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Brumbies battle the odds in Super Rugby playoff against Hurricanes / Photo: © AFP
Brumbies battle the odds in Super Rugby playoff against Hurricanes
ACT Brumbies coach Stephen Larkham has urged his team to block out the past as they bid to upset the Wellington Hurricanes and snap a damning record in Super Rugby playoffs in New Zealand.
The Canberra-based side face the table-topping Hurricanes in Wellington on Friday, desperate to bounce back after being stunned by bottom-dwellers Moana Pasifika last week.
That defeat left them in sixth-place and set up a do-or-die qualifying final against a team that won 11 of their 14 regular season games.
The weight of history is against the Brumbies -- Australian teams have lost a staggering 21 straight Super Rugby playoff games in New Zealand.
"We don't talk about the historical events, we just stay in the present," Larkham said when asked about that statistic.
"This team is not the team that came over here and played the last time we were here.
"We're also not a (Queensland) Reds team that's come over, or a (NSW) Waratahs team that's come over, or a (Western) Force team, or a (Melbourne) Rebels team.
"We are our own team this year."
The Brumbies have fared well against New Zealand opponents this season.
They stunned the Canterbury Crusaders 50-24 in Christchurch and edged the Otago Highlanders 14-10 in Dunedin, but lost to the Hurricanes 45-12 in Christchurch.
Larkham, who has made two changes to his starting XV with hooker Lachlan Lonergan and flanker Luke Reimer coming in, said the results meant little.
"Confidence doesn't last very long," he said.
"(The good recent record) might be in some players' heads, but the most important thing is that they stay connected on the field, and they don't think about anything that's happened in the past or anything that's going to happen in the future."
Hurricanes coach Clark Laidlaw has named a near full-strength team after resting many of their Test stars in last weekend's 47-14 loss to the Crusaders.
"It's great to have such a strong squad available at this time of the year, with most of the squad fit and available to select from," said Laidlaw.
Among those returning are co-captains Du'Plessis Kirifi and Jordie Barrett.
"We've got a huge amount of respect for the Brumbies," added Laidlaw.
"They're a high quality team that can always get to the playoffs and we've got recent history in knockout games with them, so we understand the challenge that's coming from them."
The three winners of the playoffs advance to the semi-finals along with the highest-ranked loser.
The Crusaders host the Auckland Blues and the Waikato Chiefs meet the Reds on Saturday.
P. Duarte--JDB
