Brumbies not angling for underdog status

Forget jostling for the underdog status, the “big game Brumbies” know the odds are stacked in their favour ahead of Friday’s Super Rugby quasi-final against the Western Force.

The equation is pretty simple for both Aussie sides heading into the last round of the competition.

Win and they progress to the finals, lose and they are almost surely bundled out of the competition.

It’s a scenario that would normally have both sides angling hard for the underdog tag.

But not the Brumbies.

Head coach Stephen Larkham knows his side has a lot of advantages heading into the derby, and he intends to make the most of them.

He admits the Brumbies’ deep run into last year’s Super Rugby finals should give them an edge over the Force – who have never played finals footy in their nine year history.

“We are a big game team. And this is certainly a big game,” Larkham said.

“We’ve had a couple of finals campaigns. We had a qualifying final here at home last year against the Cheetahs, then we went over and beat the Bulls.”

Then there’s the fact the match will be played in chilly Canberra.

“There’s certainly an advantage of playing at home, and there’s just a six day turnaround for the Force,” Larkham said.

The Brumbies on the other hand are coming off a bye week, the extra rest allowing Wallabies Matt Toomua (groin) and Sam Carter (ankle) to return to the starting line up.

Fellow Test players Pat McCabe (shoulder) and Joe Tomane (cheekbone) will also return, albeit off the bench behind fullback Jesse Mogg and winger Clyde Rathbone.

“The Force have a few guys out injured,” Larkham adds.

“Hugh McMeniman has been suspended as well, which makes a bit of a difference to their forward pack.

“So there’s a fair few things going in our favour.”

While the game could end up being the last for Rathbone, captain Ben Mowen, and director of rugby Laurie Fisher in Brumbies colours, Larkham insists the squad has avoided talk of that this week.

“We’re certainly not talking about this being the final game of the season, we are talking about this being the start of our finals campaign,” he said.

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