Waratahs out for revenge against Brumbies
SPOTLIGHT: It's been just once in the last nine outings that theWaratahs have managed to beat the Brumbies and that win came back in March of 2018.
And the 'Tahs will definitely be looking for some revenge when they clash with them on Saturday night at GIO Stadium.
The Brumbies currently sit at the top of the table in Super Rugby Australia with 18 points while the third-placed Waratahs are only three points adrift on 15 giving them every reason to look for a win in this weekends game in the hope that it catapults them into first place.
The reward for finishing top is massive as it gives the team a direct route to the final whereas second and third place are subjected to a play-off before they can face the number one team. Currently, the Brumbies are in pole position given that they're not only three points clear of the rest but also have a game in hand.
But the Waratahs are fresh off a two-game winning streak and have painful memories of that narrow 23-24 loss in Round Three to the Brumbies still lingering in their minds. A 77th minute try from Brumbies No.9 Issak Fines and a successful conversion Bayley Kuenzle ripped the win out of their hands on that occasion.
Waratahs assistant coach Matt Cockbain said that one-point loss was still so fresh their minds they could taste it.
"We've spoken about it, that one hurt a lot. It's a bit of a motivation," Cockbain said.
"We should have closed out that game better than we did.
"We gave them an opportunity and they took, which is a credit to them.
"And when we went down there pre-COVID we got belted. That was a disappointing loss.
That close win extended the Brumbies winning streak against the Waratahs to five which included the whopping 47-14 thumping Cockbain mentioned earlier. That was in March of this year before the official Super Rugby campaign was halted.
"You always want to win, you always owe them one," Cockbain said.
"There's a bit of history between the Brumbies and Waratahs.
"And we're playing for the Dan Vickerman cup, a legend of the game and a guy who I was lucky enough to play with.
"We've spoken about that as well. We haven't had our hands on a trophy and we'd like to do that.
Cockbain went on to describe the Brumbies as the perennial benchmark of Australian rugby.
The Brumbies had their bye last week, no doubt giving them plenty of time to stew over their only loss of the season going down 12-30 to the Rebels the week prior. Perhaps it's the Brumbies themselves who will out for a bit of "revenge" this weekend?
No doubt it will make for a great match-up as Super Rugby Australia gears up towards its finale.