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'The fastest man in New Zealand' returns to wreak havoc on old team

Toni Pulu. (Photos by Getty Images)

The Brumbies face a monumental task against the Chiefs on Saturday, where they plan to break a Super Rugby hoodoo by unleashing a former star against the competition leaders.

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The Australian conference frontrunners are winless in Hamilton since 2007 and haven’t posted a Super Rugby victory anywhere in New Zealand since 2014.

Tevita Kuridrani, Scott Sio and Lachy McCaffrey are the only current players to have won across the ditch in Brumbies colours.

In a bid to snap that drought former Chiefs flyer and current Brumbies winger Toni Pulu is expected to make his return from injury off the bench in Hamilton.

Wallabies coach and former Chiefs mentor Dave Rennie once dubbed Pulu the fastest man in New Zealand, but his career has been slowed by injuries.

Continue reading below…

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The 31-year-old has played just 23 Super Rugby matches in the past five years, but Pulu said he’s ready to return against his mates this week.

“I was injured last year so it’s going to be quite emotional going back because that’s where things started for me,” he said.

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“I still keep in touch with most of the boys and we share a few laughs, but there’s no friends going over there.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B8pMTZhADhT/

“They’re a quality side but we’ve done enough this week to prepare for that.”

Pulu said his goals this season are to break back into the Brumbies starting side – he started both finals on the left wing last season – and remain healthy.

“Injuries have been the downfall of my career but hopefully I can stay injury-free this season,” Pulu said.

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“It’s tough with the young guys stepping up this year so if I get my opportunity I really want to take it.

“If I get the chance to put the jersey on this week I’ll definitely be putting put my best foot forward.”

The Brumbies were expected to name a full-strength side but confirmation on Wednesday that some players and staff had been affected by a mumps outbreak could revise those plans.

– AAP

WATCH: Highlanders coach Aaron Mauger is excited ahead of his side’s southern derby with the Crusaders.

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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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