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'We know we have to win' - All or nothing for Waratahs ahead of Brumbies clash

It's do-or-die for the Waratahs against the Brumbies this weekend. (Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)

NSW No. 8 Michael Wells believes the Waratahs will name a full-strength side to face the Brumbies, despite needing to rest five Wallabies over the final two rounds of Super Rugby.

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The Waratahs are playing for their season when they host the Australian conference leaders in the penultimate round at Bankwest Stadium on Saturday.

As per Rugby Australia’s resting policy, the Waratahs still have to sit Wallabies Michael Hooper, Rob Simmons, Sekope Kepu, Bernard Foley and Kurtley Beale out against either the Brumbies or the Highlanders in Invercargill next weekend.

NSW coach Daryl Gibson is expected to start all five while their season remains alive. They are nine points behind the Brumbies, but can still sneak into the finals if they win and other results fall their way.

Wells backed the best team to play the Brumbies, saying the derby doubled as a World Cup selection battle ahead of the tournament in September.

“We know we have to win to even have a shot at finals so there’s no excuse for not winning,” Wells said.

“Those decisions are made above our pay grade but I’d expect a full-strength team.

“Daryl said last week that conference games were really important as (they’re worth) double points, and also that selection battle for guys in the Wallabies frame.

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“Daryl wanted to give those guys opportunities that are in that position (playing for a Wallabies spot).”

One such Australian fringe player is Brumbies halfback Joe Powell who was dropped for the Wallabies spring tour.

Powell hasn’t given up on his World Cup dream and said he was looking forward to battling halfback rivals Nick Phipps and Jake Gordon.

“It’s definitely in the back of the mind (the World Cup) and I have a good opportunity this weekend against two halfbacks, so it should be interesting,” Powell said.

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“I don’t think they’ll be resting anyone against us.

“It’s a physical game every time we play them, there’s plenty of one on one match-ups there and the boys are out to prove a point.”

AAP

Watch – Michael Wells speaks to media:

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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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