Wallabies coach Ewen McKenzie believes the success of the NSW Waratahs and ACT Brumbies in this season’s Super Rugby Championship will have positive flow-on effects for the national team.
The Waratahs and Brumbies square off at Allianz Stadium in Sydney on Saturday for a spot in the Super Rugby final. With players from both sides dominating the Wallabies squad named on Wednesday, McKenzie told Fairfax Media that Australia’s prospects for the Rugby Championship and Bledisloe Cup appeared good.
“Having been involved at Super Rugby level for a long time, I think it’s the best outcome for Australian rugby to have success at Super Rugby,” he said. “If you’re out there winning and beating your opponents consistently – that’s what these teams have been doing – that’s as good as a scenario as you can take into a Bledisloe Cup contest.”
Many rugby union pundits are predicting a classic encounter between the Waratahs and Brumbies, and McKenzie is no different. “If you’d asked me a couple of weeks back, I would have said there were some contrasting styles there,” McKenzie said.
“But there’s some similarities in the approach now, which makes for an interesting game. Both teams have different strengths and they’ll try to impose themselves on each other. It has all the hallmarks of a classic, really exciting game.”
McKenzie, however, said the home-ground advantage would boost NSW. “Home ground is certainly meaningful and you can’t deny the fact the Waratahs have been a dominant force,” he said.
In the weekend’s other Super Rugby semi-final, the Crusaders take on the Sharks in New Zealand.
