Brumbies legend says team tapered for Super finals push
Winner of two Super Rugby titles, Joe Roff feels the Brumbies have got their preparations right this season after falling short in recent years.
The ACT franchise face the table-topping Chiefs in Hamilton on Saturday afternoon with the winner advancing to the Super Rugby Pacific grand final.
Roff was part of the title-winning Brumbies sides in 2000 and 2004, which was the club's last trophy, but the Wallabies legend says former teammate and coach Stephen Larkham has the team primed to perform.
The Brumbies have made the last four semi-finals but haven't been able to make the decider.
"Speaking with Steve ... he has unfinished business here," Roff told AAP.
"He knows now, in the cycle of his coaching evolution, that the Melbourne Cup is not won in February.
"He's coached his team to be primed at the right time of the season and so this weekend, I'm expecting and looking forward to a big performance."
No Australian team has won a Super play-off in New Zealand with a 0-20 record, but Roff said that statistic shouldn't bother the Brumbies.
They snapped a 12-year hoodoo in Auckland against the Blues this season while they've also beaten the Chiefs in Hamilton, back in 2022.
"I see with the Brumbies a sense of self belief," Roff said.
"It was only two years ago where, as an Australian public, we were saying we don't know how to beat New Zealand Super Rugby sides and that is not the case anymore, not by any, any stretch.
"The belief that the Brumbies have going over to play against a wounded Chiefs team, who will come out very hard, is there."
Speaking from Hamilton, Brumbies lock Nick Frost said such records were there to be broken and asked "why not us".
"Obviously a lot of it is a bit upstairs, a bit mental," Frost said.
"It's we haven't won here for a while or we don't do that well', but it's why not, why can't we be the first to break a record, why can't we be the first team to do that?
"In 2013, the Brumbies were the first Australian team to win a play-off match in South Africa ... so the record in New Zealand is going to be broken one day so why can't it be us?"
Frost said the team wanted to start well and believed they had the ability to close out a tight game if that was how it unfolded.
"We've worked at our game through the year to be able to really close out games and we obviously fell short against the Crusaders, but we still have that big belief we can come home with a wet sail," the Wallabies forward said.
"Probably the big thing is starting well, we didn't do that against the Crusaders and you let a quality side get out to a big lead it's hard to claw back, so we want to start strong and start hard."
The Chiefs have lost the last two grand finals and were upset by the Blues in the qualifying final, but have All Blacks Luke Jacobson and Quinn Tupaea back in the line-up.
The Brumbies, who overcame the Hurricanes in their week-one final, are unchanged.
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The Advertiser
2 hours ago
- The Advertiser
J Day back in business with fine US Open fightback
Jason Day has battled back into the picture at the US Open with a fine second round while American Sam Burns shot the lowest score of the week to leap into contention at fearsome Oakmont. Former PGA champ Day was way off the pace after his opening round of 76 but demonstrated his enduring class with a battling three-under 67 on Friday to get back to three over for the tournament - hovering around the top-20 and well inside a cut mark projected to be at seven over. Day's round was the second best among the early day-two starters but he was still eclipsed by Burns, who shot a five-under 65, which featured six birdies, one bogey and a key par save at his final hole - the ninth - to record the best round of the tournament. It left him heading to the clubhouse on three under, just one off the overnight lead held by fellow American who was among the later starters after his opening, bogey-free round of 66 on Thursday. Day's round, which began at the 10th hole, was ignited by a terrific eagle at his third hole - the gigantic par-five 12th that measures 647 yards. He struck his approach from 323 yards to 20 foot from the hole and sank the eagle putt. Two birdies quickly followed in the next five holes. His biggest disappointment as he looked set to finish with a 66 after two more birdies on the homeward nine was his wayward drive at the ninth that led to an anti-climactic final bogey. Burns, who shot a final-round 62 Sunday at the Canadian Open before losing in a play-off, also started his second round on the back nine and birdied 11, 13, 17 and 18. He responded to his lone bogey at the first hole by putting his approach at the next hole to about six feet. World No.1 Scottie Scheffler had five bogeys and four birdies in his 71, to be left at four over, but fellow luminaries Dustin Johnson (10 over) and Justin Thomas (12 over) will both miss the weekend. Australian Marc Leishman, who had begun promisingly with a 71, suffered in his second round, shooting a 75, including a double-bogey six at the ninth hole, to sit at six over. Five-time major winner Brooks Koepka, one of 14 LIV Golf players in the field, started his day two shots off the pace but dropped back after a 74 that featured eight bogeys. A day after Patrick Reed recorded the fourth albatross in US Open annals, Frenchman Victor Perez made a hole-in-one at the par-three sixth, the second ever ace during a US Open at Oakmont. But the demanding course was clearly getting to some of the players, with former champion Jon Rahm another left grumbling as he tumbled down the leaderboard after a 75 to sit on four over. "Honestly, I'm too annoyed and too mad right now to think about any perspective," the Spaniard said. "Very few rounds of golf I played in my life where I think I hit good putts and they didn't sniff the hole, so it's frustrating." With agencies Jason Day has battled back into the picture at the US Open with a fine second round while American Sam Burns shot the lowest score of the week to leap into contention at fearsome Oakmont. Former PGA champ Day was way off the pace after his opening round of 76 but demonstrated his enduring class with a battling three-under 67 on Friday to get back to three over for the tournament - hovering around the top-20 and well inside a cut mark projected to be at seven over. Day's round was the second best among the early day-two starters but he was still eclipsed by Burns, who shot a five-under 65, which featured six birdies, one bogey and a key par save at his final hole - the ninth - to record the best round of the tournament. It left him heading to the clubhouse on three under, just one off the overnight lead held by fellow American who was among the later starters after his opening, bogey-free round of 66 on Thursday. Day's round, which began at the 10th hole, was ignited by a terrific eagle at his third hole - the gigantic par-five 12th that measures 647 yards. He struck his approach from 323 yards to 20 foot from the hole and sank the eagle putt. Two birdies quickly followed in the next five holes. His biggest disappointment as he looked set to finish with a 66 after two more birdies on the homeward nine was his wayward drive at the ninth that led to an anti-climactic final bogey. Burns, who shot a final-round 62 Sunday at the Canadian Open before losing in a play-off, also started his second round on the back nine and birdied 11, 13, 17 and 18. He responded to his lone bogey at the first hole by putting his approach at the next hole to about six feet. World No.1 Scottie Scheffler had five bogeys and four birdies in his 71, to be left at four over, but fellow luminaries Dustin Johnson (10 over) and Justin Thomas (12 over) will both miss the weekend. Australian Marc Leishman, who had begun promisingly with a 71, suffered in his second round, shooting a 75, including a double-bogey six at the ninth hole, to sit at six over. Five-time major winner Brooks Koepka, one of 14 LIV Golf players in the field, started his day two shots off the pace but dropped back after a 74 that featured eight bogeys. A day after Patrick Reed recorded the fourth albatross in US Open annals, Frenchman Victor Perez made a hole-in-one at the par-three sixth, the second ever ace during a US Open at Oakmont. But the demanding course was clearly getting to some of the players, with former champion Jon Rahm another left grumbling as he tumbled down the leaderboard after a 75 to sit on four over. "Honestly, I'm too annoyed and too mad right now to think about any perspective," the Spaniard said. "Very few rounds of golf I played in my life where I think I hit good putts and they didn't sniff the hole, so it's frustrating." With agencies Jason Day has battled back into the picture at the US Open with a fine second round while American Sam Burns shot the lowest score of the week to leap into contention at fearsome Oakmont. Former PGA champ Day was way off the pace after his opening round of 76 but demonstrated his enduring class with a battling three-under 67 on Friday to get back to three over for the tournament - hovering around the top-20 and well inside a cut mark projected to be at seven over. Day's round was the second best among the early day-two starters but he was still eclipsed by Burns, who shot a five-under 65, which featured six birdies, one bogey and a key par save at his final hole - the ninth - to record the best round of the tournament. It left him heading to the clubhouse on three under, just one off the overnight lead held by fellow American who was among the later starters after his opening, bogey-free round of 66 on Thursday. Day's round, which began at the 10th hole, was ignited by a terrific eagle at his third hole - the gigantic par-five 12th that measures 647 yards. He struck his approach from 323 yards to 20 foot from the hole and sank the eagle putt. Two birdies quickly followed in the next five holes. His biggest disappointment as he looked set to finish with a 66 after two more birdies on the homeward nine was his wayward drive at the ninth that led to an anti-climactic final bogey. Burns, who shot a final-round 62 Sunday at the Canadian Open before losing in a play-off, also started his second round on the back nine and birdied 11, 13, 17 and 18. He responded to his lone bogey at the first hole by putting his approach at the next hole to about six feet. World No.1 Scottie Scheffler had five bogeys and four birdies in his 71, to be left at four over, but fellow luminaries Dustin Johnson (10 over) and Justin Thomas (12 over) will both miss the weekend. Australian Marc Leishman, who had begun promisingly with a 71, suffered in his second round, shooting a 75, including a double-bogey six at the ninth hole, to sit at six over. Five-time major winner Brooks Koepka, one of 14 LIV Golf players in the field, started his day two shots off the pace but dropped back after a 74 that featured eight bogeys. A day after Patrick Reed recorded the fourth albatross in US Open annals, Frenchman Victor Perez made a hole-in-one at the par-three sixth, the second ever ace during a US Open at Oakmont. But the demanding course was clearly getting to some of the players, with former champion Jon Rahm another left grumbling as he tumbled down the leaderboard after a 75 to sit on four over. "Honestly, I'm too annoyed and too mad right now to think about any perspective," the Spaniard said. "Very few rounds of golf I played in my life where I think I hit good putts and they didn't sniff the hole, so it's frustrating." With agencies Jason Day has battled back into the picture at the US Open with a fine second round while American Sam Burns shot the lowest score of the week to leap into contention at fearsome Oakmont. Former PGA champ Day was way off the pace after his opening round of 76 but demonstrated his enduring class with a battling three-under 67 on Friday to get back to three over for the tournament - hovering around the top-20 and well inside a cut mark projected to be at seven over. Day's round was the second best among the early day-two starters but he was still eclipsed by Burns, who shot a five-under 65, which featured six birdies, one bogey and a key par save at his final hole - the ninth - to record the best round of the tournament. It left him heading to the clubhouse on three under, just one off the overnight lead held by fellow American who was among the later starters after his opening, bogey-free round of 66 on Thursday. Day's round, which began at the 10th hole, was ignited by a terrific eagle at his third hole - the gigantic par-five 12th that measures 647 yards. He struck his approach from 323 yards to 20 foot from the hole and sank the eagle putt. Two birdies quickly followed in the next five holes. His biggest disappointment as he looked set to finish with a 66 after two more birdies on the homeward nine was his wayward drive at the ninth that led to an anti-climactic final bogey. Burns, who shot a final-round 62 Sunday at the Canadian Open before losing in a play-off, also started his second round on the back nine and birdied 11, 13, 17 and 18. He responded to his lone bogey at the first hole by putting his approach at the next hole to about six feet. World No.1 Scottie Scheffler had five bogeys and four birdies in his 71, to be left at four over, but fellow luminaries Dustin Johnson (10 over) and Justin Thomas (12 over) will both miss the weekend. Australian Marc Leishman, who had begun promisingly with a 71, suffered in his second round, shooting a 75, including a double-bogey six at the ninth hole, to sit at six over. Five-time major winner Brooks Koepka, one of 14 LIV Golf players in the field, started his day two shots off the pace but dropped back after a 74 that featured eight bogeys. A day after Patrick Reed recorded the fourth albatross in US Open annals, Frenchman Victor Perez made a hole-in-one at the par-three sixth, the second ever ace during a US Open at Oakmont. But the demanding course was clearly getting to some of the players, with former champion Jon Rahm another left grumbling as he tumbled down the leaderboard after a 75 to sit on four over. "Honestly, I'm too annoyed and too mad right now to think about any perspective," the Spaniard said. "Very few rounds of golf I played in my life where I think I hit good putts and they didn't sniff the hole, so it's frustrating." With agencies
