The Brumbies have no chance at fortress Loftus, that's the talk of Pretoria and they do believe that, since the Bulls have yet to lose a match at home this term.
I'm yet to believe that a Bye before your Semi-Final, be it at home, is really beneficial to the home side. In my opinion it might rest the body but breaks any momentum you might have built up till this point in the competition. Having won 9 of the last 10 & only the Stormers loss show some form for the South African outfit.
The Bulls & the Brumbies have the advantage of knowing who their final opponents will be hours before they run on the field, which could work as motivation in both camps in different ways. The Bulls know if they win then the final is at Loftus next week and they'll know who they'll be playing, the Brumbies on the other hand know that should the Chiefs lose they can host next weeks final in Canberra should they defeat the Bulls.
The Brumbies beat the Cheetahs 15-13 in Canberra and had a big scare at the end of the match which should give them a big wake up call for this week.The Bulls have played the Brumbies 15 times in Super Rugby since March 1998 and they have won six times and lost 9 times.The average score when the Bulls play the Brumbies in Pretoria is Bulls 31 Brumbies 26.
The Bulls have brought back some of their brightest stars in Jan Serfontein and Francois Hougaard. The Brumbies named an unchanged team that beat the Cheetahs so they will have the benefit of continuity but they did have to travel and that could prove vital in the end.
The Brumbies will need a stellar performance and maybe they need a Crusaders win just to give them the extra motivation I'm sure they'll need in Pretoria.
Prediction
I think the Bulls will win by 7 or more especially if Steyn brings his kicking boots then they'll be difficult to beat. I'm told he leaves his boots there that's how comfortable his boots are with the Loftus turf (or so it would seem).
Bulls overall record against the Brumbies
Played 15 ,Wins, 6, Losses, 9 ,Draws 0
Referee: Craig Joubert
Assistant Ref 1:Jonathan Kaplan
Assistant Ref 2:Marius Jonker
TMO : Shaun Veldsman
Teams
Bulls
Zane Kirchner , Akona Ndungane, JJ Engelbrecht, Jan Serfontein , Bjorn Basson , Morne Steyn, Francois Hougaard, Dewald Potgieter (c), Jacques Potgieter, Deon Stegmann , Grant Hattingh, Flip van der Merwe , Werner Kruger, Chiliboy Ralepelle, Dean Greyling
Replacements: Callie Visagie, Frik Kirsten, Morne Mellett, Paul Willemse, Jono Ross , Jano Vermaak, Jurgen Visser.
Brumbies
1. Scott Sio , 2. Stephen Moore , 3. Ben Alexander , 4. Scott Fardy , 5. Sam Carter , 6. Peter Kimlin , 7. George Smith , 8. Ben Mowen (c) , 9. Nic White , 10. Matt Toomua , 11. Clyde Rathbone , 12. Christian Lealiifano , 13. Tevita Kuridrani , 14. Henry Speight , 15. Jesse Mogg
Replacements: 16. Siliva Siliva , 17. Ruan Smith , 18. Fotu Auelua , 19. Colby Faingaa , 20. Ian Prior , 21. Andrew Smith , 22. Joe Tomane
Jade Christopher Bentley Adams (@jcba)
The Brumbies beat the Cheetahs 15-13 in Canberra and had a big scare at the end of the match which should give them a big wake up call for this week.The Bulls have played the Brumbies 15 times in Super Rugby since March 1998 and they have won six times and lost 9 times.The average score when the Bulls play the Brumbies in Pretoria is Bulls 31 Brumbies 26.
The Brumbies will need a stellar performance and maybe they need a Crusaders win just to give them the extra motivation I'm sure they'll need in Pretoria.
I think the Bulls will win by 7 or more especially if Steyn brings his kicking boots then they'll be difficult to beat. I'm told he leaves his boots there that's how comfortable his boots are with the Loftus turf (or so it would seem).
Bulls overall record against the Brumbies
Played 15 ,Wins, 6, Losses, 9 ,Draws 0
Referee: Craig Joubert
Assistant Ref 1:Jonathan Kaplan
Assistant Ref 2:Marius Jonker
TMO : Shaun Veldsman
Teams
Bulls
Zane Kirchner , Akona Ndungane, JJ Engelbrecht, Jan Serfontein , Bjorn Basson , Morne Steyn, Francois Hougaard, Dewald Potgieter (c), Jacques Potgieter, Deon Stegmann , Grant Hattingh, Flip van der Merwe , Werner Kruger, Chiliboy Ralepelle, Dean Greyling
Replacements: Callie Visagie, Frik Kirsten, Morne Mellett, Paul Willemse, Jono Ross , Jano Vermaak, Jurgen Visser.
Brumbies
1. Scott Sio , 2. Stephen Moore , 3. Ben Alexander , 4. Scott Fardy , 5. Sam Carter , 6. Peter Kimlin , 7. George Smith , 8. Ben Mowen (c) , 9. Nic White , 10. Matt Toomua , 11. Clyde Rathbone , 12. Christian Lealiifano , 13. Tevita Kuridrani , 14. Henry Speight , 15. Jesse Mogg
Replacements: 16. Siliva Siliva , 17. Ruan Smith , 18. Fotu Auelua , 19. Colby Faingaa , 20. Ian Prior , 21. Andrew Smith , 22. Joe Tomane
Jade Christopher Bentley Adams (@jcba)
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