Brumbies beefed up
BRYANSTON - The ACT Brumbies beefed up in preparation for their Super Rugby semifinal against the Bulls in Pretoria when they had a team dinner at a Nicolway Bryanston restaurant, which may have helped in securing a victory against Bulls on 27 July.
With Montecasino their home in the run-up to the crucial match, the massive, but youthful Australians coached by former Springbok world cup winning coach Jake White, got stuck into some prime South African beef that was fit for men of their stature – each player averaged two servings for every course. It also served as an informal meet-and-greet for them with other patrons and staff.
The Brumbies were the underdogs heading into the contest against the heavily-favoured and last South African hope, the Bulls. But White is renowned for being a straight talker and is not scared of trying to unsettle the opposition through the media, but he was a little more circumspect this time around.
“The Bulls have a good record at Loftus Versfeld and for our players to experience running on in front of a full house of more than 50 000 people will be fantastic,” he said. “They are a typical South African side, very big and physical with some quality finishers out wide so it’s up to our players to combat that with our own game,” added White.
The Brumbies won the away fixture between the two sides this season, when Christian Lealiifano kicked a controversial penalty goal after the full-time siren to secure a 23-20 victory at Canberra Stadium.
