifano, the inspirational fly-half was the calming influence needed when the Brumbies started slowly.
Christian Lealiifano’s influence on this Brumbies team goes far beyond his work on the pitch, which speaks for itself.
While his goal-kicking didn’t go as well as the Wallaby would want, Lealiifano was constantly exerting pressure on the Sunwolves defensive line, his efforts eventually lead to a couple beautiful Brumbies tries.
That calming influence is what was most evident in the game.
At times last season, the Brumbies failed to take their chances, particularly inside the oppositions 22.
Tom Banks’ try was a perfect example of Lealiifano’s presence leading to cooler heads.
The Brumbies built their attack, rather than rushing to score off the first phase.
When it was time to move the ball, Lealiifano flashed the ball wide, and his teammates finished the job.
Turning Points
Valetini Injury
The injury to Rob Valetini was a massive moment in the game.
The rookie back-row has been a real spark for the Brumbies during preseason and the shock of losing him so early stemmed the flow the Brumbies seemed to be generating around the 20-minute mark.
His replacement Lachlan McCaffrey was excellent off the bench, crossing with his first touch of the ball, but losing Valetini threw the Brumbies for a shot while.
Sunwolves gift Brumbies a try In a sequence described by Rod Kafer as something he “had never seen before”, the Brumbies were handed seven points when Yutaka Nagare passed the ball off his own post straight into the arms of Tevita Kuridrani who only had to fall over the line.
With the freak score occurring just after half-time, the Brumbies regained the lead and never relinquished it, making it a crucial turning point.
Where the game was won
The game against the Sunwolves followed one of the oldest clichés in rugby; it’s a game of two halves.
The Brumbies were not at their best for the first 40 minutes, mistakes creeping in at the wrong times causing their phase play to be disjointed and lacklustre.
In the second half, once the phases were built, the options available to the Brumbies, such as Chance Peni and Tom Banks were able to come on to the ball at pace and create some havoc in attack.
Ball retention was the key to the shift in performance in the second-half, and ultimately key to victory.
The Brumbies travel to Queensland to take on the Reds in an all-Australian affair at Suncorp Stadium on Friday night.
The game will be shown live on fox Sports, follow our social pages for regular updates.
