The Brumbies have instituted a ‘no-alcohol’ policy in the wake of the death of forward Shawn Mackay.

In tribute to the forward, Andy Friend’s side are keen to follow up recent wins over the Cheetahs and Stormers with a strong finish to 2009.

And when one reporter asked Mark Gerrard whether the Brumbies would raise a glass in memory of Mackay, the full-back revealed the Australians have installed a complete drinking ban.

“We’ll toast ‘Macca’, but what we are going to do as a team is stay off it [alcohol] for a couple of weeks,” he said,speaking to Rugby Heaven.

“The goal for us is to make him proud and get as many wins as we can. So with that comes a few sacrifices. Not having him here means we won’t be celebrating as much as if he was here. But we will continue to celebrate his life by winning games of rugby.”

Next up for the Brumbies is a home fixture against the strong Bulls before a trip to Wellington as play-off spots start to enter every franchise’s thinking.

But despite the run-in, proud boss Friend found time to hail his side’s grit and mental strength under the difficult circumstances of recent weeks.

“They showed a lot of character this week, and they were always going to turn up on the night against the Stormers,” he said.

“I must admit that the Stormers try just after half-time when their captain Jean de Villiers ran around so many, had me a bit concerned. This came just after we gave the team a big rap in the dressing rooms during the break, especially over how our defence had worked really well in the first half.

“But there was great character shown after that. It wasn’t pretty, but we got the win, which was very deserving. Winning becomes a habit, as does losing, so this is something we can build on.”

Source: planetrugby.com

Tags: brumbies, shawm mackay