Five of the Pus500 Brumbies who will line-up in Super Rugby for the ACT side in 2020 took part in the recent Rugby World Cup for Australia. Here we take a look at their involvement in the global showpiece.
Allan Alaalatoa
Matches: 4
Minutes: 224
Allan Alaalatoa was a first-choice for Michael Cheika in the front row for the competition, racking up 224 minuets across four matches, his only non-involvement being in the victory over Georgia.
Solid in the set-piece, alongside his club colleague Scott Sio, Allan furthered his stocks as a top-quality scrummager and a vital component of the Wallabies pack.
Game Breakdown
Pool C v Fiji (Sapporo Dome) W 39-21 – played 62 minutes
Pool C v Wales (Tokyo Stadium) L 25-29 – played 62 minutes
Pool C v Uruguay (Oita Stadium) W 45-10 – played 40 minutes
Quarter Final v England (Oita Stadium) L 16-40 – played 60 minutes
Scott Sio
Matches: 4
Minutes: 249
Much like Alaalatoa, Scott Sio was a mainstay for Cheika for all the big matches at the Rugby World Cup, completing close to an hour of action in each of the four matches that he took part in.
Having started against Fiji, he repeated that selection against Wales and Georgia, sitting out the match with Uruguay in which James Slipper started in his place.
Game Breakdown
Pool C v Fiji (Sapporo Dome) W 39-21 – played 62 minutes
Pool C v Wales (Tokyo Stadium) L 25-29 – played 62 minutes
Pool C v Georgia (Shizuoka Stadium) W 27-8 – played 57 minutes
Quarter Final v England (Oita Stadium) L 16-40 – played 68 minutes
James Slipper
Matches: 5
Minutes: 132
The highlight of the World Cup for James Slipper was undoubtedly claiming a first international try when he rumbled over the line against Uruguay in the 45-10 win at Oita.
Slipper was involved in every match at the RWC, coming off the bench on four occasions, as he played 132 minutes of rugby. Closing in on a century of caps, Slipper proved a more than able deputy for Sio and was a quality performer in his own right.
Game Breakdown
Pool C v Fiji (Sapporo Dome) W 39-21 – played 18 minutes
Pool C v Wales (Tokyo Stadium) L 25-29 – played 18 minutes
Pool C v Uruguay (Oita Stadium) W 45-10 – played 61 minutes, scored one try
Pool C v Georgia (Shizuoka Stadium) W 27-8 – played 23 minutes
Quarter Final v England (Oita Stadium) L 16-40 – played 12 minutes
Folau Fainga'a
Games: 1
Minutes: 61
Unfortunate to not see more than his 61 minutes of game time against Uruguay in Ota, Folau Fainga’a was ranked behind Tolu Latu and Jordan Uelese by Michael Cheika and was barely given a chance to shine.
Still only young, he’s only 24 years of age, the top try scorer for the Brumbies in 2019 will surely have plenty more chances to prove his worth on the international stage.
Game Breakdown
Pool C v Uruguay (Oita Stadium) W 45-10 – played 61 minutes
Tevita Kuridrani
Matches: 1
Minutes: 80
Much like Fainga’a, Tevita Kuridrani was unfortunate to only be given eighty minutes at the RWC, especially when you consider his display against Uruguay in the 45-10 win in Oita included a brace of tries as he crossed in the 31st and 46th minutes of the victory.
His scores were typical of Kuridrani the player, showcasing strong attack with a bulldozing running style, bringing his test try tally to 22 in 61 appearances.
Game Breakdown
Pool C v Uruguay (Oita Stadium)W 45-10 – played 80 minutes, scored two tries
