Three decades since they came into existence, the ACT Brumbies lay claim to being Australia’s most successful Super Rugby franchise and will hope for more success against The British & Irish Lions.

Based in the Australian capital, they are probably best remembered for the team of the late 1990s and early 2000s which featured one of the Wallabies’ greatest-ever half-back pairing.

Now, in the penultimate tour match before the Qatar Airways British & Irish Lions Series against the Wallabies, this clash in Canberra is one not to be missed.

History

Founded in the mid-1990s, the Brumbies became the third Australian Super Rugby franchise, in addition to the two powerhouses that were the Queensland Reds and the New South Wales Waratahs.

Despite relying on players who were deemed surplus to requirements by the other two sides, the Brumbies quickly found their feet under legendary Wallabies coach Rod McQueen.

After leading the team for the first two years of Super 12, McQueen took over the Australia job, and was replaced by another familiar face in Eddie Jones.

It was Jones who was at the helm for the first meeting between the Brumbies and the Lions in 2001, a clash that went right down to the wire.

After trailing 19-3, the Lions fought back and levelled the game at 28-28 with Austin Healey’s second try deep into added time.

Matt Dawson, who had been under fire for a newspaper column that came out on the day of the first Test against the Wallabies, knocked over the winning conversion for a dramatic Lions win.

The Brumbies earned a measure of revenge 12 years later, inching past the Lions 14-12 with a try from Tevita Kuridrani in a clash that featured Shane Williams, among a number of Lions call-ups, the veteran Wales winger coming out of international retirement for the occasion.

Aside from their clashes with the Lions, the Brumbies have been crowned Super Rugby champions on three occasions – in 2001 and 2004 with George Gregan and Stephen Larkham pulling the strings, and then in Super Rugby AU in 2020.

This season, they made it as far as the semi-finals before going down to the Chiefs to make it four straight seasons ending at the same stage.

Squad

Coached by Stephen Larkham, their legendary fly-half, the Brumbies have plenty of Wallaby talent on their books, including six of the starters in Australia’s win over Fiji.

Among them are starting props James Slipper and Allan Alaalatoa, as well as outside backs Len Ikitau and Tom Wright.

While they will be in Wallaby camp for this encounter, Tom Hooper has returned from a replacement role against Fiji and will look to sign off with an impressive performance in his final game for the club before heading north to Exeter Chiefs.

His younger brother Lachlan is also in the 23, with the two set to play together professionally for the first time.

Elsewhere, brothers Ryan and Lachlan Lonergan are both starting, at scrum-half and hooker with the former also captaining the side.

Players to Watch

The back row of Hooper, Rory Scott and Tuaina Taii Tualima has the potential to cause the Lions some problems, and Andy Farrell will quickly get an idea of how this latest trio gel together to counter them.

Perhaps the most exciting player in the starting line-up is winger Corey Toole, the former sevens star who was part of the Australian team that reached the Olympic semi-finals last summer in Paris.

An absolute flyer, he is considered potentially the quickest player in the history of Australian rugby, and will no doubt be front and centre of the defensive plans being drawn up by the Lions.

Venue

Canberra Stadium opened back in 1977 and initially featured an athletics track, hosting some high-level meets.

Among them was the IAAF’s World Cup in 1985, where East German Marita Koch ran a 400m world record which stands to this day.

The athletics track has since been removed, and now the stadium is used by both the Canberra Raiders in the NRL, and the Brumbies in Super Rugby.

It was also one of the venues for the 2003 Rugby World Cup, hosting four pool games.

Kangaroos legend Mal Meninga has the main grandstand named after him, while the eastern grandstand is named the Gregan-Larkham stand after the two great half-backs.