The two main challengers for the Australian conference collide at Canberra Stadium on Saturday as the Brumbies host the Reds with 2012 on their mind.
It was a final-day loss to the Blues that deprived Jake White's men top spot in their group and ultimately they missed out on the play-off positions.
For the Reds they had a regular-season campaign that didn't produce a great deal of tries and in all honesty they didn't deserve to retain the title.
This season they have pivot Quade Cooper back and fully-fit but he's missing Will Genia alongside him for the opening rounds while Scott Higginbotham resides in Melbourne from here on in. That latter's switch is a blow to the cause as the big flanker was their second highest try-scorer during 2012.
Much will rest on the shoulders of young openside Liam Gill while James Horwill will soon return to the coalface, looking for form before the B&I Lions arrive. Horwill has already advised Red fly-half Cooper to do his talking on the pitch this season, which is a stark reminder that he won't tolerate nonsense.
Something the Brumbies are not is overconfident. What impresses about this Canberra franchise is their team spirit and collective drive, which was typified last year in a season when few thought they would threaten. We were all wrong as fresh faces like Jesse Mogg, Sam Carter and the ever-improving finisher Henry Speight caught the eye. While they lose another excellent prospect, Michael Hooper, they pick up a seasoned flanker in David Pocock.
The picture is a little different at the Suncorp Stadium, as the Reds go into their season opener without experienced players Radike Samo and Anthony Fainga'a, while they appear to be a tad light in squad depth. Running threat Luke Morahan is also absent this week so the full-back spot goes to Mike Harris in a side that enters the match as underdog. Aidan Toua will wear the number 13 shirt in the absence of Fainga'a while Jake Schatz is at eight.
What the Reds do possess in their corner, however, is the return of that man Cooper from his extended absence, which coincides with the addition of Richard Graham to their coaching team. Consequently, they are in some ways an unknown quantity from 2012 with the Brumbies now the most settled side hailing from Australia. How things change in twelve months ahead of a fixture some are even, at this early stage, predicting to be an eight-pointer.
Key battle: The battle at openside between David Pocock and Liam Gill excites. Pocock, 24, is where Gill, 20, wants to be while Michael Hooper will continue to knock on the Wallaby door. Australia is truly blessed with opensides right now - they have been for the last fifteen years - and this personal contest will be of close interest to head coach Robbie Deans. But with Brumbies coach Jake White having this week put his flanker in the same breath as Jonah Lomu and Richie McCaw, the favourite to take the plaudits on Saturday has to be Pocock, surely?
Prediction: We are on the Brumbies bandwagon for this and can't see their pack and wide threat coming out on the losing side. Brumbies by 8!
The teams:
Brumbies: 15 Jesse Mogg, 14 Henry Speight, 13 Andrew Smith, 12 Christian Lealiifano, 11 Clyde Rathbone, 10 Matt Toomua, 9 Nic White, 8 Ben Mowen, 7 David Pocock, 6 Peter Kimlin, 5 Sam Carter, 4 Scott Fardy, 3 Dan Palmer, 2 Stephen Moore, 1 Ben Alexander.
Replacements: 16 Siliva Siliva, 17 Ruaidhri Murphy, 18 Colby Faingaa, 19 Fotu Auelua, 20 Ian Prior, 21 Joseph Tomane, 22 Robbie Coleman.
Reds: 15 Mike Harris, 14 Dom Shipperley, 13 Aidan Toua, 12 Ben Tapuai, 11 Digby Ioane, 10 Quade Cooper, 9 Ben Lucas, 8 Jake Schatz, 7 Liam Gill, 6 Eddie Quirk, 5 Rob Simmons, 4 Adam Wallace-Harrison, 3 James Slipper (c), 2 Saia Faingaa, 1 Greg Holmes.
Replacements: 16 Albert Anae, 17 James Hanson, 18 Ed O'Donoghue, 19 Jarrad Butler, 20 Nick Frisby, 21 Jono Lance, 22 Chris F'Sautia.
Date: Saturday, February 16
Kick-off: 19:40 local (08:40 GMT)
Venue: Canberra Stadium
Referee: Andrew Lees (Australia)
Comments
Trinats2 says...
Welcome back old sparing partner
Posted 13:05 16th February 2013
Ramage says...
That's the trouble living in Brisbane, as I now do Ferdie. I haven't had a decent night's sleep as the whining and moaning coming from Trinut's place is keeping me awake, Geez I wish he would can it or I could end up being very grumpy. Oh by the way if I was within spitting distance of Trinuts in the Northern Rivers area of NSW, cant see how I can miss him, now I'm in Brisbane.
Posted 10:41 16th February 2013
ferdie says...
Australian derbies are always tight affairs.
Commentator: "The Reds haven't looked like scoring tonight, have they Clarkie?"
"Not once"
Then Quade throws one to Brumbies' Jesse Mogg. Try!
24-6 'a solid win first up for the Brumbies'
Posted 10:22 16th February 2013
Trinats2 says...
ferdie:
Thanks for the tip, but I have moved on from the DOS days and do not have the "old" function keys on my device. You being a kiwi should expect to get the new ipad device hit the shelves in NZ in about 10 years. You are slowly catching up to the rest of the world !!!
When it,s 7pm in Aus, it's still 1987 in NZ !!!
Posted 08:15 16th February 2013
ferdie says...
trinads, that's is three separate threads (or have I missed more?) you've posted the 'even without their captain and vice captain'. Do you have it on F5? F6 must be 'but xxxx is injured', F7 'He's really an Australian' and so on.
Another year of your whining, started before the Reds have even kicked off their comp.
Top marks.
Posted 06:14 16th February 2013
PREEST says...
Wow don't get your jimmies rustled over a predicted winning margin. I would pick the Brumbies to take it by ten. They should be a really cohesive unit by now.
Posted 05:01 16th February 2013
nefari says...
Brumbies by 9 for me
Posted 19:00 15th February 2013
Trinats2 says...
Brumbies by 8 ??? Really that biased PR ?
Australian derbies are always tight affairs, unlike the saffa or kiwi blowout five pointers ( maybe add 8 points to Aussies sides because of this !!!)
Reds by 2 points, even without their captain and vice captain.
Posted 12:42 15th February 2013