No excuses for barnstorming Hoiles
Wed, 26 Mar 2008 19:04
The winds of change have been blowing around the Brumbies camp in recent times, but that is no reason for the Canberra outfit to stop performing at the highest levels, according to their exciting eighthman Stephen Hoiles.
The Brumbies have been in pretty good nick during the first half of the Super 14 season, picking up three wins on the way and establishing themselves in sixth position in the log standings.
Their mid-table showing could well be a surprise to some, considering that the team had lost the services of Australian legends George Gregan and Stephen Larkham recently.
The veteran halfback pair have moved on since the 2007 IRB World Cup in France, which meant that the Brumbies suddenly had to make do without the talents of arguably their two best players, who boast an absolute wealth of experience and nous between them, illustrated by the 241 international caps shared between them.
To add to their problems, the Brumbies have also been without stalwarts Stirling Mortlock and Julian Huxley through injury, the latter having ended his playing career after a tumour was detected in his brain recently.
But Wallaby loose forward Hoiles reckons that even though they miss the experience of the Gregans and the Larkhams, it should not deter from being competitive.
"I don't think [losing experienced players] is too much of a setback - it's a situation the Brumbies have been aware of for the past few years," he told rugby365.com.
"It's not something that we're looking to use as an excuse."
Hoiles confirmed that he felt the Brumbies were currently in a phase of transformation.
"There have been four or five guys who have debuted this year. We lost a fair bit of experience in those retiring players and we've had a few injuries this year that has exaggerated the fact that we've brought in some new players.
"I don't think [that one has to allow too much for a bedding-in period] and as I said, you don't want to use that as an excuse.
"We won two of our first three with a lot of new guys and there's no reason why we can't keep that up and continue winning games.
"While a lot of people might classify our inexperience as a weakness, I think the rawness of a lot of the guys has worked for us. They're not frightened and they don't go into their shell, they're young guys out there having a go.
"This is our second year with virtually the same forward pack which is a strength for the side too," revealed Hoiles.
The Aussie was quick to point out that the Brumbies were not perfect, and that they always strived for improvement.
"There's a lot of areas we can improve on - a little bit on the scrum, a lot on the line-out, and set play.
"You always need to be looking for areas to improve your game. But I think the main thing is our reaction to turnovers is probably a bit of from where it needs to be."
Hoiles also pointed out that his team were quietly optimistic about their chances in this year's Super 14.
"The side always sets out with the goal of playing in the semifinals and that hasn't changed.
"We're still in a competitive position and without wanting to put too much pressure on the guys coming back, we give ourselves a good chance of finishing the season well like we did last year."
The bullish number eight has been in sparkling form thus far, and has been one of the reasons the Brumbies have been able to extract victories against the Highlanders, the Reds and the Cheetahs.
He spoke about the pros and cons of touring in the Super 14, and revealed that his countrymen have struggled in the past when they had to travel to the Republic.
"The New Zealand sides have probably performed better over the years but the South African sides stood up last year, had two teams in the final and obviously won it.
"Traditionally it's probably a little harder for the Brumbies to win in South Africa but I think we changed that a bit last year.
"The crowds are very hostile overt there which makes it difficult when their side's going well," concluded Hoiles.
The Brumbies players get the opportunity to recharge this weekend as they enjoy a bye.
But soon Hoiles and his colleagues will have a chance to experience South African hospitality first-hand - the Canberra franchise travel to African shores in April where they will complete their round-robin commitments.
By Phil Coetzer
