The inaugural ACT Brumbies hated the NSW Waratahs because they felt like big-city rejects. The new generation Brumbies hate the Waratahs because they were born that way.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Gungahlin Eagles duo Tom Ross and Mack Hansen will make their Super Rugby debut as 20-year-olds in the biggest game of the Brumbies' season when they play the Waratahs on Friday night.
They are part of a seven-strong contingent of Canberra juniors picked for the derby contest, making up the biggest capital representation in a Brumbies side in recent years.
Coach Dan McKellar has called on an injection of Canberra passion to help the Brumbies turn their season around and avoid three consecutive losses early in the campaign.
Brumbies games against the Waratahs have traditionally been the fiercest of the season, with a rivalry built on 23 years of rejection and little brother syndrome.
But the new Brumbies have despised the Waratahs from their junior days well before they started dreaming of Super Rugby matches and it could prove the boost the ACT side needs.
The Brumbies invited the parents of Ross and Hansen into the inner sanctum on Thursday to surprise the duo with a special jersey presentation at the team's final training session.
The schoolmates will make their debut from the bench, while Ryan Lonergan plays his first Super Rugby game in Canberra, Les Leuluaialii-Makin starts for just the second time, Tom Cusack replaces David Pocock, Jordan Jackson-Hope is playing his first game of the season and Joe Powell will steer the side as the scrumhalf.
The seven-man rise is a sign of the future for the Brumbies, who have invested in generating their own talent rather than having to find diamonds in the rough in NSW or Queensland.
They don't have to learn about the Brumbies-Waratahs rivalry because they've lived it, sitting in the stands as children to watch the Brumbies win 11 of 14 clashes in Canberra since 1996.
"I used to sit up there," Cusack said, pointing to the north-west stand. "Watching guys like Adam Ashley-Cooper scoring in the corner, Clyde Rathbone ... I remember it all.
"These are the derbies you love to watch. Now I'm privileged enough to be a part of it. That's what you love about footy - you grow up idolising stars of the game and the sport, then you're a part of it.
"You get to immerse yourself in a whole new experience. It's obviously a big week. It's always an intense week at training and an enjoyable week. It naturally lifts, like any rivalry in Australia. This is no exception, you probably lift a bit more."
Gungahlin Eagles supporters and players will flood the stands and have made banners to mark the first game for Daramalan College classmates Ross and Hansen.
The pair were schoolboy stars, Australian under-20s representatives and earned their first Super Rugby contract at the same time, now they get to take the next step in their careers.
Ross had a knee reconstruction two years ago, temporarily slowing down his rise to the professional ranks while Hansen has overcome his own injury battles to get a shot at the Brumbies.
Brumbies coach Dan McKellar has thrown his support behind a group of young guns to give his side a spark to avoid three losses in a row early in the season.
Leuluaialii-Makin replaces the injured Allan Alaalatoa at tighthead prop while Cusack is setting himself up for a showdown with Wallabies captain Michael Hooper after Pocock was ruled out with a calf injury.
Ross is the back-up tighthead prop and Hansen gets his first call up to the bench after scoring four tries for the Brumby Runners last week.
Jordan Jackson-Hope was the Canberra Vikings player of the year last season and finally has a Super Rugby chances this year, while Ryan Lonergan ended an 18-month wait for the second game of his career last week and has retained his spot in a scrumhalf tag team with Powell.
"It's a credit to the pathways we've had in place here for a number of years ... and there's more coming through," McKellar said.
"There's a real Canberra feel to this one and it shows the hard work guys like Ben Norcott, Dan Hooper and Russell Ingram before them have put in.
"[The players] will bring energy and enthusiasm. [Jackson-Hope] always gives you that, we had a pretty honest chat with him five or six months ago and he's done the work. He hasn't dropped his lip.
"Him and Mack have the ability to beat defenders one on one at the back end of the game and Rossy is a very good scrummager for a 20-year-old. It's a great occasion."
SUPER RUGBY ROUND FIVE
Friday: ACT Brumbies v NSW Waratahs at Canberra Stadium, 7.45pm. Tickets available from Ticketek.
Brumbies: 1. Scott Sio, 2. Folau Faingaa, 3. Les Leuluaialii-Makin, 4. Rory Arnold, 5. Sam Carter, 6. Rob Valetini, 7. Tom Cusack, 8. Lachlan McCaffrey, 9. Joe Powell, 10. Christian Lealiifano, 11. Lausii Taliauli, 12. Irae Simone, 13. Tevita Kuridrani, 14. Henry Speight, 15. Tom Banks. Reserves:16. Josh Mann-Rea, 17. James Slipper, 18. Tom Ross, 19. Murray Douglas, 20. Pete Samu, 21. Ryan Lonergan, 22. Jordan Jackson-Hope, 23. Mack Hansen.
Waratahs: 1. Harry Johnson-Holmes, 2. Damien Fitzpatrick, 3. Sekope Kepu, 4. Jed Holloway, 5. Rob Simmons, 6. Ned Hanigan, 7. Michael Hooper, 8. Jack Dempsey, 9. Jake Gordon, 10. Bernard Foley, 11. Alex Newsome, 12. Kurtley Beale, 13. Adam Ashley-Cooper, 14. Curtis Rona, 15. Israel Folau. Reserve: 16. Tatafu Polota-Nau, 17. Rory O’Connor, 18. Chris Talakai, 19. Ryan McCauley, 20. Lachlan Swinton, 21. Nick Phipps, 22. Mack Mason, 23. Cam Clark.
