THE Brumbies are preparing a defensive plan to shut down Israel Folau, but coach Stephen Larkham says his team needs to be more ruthless in attack if it wants to beat the Waratahs.
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ACT and Wallabies playmaker Matt Toomua has been cleared of a shoulder injury that threatened to keep him out of the clash against the Waratahs at Canberra Stadium on Saturday.
The Brumbies face the biggest test of their season when they take on the high-flying Waratahs and try-scoring machine Folau. NSW is undefeated after two games, with Folau scoring five tries.
Larkham said the Brumbies tried to expose Folau's inexperience in just his third Super Rugby game last season. But since then, he has established himself as one of the most dangerous attacking weapons in the competition.
''You have to add a Folau factor into your game plan, you can't discard him and think he's a nobody,'' Larkham said.
''He's certainly a very good player with a knack of getting across the try line. He gets himself into a position to get that last pass and his counter-attack is very dangerous at the moment. He'll be a heavy part of our game plan.
''I always thought he was talented. His first games last year, he was well out of his depth. But now he's well and truly one of the best players in Super Rugby.''
Toomua lasted less than 60 minutes in ACT's 29-21 win over Wellington in New Zealand on Friday.
Playing his 50th game, Toomua said his shoulder injury prevented him from making tackles, as he feared he would do more damage.
But scans on Saturday cleared him of serious damage and he is set to play against NSW.
ACT lost its season-opener to Queensland, but last season's grand finalists have bounced back with dominant wins over WA and Wellington.
Pat McCabe also left the field in the dying minutes with what appeared to be a shoulder knock, but will also take on NSW.
''It's satisfying to know we were a long way from our best against the Hurricanes and we really invited them back into the game in patches,'' McCabe said. ''We can't afford to do that against the Waratahs, they will punish us.
''But to get [a bonus-point win] is massive for us. The Waratahs have by far been the most impressive side, they've got a lot of strike power.
''We have to be at our absolute best to win and we're confident we can do that.''
