Share

Highlanders prepped for unsubtle Brumbies

Canberra - Highlanders head coach Tony Brown fully knows what to expect from the Brumbies when his side make the trip to Canberra.

Brown compared the Brumbies to being like a South African franchise in terms of their forwards-heavy approach, while conceding that on their stopping the Brumbies' maul and scrum can prove difficult.

"They don't hide what they're going to do against you," Brown told Stuff.

"We are going to have to adjust to the South African style as they are a scrum and maul team. They do not play like Aussie teams.

"They're going to scrum you every scrum and then they're going to maul you every maul. They're a pretty predictable team but they're hard to stop when they get going.

"But we've had a big week's preparation around that and hopefully our discipline is good and we cut the number of lineouts they get."

Brown also defended his side's poor position in the table after winning just one of their first four matches this year.

Aside from toppling the Blues in Auckland, the Highlanders have been narrowly beaten by the Chiefs and Crusaders before last week's thumping away to the Hurricanes.

Brown however believes the Highlanders could have realistically had a 100 percent record at this stage and is understandably hoping for their fortunes to change against the Brumbies.

"We're one from four, and we weren't very good against the Hurricanes [41-15 loss]. But we should have beaten the Crusaders for sure and we were pretty rough execution wise against the Chiefs and pretty much gave them that game," Brown added.

'"We could easily be three from four and sitting in a pretty good position.

"But where we are is one from four and we just need to make sure we prepare a little bit better, put on a better performance and be a little bit mentally tougher."

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Should Siya Kolisi keep the captaincy as the Springboks build towards their World Cup title defence in 2027?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes! Siya will only be 36 at the next World Cup. He can make it!
26% - 1272 votes
No! I think the smart thing to do is start again with a younger skipper ...
29% - 1470 votes
I'd keep Siya captain for now, but look to have someone else for 2027.
45% - 2243 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE