Brumbies coach Dan McKellar is firmly in favour of a season-long Super Rugby Trans Tasman competition next season, which would prevent five straight matches against New Zealand opposition.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
McKellar's side has two games left at home this year to salvage some pride against New Zealand opposition, starting with Saturday's clash against the Hurricanes where the Brumbies hope to snap a four-match losing run.
It will be the club's first match at Canberra Stadium since beating the Western Force five weeks ago to qualify for the Super Rugby AU final, which they lost at the death to the Queensland Reds prior to a three-match Kiwi road trip.
While McKellar's steely focus was on collecting a much-needed win against the Hurricanes, he was quick to throw his support behind a united Trans Tasman in 2022 should league officials opt to realign the two competitions.
"My preference is a round-robin competition, full Trans Tasman, not necessarily playing New Zealand teams five weeks in a row," McKellar said.
"It's hard work when the win-loss ratio at the moment is heavily against the Australian teams but we can't be making easier or softer decisions to try and avoid that, you learn from it and we've got to front up and be better.
"You don't want to lose the rivalry that you have with your local derbies. That was a real positive that came out of Super Rugby AU but we also need to continue to challenge ourselves against the best.
"We've all learned out of these last few weeks that we've got to get better."
Just one Australian side has tasted success against the New Zealand teams over the past three weeks - Queensland beat the Chiefs in a high-scoring clash last weekend.
The Brumbies came close last month against the Crusaders but fell two points short after Noah Lolesio's missed shot at goal late in the match.
MORE BRUMBIES NEWS
But heavy defeats to the Chiefs and Blues followed, exposing the chasm between the two countries.
"It's been a long year, and the reality is we're pretty battered and bruised at the moment with a lot of significant injuries in our group, and across the board we don't have the depth that the New Zealand teams have," McKellar said.
"I said at the beginning of the year, when it came time for the Trans Tasman it was going to come down to the healthiest and the fittest team, especially from an Australian point of view. At the moment all teams are having to deal with some injuries and our depth's been challenged and off the back of that some players are being thrown in the deep end to learn and develop against the best in the world.
"You come to February next year, when you've got a full squad to choose from, as we showed in 2020, results can certainly change pretty quickly."
McKellar has urged his side to play with confidence now they were back in front of their home fans.
"We didn't really throw a punch at the Blues, we just played into their hands, didn't use the footy at all, created opportunities in that first half that we didn't take," McKellar said.
"We've got to be a bit smarter around what we do with the football.
"Being at home certainly helps, it's just giving them that confidence and belief. We need to be a little bit braver there to use our skill set and play with our natural instincts and take the chances that are there.
"[The Hurricanes are] very similar to the Blues, individual threats across the park. If you don't play smart then they'll front up with physicality around the edge of a ruck and put you under pressure.
"We need to challenge them with what we do. They're a dangerous side who can score tries but if you can defend well they'll provide you with the chances as well."
James Buckley
James is a Queanbeyan boy enjoying his second stint at the Canberra Times, more than eight years on from his first. In between he's traveled the world, and spent time covering sport in Sydney.
James is a Queanbeyan boy enjoying his second stint at the Canberra Times, more than eight years on from his first. In between he's traveled the world, and spent time covering sport in Sydney.
