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Brumbies to look to youth for 2020 Super Rugby campaign

The Brumbies look dejected following their Super Rugby semi-final defeat to the Jaguares. (Photo by ALEJANDRO PAGNI / AFP) (Photo credit should read ALEJANDRO PAGNI/AFP/Getty Images)

Brumbies coach Dan McKellar is confident the core of his squad will remain for the 2020 Super Rugby season, despite losing five of his most experienced players.

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The Brumbies’ season ended at the hands of the Jaguares in the semi-finals on Saturday when they were thumped 39-7 in Buenos Aires.

It marked the final game for Christian Lealiifano, Rory Arnold, Henry Speight and Sam Carter, while David Pocock retired from Super Rugby earlier in the season.

Five-eighth Lealiifano leaves arguably the biggest hole, but McKellar was adamant he wouldn’t replace the 150-game veteran by signing an experienced No.10 in the off-season.

McKellar said he’ll instead look to his rookie playmaking stocks; Bayley Kuenzle, Noah Lolesio, Mack Hansen and Reesjan Pasitoa.

Hansen, 21, is the only one with any Super Rugby experience, which was one five-minute appearance off the bench earlier this year.

“There will be an opportunity for someone to step up at 10. I’ve said all along we’ve got some quality young guys coming through there and we’ll back them,” McKellar said.

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“They’re not going to get better by not giving them opportunities. We’re confident in the guys we’ve got coming up through our club and we intend to back them.

“They’re young boys but that’s our job as coaches to develop them and bring them along at the right time.

“There’s plenty to work with and it’s an exciting time ahead for some of our young boys.”

Locks Arnold and Carter, and back-rower Pocock won’t be easily replaced, but McKellar believes his forward pack will remain one of the best in the competition next year.

“We lose Carter and Arnold but Darcy Swain is there waiting in the wings and it will be his time,” McKellar said.

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“We’ve also got Blake Enever and Murray Douglas so there is still a lot of quality in and around the forward pack.

“We also still have a very good front row and back-row.”

AAP

Watch – Scott Robertson press conference after Super Rugby semi-final:

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Flankly 2 hours 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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