First of all, Corey Toole has been the Brumbies saviour tonight as the left-wing speedster, where his side were relived to escape such a difficult opponent like the Waratahs in Canberra. He brings so much pace to chase all over the pitch every time Corey is being tested in all areas including in defense, so he can help his frontline nail one of the Tahs players down. But most importantly, his finishing does give the Brumbies some confidence booster, particularly when he scored the game-winning TRY on his own area following the Tahs brief revival with four mins left. The Brumbs & their fans need Corey the most in order to make a difference from start to finish, without him it wouldn’t be possible.
Next up, James Slipper on the Brumbies front row at loosehead (No.1 shirt). He did a great job giving his side a number of winning penalties earlier on before he got away with back-to-back tries followed by an early mark to the bench. James has so much Super Rugby experience alongside loads of physicality to unpack various other things, plus he’s also great in the attack by bumping the opposition brick wall as well as the pace to help finish it off through the TRY line too. His shift tonight gave plenty of hope to keep up with the Tahs where the Brumbies were able to get the job done courtesy of his all-round input & guidance within the dressing room.
And Ned Hanigan has played a key role to the Tahs excellent start on the second row at No.5. He’s so good at being a support player where Ned has the tall reach there to read the Brumbies body language before using his physicality to not only protect his men with the ball, but also force his side’s way through the gate which is the same he does defensively. His on-field work kept the Tahs stay on top of their game for the majority, but the only thing that really let him down is the ill-discipline where a number of lost penalties & mistakes gave the Waratahs a huge warning before it ultimately cost them the game.
