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'We're all in shock' - Colin Cooper reacts to Brumbies drubbing
Chiefs coach Colin Cooper has expressed an overall feeling of disbelief after his side were punished 54-17 by the Brumbies in Canberra last night.
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“We’re all in shock, really, and surprised with that result,” Cooper told Stuff after the match.
“They just played better than us everywhere, and I guess it’s one of those games you just want to forget.
“I’m a bit speechless.”
In his 122 previous Super Rugby games as head coach, Cooper’s sides had never conceded 50 points. The eight tries the Brumbies ran in is a non-South African first against the side, and the loss is the first time in eight years that the Chiefs have opened the season with back to back losses.
“I think they were just more accurate, their collision area was more accurate, they got better ball, when we made mistakes they capitalised,” Cooper said.
“I think they put great pressure on, they did really well in slowing our ball down, and we didn’t react very well. When we carried we weren’t direct enough.”
One look at the full-time statistics paints a picture of the match. The Chiefs conceded 463 metres with ball in hand, missed 23 tackles and had their line broken 15 times. They managed just 165 metres and two line breaks themselves.
“We’ve got to fix it quickly,” Cooper said. “So we’ll be doing everything we can to be prepared and ready for the Sunwolves. We’re very disappointed.”
The Chiefs will be hoping to bounce back against the Sunwolves in Hamilton next weekend, though it will be far from a walkover after the Japanese side pushed the Waratahs to the edge in a narrow 31-30 loss over the weekend.
The Brumbies will be looking to continue their winning ways when they meet the Hurricanes in Palmerston North next weekend, a New Zealand side that looked vulnerable in a crushing 38-22 defeat at the hands of the Crusaders on Saturday night.
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