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Brumbies enter semi-final showdown without good luck charm

Brumbies back-rower Pete Samu. (Photo by Tracey Nearmy / Getty Images)

The Brumbies have made one predictable change for their Super Rugby semi-final against the Jaguares, promoting Lachlan McCaffrey to No.8 in place of the injured Pete Samu.

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Heading into Saturday’s match, Samu and prop James Slipper are the only two forwards to have turned out in every match for the Brumbies in 2019. In fact, only 12 players in the whole competition have mustered up 17 appearances this year.

Samu was one of the Brumbies’ top performers in the quarter-final win over the Sharks, scoring two tries in the first half before he left the field with the strained hamstring which will almost mark the end of his Super Rugby season – even if the Brumbies beat the odds and secure victory over the Jaguares this weekend.

McCaffrey has been a regular fill-in player for coach Dan McKellar’s side this year, clocking up the 15th most minutes in the team, but doesn’t offer quite as much dynamism as the New Zealand-born Samu.

McKellar has otherwise stayed with the starting team who demolished the Sharks in the quarter-finals for the match in Buenos Aires on Saturday morning.

Lock Murray Douglas takes McCaffrey’s spot on the bench.

Captain Christian Lealiiano will make his 150th appearance for the Brumbies in what could be his final game before leaving for Japan.

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The Brumbies come into the game on a seven-match winning run, although their Argentine opponents can boast 10 wins from their last 11.

Brumbies: Tom Banks, Henry Speight, Tevita Kuridrani, Irae Simone, Toni Pulu, Christian Lealiifano (c), Joe Powell, Lachlan McCaffrey, Tom Cusack, Rob Valetini, Sam Carter, Rory Arnold, Allan Alaalatoa, Folau Fainga’a, Scott Sio. Reserves: Connal McInerney, James Slipper, Les Makin, Darcy Swain, Murray Douglas, Jahrome Brown, Matt Lucas, Tom Wright.

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Flankly 1 hour ago
'Absolute madness': Clive Woodward rips into Borthwick in wake of NZ loss

Borthwick is supposed to be the archetypical conservative coach, the guy that might not deliver a sparkling, high-risk attacking style, but whose teams execute the basics flawlessly. And that's OK, because it can be really hard to beat teams that are rock solid and consistent in the rugby equivalent of "blocking and tackling".


But this is why the performance against NZ is hard to defend. You can forgive a conservative, back-to-basics team for failing to score tons of tries, because teams like that make up for it with reliability in the simple things. They can defend well, apply territorial pressure, win the set piece battles, and take their scoring chances with metronomic goal kicking, maul tries and pick-and-go goal line attacks.


The reason why the English rugby administrators should be on high alert is not that the English team looked unable to score tries, but that they were repeatedly unable to close out a game by executing basic, coachable skills. Regardless of how they got to the point of being in control of their destiny, they did get to that point. All that was needed was to be world class at things that require more training than talent. But that training was apparently missing, and the finger has to point at the coach.


Borthwick has been in the job for nearly two years, a period that includes two 6N programs and an RWC campaign. So where are the solid foundations that he has been building?

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LONG READ England need to face a few home truths if they are to relearn that winning habit England need to face a few home truths if they are to relearn that winning habit
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