REACTION: 'It's good for everyone'- Banks enthused by the sun as Brumbies beat Canes

Canberra, as anyone who’s watched outdoor winter sports in the capital would tell you, can get a little chilly. Indeed it can get Baltic. And at night-time it can be slippery, too, with dew. Canberra has four seasons – one of which is fair dinkum winter.

Yet frosts in the morning mean crisp, dry days. And while Rob Valetini was adjudged player of the match in the Brumbies 42-25 win over the Hurricanes, a shout-out to Super Rugby Pacific organisers who scheduled the round 11 clash at 2pm on a Sunday afternoon.

The surface was dry. The conditions were pristine. And two evenly-matched squads dotted with internationals contested a hard and fast match of near Test match intensity.

Fullback Tom Banks, back from injury, told Stan Sport: “There should be more of this Sunday arvo footy”.

“It’s good for the players, good for the fans. Good for everyone. Unbelievable crowd. Pretty good feeling,” Banks said.

It was a match decided by the team who gave the ball to the other one the least. And that was the Brumbies.
Hurricanes captain Ardie Savea said “we were right in it in the first half but discipline let us down”.

“Second half we gave away a few penalties for being offside. If you give a quality side like the Brumbies, their forward pack, ball in our half they’re just going to punish you,” Savea said.

Almost from kick-off Valetini coughed up a pass to his chest and the Hurricanes went left and right, testing the extremities.

A week before they didn’t score until the 35th minute. At GIO Stadium it was 3 minutes when Jordie Barrett landed a penalty goal.

The Brumbies hit straight back with a fine interchange of passing between forwards. Several phases begat a Nic White a dart. Then a penalty. Noah Lolesio nailed it from in front.

Then he did it again after a free-running movement with Len Ikitau and impressive bruiser Jahrome Brown prominent.

The Brumbies came again. The Hurricanes conceded five straight penalties. Savea was advised: any more, someone will go.

Then someone did: Justin Sangster was pinged for a late, unnecessary shoulder-on-shoulder hit on White. Lolesio nailed his third goal for 9-3.

A physical passage followed. Barrett tried a 50m penalty goal that missed by a paint lick left. White put the drop-kick out on the full. Dud error at any level. In this game it cost a try when Peter Umaga-Jensen ploughed over under the posts.

And you felt that ball security was paramount: give the ball to the other team on this surface in these conditions, good rugby players will run it towards the other end at speed.

Tom Wright launched a missile from his own line that went 65 metres. The Canes ran it straight back for 58m before a dropped ball gave the Brumbies a turn. It was a strong game of rugby without being spectacular – hard, fast, intense.

Darcy Swain ripped off a crowd-pleasing lineout steal in front of the Meninga Stand.

Then Valetini saw space. From the halfway he ripped off a long kick in behind the Hurricanes line and chased for his life, pursued by a five-eighth (Jackson Garden-Bachop) and a prop (Pouri Rakete-Stones) who eventually drew level. But the No.6 with the big hair leapt and planted his hand on the ball to score.

“I was pretty shocked to get there,” Valetini later told Justin Harrison on Stan Sport.

The siren went and Barrett landed a penalty goal from 44m.

Brumbies by three.

Straight after the break winger Salesi Rayasi picked up a bounce pass and simply ran through for a try. Canes by four.

The Brumbies pumped down the left, big metres, big men. Pete Samu, Lachlan Lonergan. The Hurricanes stopped the charge by being offside. Banks went for the line and the 5m lineout. The crowd chanted “Brum-bies” and urged on the rolling, driving maul. Lonergan played the “No.8” role and went over for a try that was predictable as it was irrepressible.

Barrett kicked out on the full. The Brumbies made the Canes pay with a try to bustling backrower Brown after a fine break by Irae Simone and Tom Wright. It was that sort of game on that sort of surface – if you gifted the other team possession they would make you pay.

Lonergan came off, Folau Fainga came on. Scott Sio was replaced by James Shipper. Depth is good in Canberra.

The Canes knocked on near halfway. Put a goal line drop-out out on the full. Banks scored a try.

TJ Perenara bowed to both grandstands as he came off, a nice thing he brought from Japan.

Billy Proctor came on and scored for the Hurricanes. But the Brumbies had their buffer. And when Hudson Creighton ignored a three-man overlap to run straight and score out wide on the death, the Brumbies put an exclamation point – and their 10,000th Super Rugby point – on a deserved victory.

“Everyone’s bought in to the way we want to play,” Brumbies skipper Nic White said.

“The intensity’s really stepped up. What we’ve spoken about, what we’ve learned from Trans Tasman last year, it’s working for us.

“It’s a good home win. But it’s just a round game. Four points. Not a trophy.”