Western Force vs Brumbies Predictions & Tips - Champions backed to win Super Rugby AU opener

The Western Force are much stronger this season but are unlikely to hit the ground running against a strong Brumbies outfit. The Canberra-based side has a lot more continuity within their squad and I fancy the Brumbies to win by more than four points.

The Brumbies comfortably beat the Western Force in their two matches during Super Rugby AU in 2020. The Force lost 24-0 and home and 31-14 in Canberra.

The Western Force understandably struggled in the 2020 Super Rugby AU. The competition was put together hastily and they had little time to build a squad, which left them with some below par players.

This season promises to be much different. No team has recruited more heavily for the competition, so the Force have gone from bottom feeders to title challengers.

Given the amount of recruitment, we could see a slow start from the Western Force. They will need a few matches to start gelling together. Once they do click, the Force will be a far more dangerous outfit than in 2020.

The Western Force habe been very active in the market as they look to improve on last season. They have signed Argentine internationals Santiago Medrano, Tomas Lezana, Domingo Miotti and Tomas Cubelli.

Other signs include veteran Irish fullback, Rob Kearney, Toni Pulu and Australian internationals, Tevita Kuridrani and Tom Robertson.

Richard Kahui, Jono Lance and Kyle Godwin have all been retained after strong performances in 2020.

The Brumbies come into this year’s Super Rugby AU tournament as the defending champions. They deserved their title last season, but were always expected to win it given their squad strength.

Their 28-23 victory over the Reds in the final will give the team confidence heading into this year’s tournament. While they are favourites again, it is not nearly as clear-cut as in 2020.

Other teams have caught up in strength and depth, especially the Western Force. Head coach, Dan McKellar is certainly in for a bumpier road in 2021.

The Brumbies have retained a very similar squad to last season. Lachie McCaffrey has left, Will Miller retired and Tevita Kuridrani has moved on to the Western Force.

The good news is that Australian international scrumhalf, Nic White will be available for the full season. The Canberra-based outfit is stacked with internationals. When everyone is fit, there will only be a few positions that are not filled by international stars.