The Reds and the Brumbies set Australian rugby into action last weekend in a cracking opening round of fixtures, making short work of the Waratahs and Force on the season opening Friday night. This weekend the Reds host the Rebels and the Brumbies welcome the Waratahs with the Force sitting out round two on the bye. Shane was again a champion to come on and have his say again this season and you can catch that stream below and be sure to turn into the channel on Youtube on a Thursday afternoon to catch the stream each and every week! If you want a quick overview, check out below the video!
REDS vs REBELS – Reds +11
The Reds open the round up again this weekend against the Rebels who are having their first run out of the season. The Reds were nothing short of fantastic in their opening match, destroying the woeful Waratahs. Their performance will fill them with plenty of confidence and with only one change to the starting side, adding Taniela Tupou to the front row. Expect to see much more from the Reds in round two and a similar score line as well.
After the bye in the first round, the Rebels need to smash the ground running in their opening encounter. The Rebels would have been watching the opening round with high hopes of establishing a game plan against the Reds but would only be left with with fears of how they will contain their opponents. Naming a side the resembles something similar to a patchwork quilt, with areas of strength matched next to sever lacks of experience and talent. Joe Powell and Matt To’omua will be a a critical piece of the Rebels puzzle.
BRUMBIES vs WARATAHS – Brumbies +13
If you thought the opening round was a bit of a mismatch blow out round, then we may be seeing some more of that in round two as well. The Brumbies know how to play, how to win and how to execute their game plan. They are well structured and play well to their strengths. Its a near international level pack that will easily control the set piece and breakdown and keep the side on the front foot and even their midfield with Ikitau made an impact in round one. The side is settled and will see very little change to their line up this week.
Can the Waratahs play any worse than last week!? Its hard to imagine Rob Penny will allow that to happen two weeks in a row. As you would expect, the axe has hung over the squad. Angus Bell returns with Harry Johnson-Holmes pair up for a formidable front row which will be tested. The ‘tahs back row plays well enough with the young Tizzano paired up with some experience of Swinton and Dempsey. The big loss will be Jake Gordon who is out for some time which is a huge loss and leaves a massive hole, Jake Grant grabs the nine shirt. Tepai Moeroa and Mark Nawaqanitawase move into the backline which will add some firepower to the backline, especially Nawaqanitawase. While its a positive step for the Waratahs, it wont change the result for the visitors…..
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