Will Miller may be enjoying life after rugby right now. Having seen him hang up the boots last year full-time. So he can work on the farm which suits him well. That will not change his mind forever and ever.
But the Brumbies have experienced a few weaknesses. Most notably the number of injury lit lists in the treatment room. As well as their first loss in a long time v Queensland Reds at home. And they just escaped a near loss v Waratahs a few days ago. Only by a two-point difference.
That is pretty much a wake up call. They gave a couple of penalties away via the ill-discipline. Which exposed their defensive struggles at times. Without Will you have two current loose forwards in his openside role. Jahrome Brown who is a bright prospect at 24. But have been inconsistent on occasions. As well as a nasty injury picked up last week in Sydney.
So Jahrome would be out for the rest of this Super Rugby AU competition. While Tom Cusack might have done okay with the basics. And captained the side during Week 4 v Reds. But he had a very nasty night at the same time. Where Tom copped two yellow cards that later became red. It is something that also spotted a sign of the Brumbies crisis area.
After Tom and Jahrome there is a couple of inexperienced guys in this group. Both Rory Scott & Luke Reimer. Again they are young who is tipped for great potential in 2-3 years. But not yet ready to get used to the senior setup. Which is why Will has came to the rescue. He is still on his prime at the minute despite not playing much nowadays. Brumbies see him as their new weapon towards their title defense. With three weeks of group stage play. And two weeks of Playoffs action until the end.
In my opinion Will has to make up his game day fitness. This is the first important step if he was to walk in the Brumbies XV immediately. Then he will be able to know what is it like to face the Reds. We know under his guidance the Brumbies won against Queensland 2-1 last year. It is important that the Reds must know their opponents are a different team now. Not the same one from Week 4 in Canberra. As Allan Alaalatoa should return now after his three-week ban.
We cannot wait for another Grand Final rematch on Saturday. This time on the Reds stomping grounds in Brisbane.
