Watch every second of the 2026 Super Rugby Pacific season live and on demand via Stan Sport.<\/a><\/p>\n\u201cIt was massive,\u201d Shaw said to reporters. \u201cTo do it in New Zealand, against the Crusaders on their home turf and by that margin – it was a huge credit to all the boys.\u201d<\/p>\n
After more than 15 weeks training together through pre-season, Shaw said the cohesion within the squad is beginning to show.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s all starting to come together off the back of a lot of hard work. We\u2019ve been training together so long and we know how we want to play. We\u2019re confident in one another and we\u2019ve got each other\u2019s backs out there,\u201d Shaw said.<\/p>\n
Despite the result, Shaw was quick to stress there remains improvement left in the Brumbies\u2019 game.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s definitely a statement win, but there\u2019s a lot of small areas we can still improve on,\u201d he said. \u201cWe can\u2019t let it get to our heads. We\u2019re staying grounded in what we\u2019re trying to achieve week to week.\u201d<\/p>\n
Attention now turns to a blockbuster clash against the Blues at GIO Stadium on Saturday night – the Brumbies\u2019 first home game of the season.<\/p>\n
After weeks on the road during trials and the opening rounds, Shaw said returning to Canberra provides a lift.<\/p>\n
\u201cHaving a home game is huge for us,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019re keen to put on a good show for the fans.\u201d<\/p>\n
Shaw expects a strong response from the Blues, particularly after the Brumbies defeated them in Auckland last season.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt should be a really good game against the Blues,\u201d he said. \u201cWe beat them at their home ground last year, so they\u2019ll be coming out ready to go and try to beat us at ours.\u201d<\/p>\n
Momentum has been a key theme across the opening fortnight, but Shaw emphasised that maintaining discipline and standards will be crucial against another powerhouse opponent.<\/p>\n
Senior players such as James Slipper have helped drive that accountability.<\/p>\n
\u201cThose older boys are really driving the standards around the simple footy we want to play,\u201d Shaw said. \u201cWe don\u2019t want to give away cheap penalties and we train that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Competition for spots has also intensified, with the second-row stocks strengthened by experienced campaigners and emerging talent.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m just grateful for the opportunity to play,\u201d Shaw said. \u201cPlaying alongside big Nev (Cadeyrn Neville), I\u2019ve learned a lot from him over the last few years.\u201d<\/p>\n
With the season\u2019s momentum building quickly in a short competition, Shaw said the squad understands the importance of capitalising early.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe vibes are high around the team, but we all know we\u2019ve got a job to do,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
After a statement win in Christchurch, the focus now shifts to backing it up at home.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The ACT Brumbies are determined to stay grounded following their emphatic 50\u201324 win over the Crusaders in Christchurch,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":504003,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[567],"tags":[58864,64,63,760,85,48013],"class_list":["post-504002","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-rugby","tag-act-brumbies","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-rugby","tag-sports","tag-super-rugby-pacific"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/504002","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=504002"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/504002\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/504003"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=504002"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=504002"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=504002"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}