WHO GETS A WALLABIES CALL?
The Brumbies couldn't have timed their rout against the Jaguares any better as Wallabies coach Michael Cheika prepares to name his Test squad on Tuesday night.
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Will there be any Brumbies bolters? Well, scrumhalf Joe Powell is a certainty but his form doesn't really make him a bolter.
The usual suspects will be there, with Allan Alaalatoa, Rory Arnold, Tevita Kuridrani, Scott Fardy and Henry Speight all expected to be picked while captain Sam Carter is knocking on the door.
If Rebels star Sean McMahon is injury, Cheika could do worse than call on Brumbies flanker Chris Alcock.
Banks is on the radar as well, but it's too early for Cheika to be throwing him into a Test camp. But don't be surprised if you see the fullback in a training squad at the end of the season.
THE REBELS HOODOO BECKONS
World beaters one day, Melbourne Rebels hoodoo the next.
The ACT Brumbies won both games on a two-game tour around the world to get their Super Rugby season back on track, but their bogey team looms as the next hurdle.
The under-siege Rebels have won just one game this year, scoring a shock win against the Brumbies on April 15.
On form the Brumbies should win. Easily. But the Rebels showed six weeks ago they can be a thorn in the side.
The Brumbies demolished the Queensland Reds before stumbling against the Rebels and the ACT side will be determined to make sure it doesn't happen again.
The loss against the Rebels triggered an alarming form slide and was the first of four consecutive defeats.
There's some history behind it, too. The Rebels beat the Brumbies in 2011 in the Melbourne club's historic first win in Super Rugby.
Less than a week later Brumbies coach Andy Friend was sacked and the ACT side slumped to its worst season in Super Rugby history.
WHAT TRY DROUGHT?
The Brumbies were scratching their heads after a 230-minute try-scoring drought a few weeks ago.
But it must be a distant memory after scoring six tries against the Jaguares and a total of nine on a two-game tour of Argentina and South Africa.
Tom Banks scored three, Andy Muirhead scored a double in his second Super Rugby game and the Brumbies look like they've found their mojo again.
Captain Sam Carter turned down three penalty shots in the first half in the search of tries.
They scored one, but squandered the other two and missed out on a certain six points. The Brumbies are being bold with penalty choices, but finals rugby is won by tight margins and shots at goal could be the difference.
BANKS MAKES AMENDS...AGAIN
Tom Banks is showing nerves of steel as he forges a Super Rugby career. In just his third start as the Brumbies' fullback, Banks could have crumbled when an error cost his team a try in the first half against the Jaguares.
He tried to trap the ball with his foot just one metre from his own line, but it fell straight into the Jaguares' hands and they scored a few phases later.
Undeterred, Banks and Powell combined minutes later, with the fullback showing his blistering speed to get the Brumbies back in front. He was in the thick of it two minutes later when he won the race to a kick to score his second try.
Wallabies coach Michael Cheika admitted Banks' impressive start had put him on the Test radar as a future prospect and his form warrants the high praise.
BIG BEN'S BIG MILESTONE
Brumbies prop Ben Alexander will break a club record when the team returns to Canberra this week after equalling George Smith's 142 caps when he played against the Jaguares on Sunday morning.
The veteran front-rower will become the most capped player in Brumbies history in the clash against the Melbourne Rebels at Canberra Stadium on Saturday night.
Where will Alexander sit in the list of all-time Brumbies greats when he eventually decides to hang up his boots? He hasn't won a championship, but he has played finals for the past four years.
He also played 72 Tests for Australia and has missed only a handful of Brumbies games since making his debut in 2008.
Smith, Stephen Larkham, George Gregan and Stirling Mortlock are the names you think of when contemplating Brumbies champions. But for sheer durability and consistency, Alexander is right up there.
ROOKIES OF THE YEAR
It's been the year of change at Brumbies headquarters and Canberra junior Faalelei Sione is the latest to benefit.
The former Australian under-20s prop got his first Super Rugby cap on a daunting stage for young front-rowers when he was a last-minute addition to the bench for the clash against the Jaguares.
Sione is regarded as an exciting prospect, but has been forced to wait patiently for an opportunity in his first season with the Brumbies.
Sione's first cap was iced by Andrew Muirhead, who was playing his second Super Rugby game and scored two tries in the last 10 minutes after stepping away from his job of delivering beer kegs around Canberra.
Larkham has blooded 10 new Brumbies this year and the huge number of rookies is an upside to a season many thought was lost when they lost four games in a row.
AT A GLANCE
ACT BRUMBIES 39 (Tom Banks 2, Andrew Muirhead 2, Sam Carter, Henry Speight tries; Wharenui Hawera penalty, 2 conversions) bt ARGENTINA JAGUARES 15 (Tomas Lavanini, Guido Petti tries; Nicolas Sanchez penalty, conversion) at Estadio Jose Amalfitani, Buenos Aires, on Sunday morning Australian time. Referee: Mike Fraser.
