Rugby: Chiefs must be wary of deceptive Brumbies

Liam Messam of the Chiefs runs the ball during the round three Super Rugby match between the Crusaders and the Chiefs. Photo / Getty Images

After victories over the Blues and Crusaders, the Chiefs can't afford to be derailed by what looks like an ordinary Brumbies team.

Appearances, can deceive, however, which Dave Rennie's men will be the first to admit.

Although the Brumbies are undefeated, their victories have been against the Force and Cheetahs, two teams which will not be contesting the playoffs in the near future, and against the latter, the win was only due to a last-minute penalty.

But while the Chiefs, boasting an extremely under-rated forward pack, have scrapped their way to wins against vaunted opponents, the Brumbies are tricky customers at scrum time and will probably surprise in this area tomorrow night.

It was the Brumbies' scrum that earned them the win in Canberra against the Cheetahs. It almost forced a penalty try late in the second half and it earned them a penalty in the dying seconds which was converted for a 24-23 victory.

"The scrum pressure was accumulative, it was built throughout the whole game and to have it pay off in the end was satisfying,'' Brumbies tighthead prop Dan Palmer said.

"There are obviously areas to improve on, but I think it was pretty positive. The Chiefs have been performing pretty well so they're going to be a tough challenge in the forwards.''

The Chiefs will have to do without reserve prop Shane Cleaver, who suffered a head knock against the Crusaders, with hooker Hika Elliot out due to a scratched eye.

Josh Hohneck and hooker Marcel Cummings-Toone have been promoted from the development team as cover.

The Chiefs are already without props Ben Afeaki and Toby Smith, who were injured in the round one defeat to the Highlanders.

The Blues will be without All Blacks lock Anthony Boric due to a neck injury and Rene Ranger due to suspension for their match against Stormers in Cape Town in the early hours of Saturday (NZT). Filo Paulo and David Raikuna will play at lock and wing respectively and for the latter it is a chance to build on a promising debut in round one against the Crusaders.

Although a Gareth Anscombe special on his debut got the Blues home against the Bulls, it is hard to see the unbeaten Stormers letting that happen again and the men from Newlands will look to put immense pressure on in the lineout which they will look to drive. The Blues defence will also need to be aware of speedsters such as Bryan Habana, Gio Aplon and Joe Pietersen.

Perhaps ominously for the Blues, Stormers captain and centre Jean de Villiers said it was time the backs pulled their weight.

"It hasn't been good for the backline as a unit and the way that we want to play. I think the forwards have really pulled us through the first two games and it is time for us to do our part as well.''

The Hurricanes will host the Highlanders on Saturday for the match of the round. It will be their first home game of the season but they face a big challenge in the unbeaten Highlanders, something coach Mark Hammett acknowledged.

"It's really important that ... we front and it's really clear for people to see,'' he said.

"We are playing against another team which is very, very good, a very strong team, so it's going to be a challenge on attack and defence. But our focus is - I've said all along - is we prepare to win games and we've got the clarity now. So it's about bringing that physical attitude and that `never die' sort of attitude that we've seen to this day.''

The Hurricanes named an unchanged line-up, with the Highlanders set to announce their squad tomorrow.

With the Crusaders having the bye, the other interesting clash for many New Zealanders will be seeing how the defending champion Reds cope at Durban against the Sharks after an underwhelming start.

Ewen McKenzie's team are unbeaten, but have laboured in defeating the Waratahs, Force and Rebels.

One curiosity of the leaderboard is how the leading four teams, the Reds, Highlanders, Stormers and Brumbies, have failed to secure a bonus point. This, and the fact teams get four points for a bye, has led to a bunched table with only three points separating the top seven teams.