ANALYSIS
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Dan McKellar says the debate is growing so tired and predictable "it bores me to tears". Ban the rolling maul, they say. Do that, and you are tearing at the very fabric of the game.
If maul tries are boring and go against the perceived Australian way of running rugby, somebody forgot to tell ACT Brumbies fans.
Because every time a kick finds the line inside the opposition's 22, there is a wave of excitement washing over Canberra Stadium.
Fans know what's coming. It's Folau Fainga'a crashing over the line off a rolling maul - a trait unique to the 15-man code - to push the Brumbies one step closer to the Super Rugby AU crown.
The Brumbies scored all three of their tries in a last-gasp win over the Queensland Reds off the back of driving mauls. But one of the unbeaten competition favourites' most potent weapons has come under fire in a tiresome debate about the legitimacy of rolling maul tries.
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World Cup-winning captain John Eales has called for the rolling maul to be banned while World Cup-winning coach Bob Dwyer says the rules need to be tweaked on what has been perceived as no more than an organised obstruction in some corners.
They Brumbies have posted five tries out of 16 from mauls in four Super Rugby AU games. In the six games before the coronavirus shutdown, the Brumbies scored four maul tries out of 31.
McKellar's side has conceded two maul tries in two years, while the powerhouse Canterbury Crusaders have conceded zero in three seasons.
"All this chat about maul tries, if I'm the opposition coaches I'd be focusing on maul defence. Get that right. There are two sides to the ball," McKellar said.
"What did we do when the Rebels scored a maul try against us a few weeks back? We were filthy, we reviewed it, we made adjustments and haven't looked like conceding one since.
"Instead of whinging about maul attack, why don't teams focus on maul defence? There is this campaign out there to get rid of mauling, well it's a part of the game, it's in the fabric of the game. It always has and always will be.
"The fans get excited when we kick to the corner and they anticipate what's coming. A good maul creates opportunity elsewhere. It's all about tactics and strategy.
"How many tries have our outside backs scored this year? How many times has Solomone Kata gone over in the corner? Tom Banks, Andy Muirhead, Tom Wright?"
Wind back seven days prior to the Reds clash, and Wright and Irae Simone were capping off long-range efforts in the opening five minutes to set up a win.
Hooker Fainga'a scored two against the Reds to take his astonishing try-scoring record to 24 in 37 Super Rugby games. He is on the cusp of becoming the ninth Brumby to score 25 tries - the only players in that group with a better strike rate are Joe Roff and Andrew Walker.
"There's a lot of hard work that goes into that throughout the week and we are good at it," Fainga'a said.
"It's a weapon of ours. We can score tries from long-range as well, but in a tough game like this against a quality Reds side, when they step up to the plate you've just got to match them. We can either use that to our advantage or we can use our skilful world class backs. It's good to have in that back pocket."
Ban the maul, they say? Better off banning the debate.
SUPER RUGBY AU ROUND SIX
Friday: Melbourne Rebels v ACT Brumbies at Leichhardt Oval, 7.05pm.