Toomua ready for biggest stage

Editor

Brumbies fly-half Matt Toomua believes he is ready to handle the pressure ahead Sunday's Super Rugby playoff against the Cheetahs.

Brumbies fly-half Matt Toomua believes he is ready to handle the pressure ahead Sunday's Super Rugby playoff against the Cheetahs.

Toomua came in for criticism last weekend after a poor decision, forgetting to ground the ball in his own area, leading to an excessive forward pass that went on to cost the Brumbies the match.

'It was probably a record forward pass. I had a few things on my mind, it is what it is and you have to move on even though you realise how silly it was,'' said Toomua to the Canberra Times.

''We didn't deserve to win against the Force … I'm not fazed by it at all. It goes without saying that we think we can win the competition.”

Now ahead of his first playoff appearance in Super Rugby, the 23-year-old is putting the critics to the back of his mind ahead of Sunday's clash.

“I don't get caught up in hypotheticals or what people say. This is a big game and you want to perform in big games. I want to perform and prove to myself and others that I can perform on a big stage,” added Toomua.

''Whether that leads to further honours I don't know. You can't hide from the fact it's a finals game, but it's only a perception that it forces pressure. If you can control your emotions, you learn to just let it flow.''

Toomua has been hotly tipped to be selected by the Wallabies in the near future, but insists that all of his focus is purely on the Brumbies.

''Any player in Australia who would say they haven't thought about the Wallabies would be lying,” stated Toomua.

'But [the Brumbies] are still playing at the moment and for me it's exciting to be in the finals. I've been here six years, I've got a desire to do something for the club.''