Brumbies coach Stephen Larkham backs team to upset Crusaders

The coach revealed to The Canberra Times he will rest a host of stars for the showdown with the Canterbury Crusaders as part of Rugby Australia's load management policy.

James Slipper, Nic White, Tom Wright, Rob Valetini and Pete Samu are all set to miss the contest, while Darcy Swain and Len Ikitau will also be absent with foot and calf injuries, respectively.

The likes of Charlie Cale and Jack Wright are in line to feature prominently just one week after playing their first game for the Brumbies, while Canberra Royals veteran Pedro Rolando is set for a long-awaited debut.

Rugby Australia's load management plan has been formulated in a bid to ensure the nation's best players are fit and firing at the World Cup in September.

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In total, nine Brumbies are required to miss two Super Rugby matches and they are not permitted to play more than five consecutive weeks.

Larkham prioritised a fast start to the season in order to establish combinations and put the side on track for a home quarter-final in June.

The Brumbies have made an undefeated start to the year and with the bye in round nine, this weekend shaped as a timely moment to rest a host of Wallabies.

"We knew at the start of the season we have nine guys that needed to rest for two games," Larkham said. "For us making sure we got off to a really good start to the season was important. We wanted to find combinations and cohesion within the team for the first few rounds.

"Looking at the big picture, we run into the bye with the Waratahs, Reds and Drua, we wanted to make sure we timed those games correctly.

"We had to rest the players in one of these three games [Moana Pasifika, Crusaders or Waratahs], with the six-day turnaround, the travel to New Zealand for the Crusaders and then the big game when we come home, [this week] made sense."

Rest has been a hot topic in rugby circles in recent weeks, the Waikato Chiefs criticised for naming an under-strength side for last Saturday's home game against the Melbourne Rebels.

The move had little impact on the outcome of the game, the Chiefs winning 44-25.

The sheer volume of players required to be rested is the cost of success the Brumbies have enjoyed in the past few years.

While the Rugby Australia restrictions could contribute to a loss on Friday, there is hope the rules will benefit the Brumbies and Wallabies in the long run.

Larkham has spoken at length this year about the need to rotate players to ensure the entire squad is ready to step up when called upon.

Friday night marks another opportunity for youngsters to receive a taste of Super Rugby action and could prove vital if injury strikes in the run to the finals.

The process has seen players including Rory Scott, Luke Reimer and Andy Muirhead develop into key members of the team.

So while many of his Wallabies won't feature on Friday night, Larkham has confidence those selected will step up and cause a boilover in Christchurch.

"I've been saying for a while we have a good squad," Larkham said. "All the players in the squad are capable of playing Super Rugby.

"We've had a good build into the season, we're continually looking for improvement week to week, it's not any different this week.

"We're trying to get the best preparation we can out of those two training sessions to give the boys pulling on the jersey this week the best chance to perform."

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