Matt Giteau makes an early trip back home to see if he can be instrumental in helping the Force put one over the Brumbies.
The Brumbies are undefeated and this game is at home for them. Need we say anything more? Probably not, but let’s do it anyway.
The Western Force are having endless internal strife to the extent that coach John Mitchell doesn’t even appear on any changeroom cams during half time. Matt Giteau, leaving the Force to go to the Brumbies at the end of the season is not helping them either.
Will the Brumbies capitalize on the homeground advantage or will they capitalize on the Force’s problems? Either way they will capitalize.
Venue: Canberra Stadium
Kick-off: 19.40 Local Time, 10.40 SA Time
Referee: Matt Goddard (Australia)
ARs: Nathan Pearce (Australia), Brett Bowden (Australia)
TMO: Geoff Acton (Australia)
Brumbies:
15 Mark Gerrard, 14 Clyde Rathbone, 13 Adam Ashley-Cooper, 12 Stirling Mortlock, 11 Francis Fainifo, 10 Christian Lealiifano, 9 Patrick Phibbs, 8 Stephen Hoiles (captain), 7 George Smith, 6 Julian Salvi, 5 Mark Chisholm, 4 Ben Hand, 3 Guy Shepherdson, 2 Stephen Moore, 1 Nic Henderson.
Replacements:
16 John Ulugia, 17 Ben Alexander, 18 Sitaleki Timani, 19 Peter Kimlin, 20 Joshua Holmes, 21 Matt Toomua, 22 Tyrone Smith.
Western Force:
15 Drew Mitchell, 14 Cameron Shepherd, 13 Ryan Cross, 12 Junior Pelesasa, 11 Nick Cummins, 10 Matt Giteau, 9 Josh Valentine, 8 Richard Brown, 7 David Pocock, 6 Matt Hodgson, 5 Nathan Sharpe (captain), 4 Tom Hockings, 3 Ben Castle, 2 Tai McIsaac, 1 Pek Cowan.
Replacements:
16 Luke Holmes, 17 Kieran Longbottom, 18 Richard Stanford, 19 Tamaiti Horua, 20 Chris O’Young, 21 James O’Connor, 22 Haig Sare.
Tweet
hope the force gets this one, or a draw
@jarsonx (Comment 1) :
A Brumbies loss would be great but I don’t think it is gonna happen.
Have let the office know that i will be “working” from home today, so can see this game as well. 😎
Force look like a bunch of “gif appeltjies” in their yellow outfits.
5 LMS players chose the Brumbies, nobody choose the Force.
Brumbies PK
3 – 0 Brumbies
3min
😆 😆 Kearns: “His problem is his arms. They aren’t arms, somebody sewed a set of legs on” 😆 😆 😆 😆
Not sure which player he was refering to.
Love it when 2 Aussies “make love” on the field 😆 😆 😆
see you later……
@Me2 (Comment 8) :
@Me2 (Comment 9) :
cheers
Lealiifano against the guy (Brumbies) who is coming to take his place next season. Should be a good match-up
15min
Brumbies 3 – 0 Force
Shaaarks!!!!
@KSA Shark © (Comment 12) : Hey, Im battling to log in? got to log in through JR.net and only if im lucky then..
got the brumbies for a win on sb, but one may dream
Brumbies 6 – 0 Force
25min
Great feed from Giteau sets up Shepherd try in the corner.
Giteau misses the conversion
Brumbies 6 – 5 Force
28min
great try
@rahul (Comment 13) :
Strange!!!! I’m okay on this side.
Anyone else out there have a problem?
gerrard going for 3rd penalty and gets it
Brumbies PK
Slotted
Brumbies 9 – 5 Force
31min
@jarsonx (Comment 14) :
😆
kette is smiling she has 3 from 3 so far this weekend and two spot on picks. Not sure what she has on this game.
@KSA Shark © (Comment 21) :
Have checked. She has brumbies by 7
Half time
Brumbies 9 – 8 Force
After a Pk from Giteau on half time
@try time (Comment 19) : Hi..I see you are awake!?!!
Is it my imagination….I thought the short arm was surposed to speed up the game….instead the teams are going for scrums (I know they have the choice) but this constant re-setting of scrums IS slowing things down….any comments?
@KSA Shark © (Comment 18) : Sent you a e-mail wiff details
Shepherd TRY!!!!!!! #2
@rahul (Comment 25) :
Got it. Have replied. 😉
@KSA Shark © (Comment 21) : same here. just need the lions to surprise.
Conversion missed
Brumbies 9 – 13 Force
45min
@Me2 (Comment 24) : no i decided not to blog while i was emotional.
@try time (Comment 28) :
THAT isn’t going to happen so your SB Grand Slam point is a goner. 🙂
@Me2 (Comment 24) : not if bryce lawrence is the ref. he stops the game to have a long chat.
So if the Brumbies lose here, 5 LMS players will lose their lifelines.
@try time (Comment 32) :
And to try and figure out how to say “Crouch, touch, pause, engage” 😛
@KSA Shark © (Comment 31) : they did last year they’ll do it again. bulls have had 2 easy games so they might have forgottenhow to keep it tight.
@KSA Shark © (Comment 34) : yeah bryce was shocking to both teams.
Need 17 tickets for Springboks vs Lions at coke tin 😕
how long is a player on the ground allowed to hold onto a ball before he gets penalised? if you are bryce 10 minutes.
Giteau misses the second shot at goal, against the team he is going to next year.
Have I mnetioned that I am very Cynical!!!!
Force over for a try being refered.
@rahul (Comment 37) : noone goes to coke tin so should find plenty.
that ball looks held up.
Awarded!!!!!!!!
brave tmo. i think he got that wrong.
Conversion over
Brumbies 9 – 20 Force
50min
@try time (Comment 44) :
Nope I disagree. It was a try IMO.
@rahul (Comment 37) :
😯 you gonna battle with that one.
i couldn’t see the ball touch the ground, but i won’t complain. but i will complain about having frans steyn in your team in the last 5 minutes.
his pressure decision making is poor. he needs to be replaced at 70 minutes.
this game is a snore compared to the 1st and 3rd games of the weekend
@try time (Comment 49) : agree. Need cool heads. Frans is a guy to have in your team when you’re on the up and going forward. Would prefer Swannie for desperate defensive situations.
Force pulling off an upset here?
@robdylan (Comment 51) :
Not upsetting me. but they are upsetting a few LMS players 😛
Gerrard misses a PK
Both Holmes brothers on the pitch now for different teams.
@KSA Shark © (Comment 52) : yeah i suckered a lot of guys with saying brumbies was a dead cert.
@robdylan (Comment 51) : yeah i would like to see swannie get a little time. i am sure he will get time in the reds game.
@KSA Shark © (Comment 54) : no s..t sherlocke lol
godawful is very lenient
@try time (Comment 57) : ❓
Why can’t they play for the same team? ❓
@try time (Comment 38) :
Actually no… if you are Bryce… as I am… and it’s a sharks player… 35min is standard!
force in trouble so now they are playing for time.
@try time (Comment 57) : Sherlocke is my mate 🙂
Penalty TRY Brumbies
@KSA Shark © (Comment 59) : no sherlock holmes get it now. 😆
Mortlock converts
Brumbies 16 – 20 Force
65min
@bryce_in_oz (Comment 60) : 😆 😆
@try time (Comment 64) :
Ahhhhhh.
I thought you were using “no shit sherlock” in the traditional sense as in i was stating the obvious. 😆
@robdylan (Comment 51) :
Rob, Kockott’s pass to Frans was a chocker to be fair – the kick would have been risky, even if you dont take into account the fact that Frans knows he has been charged down before.
I really think that Rory should have gone for the box kick under all that pressure.
And how does having an inexperienced player like Swanepoel ahead of Frans make sense? After all, he doesn’t kick does he?
Shepherd scores his hattrick!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
@KSA Shark © (Comment 67) : 😳 😆
shepherd has his hattrick.
Giteau hits the upright.
Brumbies 16 – 25 Force
69min
@Big Fish (Comment 68) : fish frans makes bad decisions far too often in the dying minutes. anyone has got to be beter than him. if this was a one off i’d agree.
@try time (Comment 73) : Jean de Villiers ❗
this site is slow today.
Good result for SA this. 😎
Providing Bulls & Stormers win their home matches later on. 🙄
77min
Brumbies 16 – 25 Force
this game killed my superbru, but it helps the sharks.
@McLovin (Comment 76) : don’t take things too far, only the stormers. stuff the bulls.
sb accuracy: week 1 80%, week 2 70%, week 3 probably 60% lol
@try time (Comment 73) :
Agree with you there, but I think that we should remember that he is just 21 – he will get better with experience.
He has already looked better at 12 with each successive week.
@try time (Comment 79) : 😆
Full Time
Brumbies 16 – 25 Force
Log updated
Force go 4th
Brumbies 6th
well done force
@try time (Comment 32) : @KSA Shark © (Comment 34) :
Hey KSA, See you lost a prop foward!
@rahul (Comment 86) :
Where is that?
hatttrick for Shepherd and he is in my FL team. not in my Starting XV though. 😕
Brumbies have a bye next week.
@KSA Shark © (Comment 87) : Stevens – the “Englishman”
sorry guys lost internet with this freak storm that just appeared. fish i know he is 21, but he is in his third year of s14 so his age is not an excuse.
@rahul (Comment 90) :
Oh yeah that.
I blame it on him being a kearsney boy. 😉
@try time (Comment 91) :
I’m also having a storm over here. 👿
Freaken dust everywhere. 👿
@KSA Shark © (Comment 92) : 😆 I hope he’s not logged in 😯
@KSA Shark © (Comment 93) : at least you married… she can dust while you watching the game 😉
@rahul (Comment 94) :
Hehehe
@rahul (Comment 95) :
Hehehhehehe
you’re lucky SHE’S not logged in. 😆 😆
How ’bout those Proteas ❓
@KSA Shark © (Comment 93) : ha ha mine is a little wetter than dust.
@KSA Shark © (Comment 97) : I’m not scared 😯 😮 😥
@rahul (Comment 98) :
My SS2 and 3 are both down so no cricket for me 🙁
158/8 at lunch. 308 runs behind
@rahul (Comment 102) : ha ha, thats why i don’t support those micket mouse players.
@try time (Comment 103) : good thing this site ie not called “proteaworld” 🙂
lost my lifeline 😥 😥 but i guess better result for the sharks, brumbies were unbeaten to date..
and hello for today 😀 😀
@rekinek (Comment 105) :
it was supposed to be a Brumbies win. The Force have just decided the buck the system. I can’t think of any major pundits who backed the Force for a win here.
On SB
4.36%
of all players in SuperBru correctly predicted a win by the Force
@KSA Shark © (Comment 107) : so i am mainstream 😆 but truly – that was quite a surprise…
thanx for the stats 😛
Overall SB pick info
Picks for Brumbies 39670 (95.43%)
Picks for Force 1814 (4.36%)
Picks for draw 86 (0.21%)
Average Brumbies pick Brumbies by 9
Average Force pick Force by 6
Average overall pick Brumbies by 9
Biggest Brumbies pick Brumbies by 120
Biggest Force pick Force by 40