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A Ben O’Donnell hat-trick helped the Brumbies survive a giant scare on Friday night, as the Fiji Drua brought a slice of Suva to Canberra to push Australia’s premier side until the final whistle.
While the Brumbies raced out to a 19-0 lead, Eddie Jones’ prediction on his Friday podcast that their clash against the Drua represented a danger match for Australia’s front-runners rang true as the visitors clawed their way back to 31-28 deficit.
Only some excellent goal-line defence and a series of blown chances from the Drua denied the visitors from taking the lead with 10 minutes to go.
But some long-awaited possession and territory, and a return to their trusty ol’ rolling maul, saw the Brumbies awarded a penalty try in the 73rd minute. Rubbing salt into the wound, the Drua lost flanker Joseva Tamani to the sin bin for trying to illegally stop the maul.
A five-metre dash to the try line down the left-hand touchline then saw O’Donnell score his third to complete a memorable performance and lead the Brumbies to a flattering, though hugely important, 43-28 bonus point victory in the end.
“It was a tough one,” O’Donnell said. “We made it tough for ourselves and credit to the Drua, they’re a tough team when you give you them a sniff, and they took every inch.”
Ben O’Donnell scored a hat-trick to help the Brumbies finish over the top of the Fijii Drua at GIO Stadium on April 14, 2023, in Canberra. Photo: Mark Nolan/Getty Images
Captain Allan Alaalatoa said his side weren’t surprised about the physical encounter.
“If I’m honest, it’s what we expected,” he said. “They’re a quality side and as we saw they’re a team that backs themselves from anywhere. I think most of their tries came out of their centre zone and they’re able to hold the ball for a number of phases and dominate collision. They’re a quality side and you’ve got to take your hat off to them.”
The Brumbies finishers were once again pivotal in seeing them to victory.
Test forwards Billy Pollard and Nick Frost had a number of strong involvements, while loose-forward Luke Reimer once again made his presence felt off the bench.
The openside flanker got on the ball twice to win two crucial penalties.
“We were still under the pump then. I think it wasn’t until the last five minutes (that we had the game locked up), so it was awesome for those boys to get out there and feel that experience,” Alaalatoa said.
The Drua, who pulled off big home wins against the Crusaders and Rebels to be firmly in the mix for the finals, will be disappointed to leave Canberra without a point.
Mick Byrne’s side dominated the majority of the second half, before falling away in the final 10 minutes after squandering a series of chances.
“I was real proud of the boys for the fightback,” playmaker Teti Tela said.
“Obviously you can’t let the Brumbies outfit get too many penalties, especially down our end, they’re quite clinical at the set-piece. We sort of shot ourselves in the foot in the second half.
“Those are the calls that turn the game. We definitely thought we had the momentum rolling in the backend of the second half. The Brumbies are a quality side, so we had to be clinical.”
Early on and it looked like being a procession for the Brumbies.
Despite fluffing his line, O’Donnell managed to get on the end of a Tom Wright offload to score after just four minutes.
The former Australian Sevens star looked like having his second after 10 minutes after some brilliant work in contact on the fringes. But his second was overturned after Wright’s final pass drifted forward.
There was no denying him three minutes later though as the left-winger pounced on a clever Len Ikitau chip before toeing the ball ahead and having it fall into his lap after a fortuitous deflection.
And when Pete Samu scored to open up a 19-0 lead it looked like the Brumbies would coast through to their bye.
But in a flash the match turned as the visitors finally found their feet and the Brumbies were caught on the hop.
Darcy Swain, who started for the first time in 2023, was shown a yellow card in the 31st minute after being pinged at the breakdown. The pressure eventually was felt when Peni Matawalu scored four minutes later.
Then the Drua broke free once more and Andy Muirhead joined his teammate in the naughty corner after Damon Murphy said the winger’s hands went past the ball at the ruck in a deliberate attempt at slowing the game down. It was a tough call, particularly with Muirhead appearing to get straight on the ball.
Some nice feet saw Tela score and suddenly the Drua were back in the match, trailing 19-14 at the break.
Ratu Peni Matawalu of Fijian Drua celebrates scoring at GIO Stadium in Canberra. Photo: Mark Nolan/Getty Images
Both sides traded two tries in opening 20 minutes of the second half, as Lachlan Lonergan and Muirhead’s tries were rubbed out by a flying Iosefo Masi and Kalaveti Ravouvou.
But the Drua’s inability to crack the Brumbies’ line in the final quarter was punished when the home side final got some ball and made it count themselves.
The win saw the Brumbies temporarily move into top spot on the Super Rugby standings on 31 points, with the winner of the Hurricanes and Chiefs in Saturday’s blockbuster in Wellington set to move back into first.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.