Continuity for Brumbies – Featured Durban Blog

Week two of Vodacom Super Rugby sees the Cell C Sharks taking on the Brumbies in the Australian capital of Canberra in Saturday’s showdown between two sides intent on victory.

Head coach Robert du Preez hinted this week that there might be a change or two from last week’s line-up against the Reds, and two is all he has made.

Continuity is the name of the game in this tournament and teams that do well tend to have luck on their side as far as injuries go, as well as the opportunity to pick much the same team week after week.

This helps to build partnerships and players are able to work together well, instinctively knowing what the person next to him can and will do, based on weekly performances.

One change is enforced, with Springbok Stephan Lewies coming in to replace Etienne Oosthuizen who misses this match and next week’s home game against the Waratahs, while he has inserted the vastly experienced Clement Poitrenaud at fullback, swapping places with Curwin Bosch who will play off the bench.

These are the only two changes to the starting line-up for Saturday’s game (10.45am kick-off SA time), pitting the two teams together in what both will view as a must-win game.

Last week’s centurion, Lwazi Mvovo, admits that while they have done their homework on their opponents, it’s really about making sure they accomplish their own goals.

“The Brumbies are a quality side and they played very well against the Crusaders, but it’s more about what we want to do and about executing our game plan,” he explains.

“This is a very important game for us, we have a plan for this tour and we pretty much want to win this match, so it’s about getting our game plan right and getting over the little hurdle we had in the first game.

“We really want to end the tour on a high note.”