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The Brumbies have lost 8-21 to the Crusaders at GIO Stadium in a match that sadly didn’t live up to its potential.
While the Brumbies were missing some top talent with both David Pocock and Christian Lealiifano out through injury, there was still expectation that they would make it hard for the Crusaders.
The home side knew that they really had to win this game to get their season back up and running and that a loss here could proof deadly to their finals hopes.
For the Crusaders they knew that a good win would put them back on top on the Kiwi conference and put more pressure on their chasers.
A great start from the Brumbies as Henry Speight went over for the opening try in the second minute would have got hopes up for the local crowd.
There might even have been some fans who were imagining being able to tell friends and loved ones years into the future “I was there in 2018 when the lads pulled off that incredible win over the mighty Crusaders”.
Sadly the next 78 minutes were not going to be much fun for the Brumbies or their fans… and sadly not for fans of rugby in general.
The Crusaders quickly got themselves back into the game with a nice try from Tim Bateman and then the most important 10 minutes of the game took place.
It started with Chance Peni putting in a nasty high tackle on Israel Dagg just after he’d taken a chip kick and was looking to attack.
There were some calling for a red card but the yellow that the ref gave out was more than influential enough.
In the next 10 minutes the Crusaders scored two converted tries and the Brumbies were in trouble. Both those tries went to replacement Manasa Mataele who took full advantage of Dagg needing to come off and stay off.
But more impressive than the finishing from Mataele was the smarts shown by the Crusaders. As soon as the Brumbies winger had gone off the Crusaders kicked into the space he had left behind and Mataele scored.
Seems reasonably obvious for sure but it was the way that the Crusaders immediately punished the opposition and the clinical way they created the score that the Brumbies just couldn’t match.
The Brumbies could have patted themselves on the back a bit at half time – the Crusaders had had over 70 per cent possession and a man advantage but were only 13 points ahead.
What’s more, the Brumbies had been guilty of some simple errors in the first half that had made their job even harder.
Perhaps, just perhaps, if they kept hold of the ball, cut out the loose line out throws and scored early in the second half then this could be a close contest.
Unfortunately the next 40 minutes only went on to demonstrate the following:
The Brumbies (and maybe all of Australian Super Rugby) are so far behind the Kiwis when it comes to decision making, the Brumbies really do lack creativity, and there is nothing more frustrating than the setting and re-setting and re-re-setting of scrums!
As the scoreline will tell you, there were no more points from either side in the second half. Nothing. Not one. Not even a penalty goal or drop kick.
How the Brumbies in particular managed this feat is still confusing. They had so much ball in the Crusaders 22 and for about 9 minutes they also had a 2 man advantage as Ryan Crotty and Scott Barrett had some time on the naughty step.
It was just after the first yellow card where Barrett was sent off that we saw the really gap of smart decision making in the Brumbies team.
Here’s the scenario – one of the opposition locks has just been sin binned, you’ve got an attacking line out about 10 metres from the opposition line, what do you do?
Well Sam Carter took the unusual decision to let the Crusaders off the numerical hook and called for a short line out.
It’s hard to know why you wouldn’t want to take full advantage of the missing lock and force the opposition to put all their remaining men into the line out but there we go.
When Crotty left the field too, his skipper wouldn’t have been blamed for looking at the scoreboard and thinking “Ah well if we lose 7 points in this period that wouldn’t been too bad considering.”
Sam Whitelock would have been very happy though with the reality – a period where despite his team having to cover 15 men with just 13, his team really never looked like conceding.
The Brumbies tried everything they could – which in itself is worrying – but through good defence and too many silly errors they could not get the points.
It’s easy to say with hindsight but considering the Brumbies knew they had a period of numerical dominance it might have served them well to start chipping away at the lead with three points here and there.
When the try didn’t come quickly why not take the points, get the ball back from the restart and come again.
Suddenly the 13-point lead is just 10, then it’s seven and with still 20 minutes left to play you are just one score away.
While the mess at the scrums was frustrating for fans, it did again show the difference in the two sides.
The Crusaders were clever in their slowing down of the play and dared the ref to penalise them – which he didn’t.
But the Brumbies were also bizarrely lackadaisical when they needed to bring speed and energy to the set piece and resets.
Time and again the Brumbies were taking ages to get ready and the Crusaders were happy to let them as the clock ticked down even more.
If the Brumbies choose to use the missing talent as the excuse to explain away this performance then they are condemning themselves to a terrible season. They have got to realise that there problems go well beyond a couple of missing players.
For the Crusaders, it was a good win but they also wont be overly happy with the performance. Yes the defence was good and they were clinical enough when it mattered but there were still plenty of errors from them and they know that they should have come away with a bonus point win here.
From a broader point of view the gulf between the Aussies and Kiwi sides is as big as ever. The match next week between the Tahs and Blues in Sydney could be the only hope for the Aussie sides not producing another season of winless efforts versus the Kiwis.
Brumbies 8
Crusaders 21
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.