The ACT Brumbies are bracing for a game-plan overhaul to take on the Free State Cheetahs, Australian Wallabies prop Ben Alexander adamant the team's ability to interchange unfancied kicking tactics and attacking rugby can win them the Super Rugby title.
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The Brumbies shelved attacking plans to beat the Durban Sharks last weekend to give their finals goal a much-needed boost.
But the style of the win was the hot topic, the teams sharing more than 90 kicks in the game and refusing to run the ball or take risks.
The Brumbies made 1400 metres by kicking the ball, but only opted to chance their arm with 250 metres of running rugby.
Alexander expects that to change when the Brumbies start their two-game South African tour with a clash against the Free State Cheetahs on Sunday morning (AEST).
There has been 150 points and 16 tries scored in the Brumbies’ past two games in Bloemfontein.
It’s a stark contrast to the 16-9 one-try win the Brumbies secured against the Sharks and Alexander expects the Cheetahs free-flowing style to break the scoring shackles.
“We’d love to run the ball, we’ve run it tons of times,” Alexander said.
“But when it’s raining [like it was against the Sharks], you’ve got to play what’s in front of you. It’s always hard-fast rugby in Bloemfontein.
“If you want to win the comp you have to be able to play both styles. We haven’t been playing negative all the time, we can match those sides that play more open as well.”
The Brumbies are set to be boosted this week with numerous players – including Henry Speight, Scott Fardy, Scott Sio and Jesse Mogg – close to finalising new Super Rugby deals.
The Brumbies landed in Johannesburg on Tuesday morning and will base themselves there until travelling to Bloemfontein later in the week.
The Brumbies play the Cheetahs and the Pretoria Bulls on their two-game tour of South Africa.
Both teams will be out for revenge after the Brumbies ended their title dreams with back-to-back wins against the Cheetahs and the Bulls last season.
The Brumbies were beaten in a nine-try thriller in their last trip to Bloemfontein in 2011.
Winger Speight is set to return from a fractured jaw if he gets through training this week while Joseph Tomane has been forced out of the trip after fracturing his eye socket in the win against the Sharks.
Tomane will miss 6-8 weeks, but his season is still alive after being told he won’t need surgery.
The Brumbies hold a slender lead at the top of the Australian conference and can’t afford to slip on their South African tour.
The Western Force is nipping at the Brumbies’ heels and the NSW Waratahs are waiting to strike.
World Cup-winning coach Jake White led the Brumbies on a charge to the Super Rugby grand final last season, which included becoming the first team to beat the Bulls in a semi-final in Pretoria.
But the former Brumbies coach said the ACT side faced a harder task to qualify for the play-offs this year.
The Brumbies are three points clear of the Force and five points ahead of the Waratahs.
“It is difficult because I know [the Brumbies] have a tour of South Africa and one of the psyches of Australian teams is that they like to play South African sides early,” White said.
“They feel South African sides take a long time to get into their stride. It will be interesting to see if playing later in the campaign will get the same results as earlier in the year.
“In saying that, [the Brumbies] are still riding on the crest of a wave, are top of the Australian conference and have a great away record, they still hold the record for the most consecutive away wins of any Super Rugby franchise.
“This Brumbies group knows more than anyone what it takes to win away from home.”
