REACTION: 'It sucks, quite frankly'- Sam Cane laments home loss to strong, clinical Brumbies

It was dewy, it was physical, it was a hit-out between well-matched opponents clearly respectful of their opponents’ ability. It wasn’t overly pretty.

But for two teams who believe – and with justification – that they’ll contend at the pointy end of Super Rugby Pacific season ‘22, the Chiefs-Brumbies game at Hamilton on Saturday night was played with finals-like intensity.

And after 80 minutes it was the Brumbies 38 who were more clinical (and ultimately better) than the not-disgraced Chiefs 28.

“They’re ruthless in that red zone, the Brumbies,” Stan Sport caller Justin Marshall observed after Noah Lolesio had ‘taken the points’ following a multi-phase incursion.

“Every time they’ve been down there they’ve come back with points.”

That they did. And if there was a knock on them, it was a hesitancy to try for five and seven points when three was a gift. And thus the Chiefs were never put away.

Until they were.

The game was busted open with nine minutes to go when Rob Valetini did a Rob Valetini thing: he hit a hole, stormed into space like a centre-three-quarter, drew the fullback and put Rory Scott over untouched.

Lolesio’s conversion made the margin 17 points. A late Chiefs try made it 10 again. The 66 points scored might suggest an open, free-running fixture. Yet it wasn’t, not really. The Chiefs were in the game for 73 minutes and only ever 7-10 points behind their opponents.

And when the Brumbies had their chances, they took them.

Chiefs captain Sam Cane said his team “got what we expected”.

“The Brumbies have been the benchmarks in a lot of ways. While our handling skills weren’t good. And they were good enough to capitalise,” he said.

“We were always just chasing it. It sucks, quite frankly.”

Conversely, Brumbies captain Nic White was “very happy”.

“We spoke about intensity. We’ve had a couple of good wins at home but it’s different over here,” he said after the win.

“We’ll look at a few things. But I was very proud of the mindset of rolling up our sleeves and getting it done. They threw everything and the kitchen sink at us.

“It’s a cliché but it all starts up front. Playing behind our back, as a halfback it’s a dream come true. They put their bodies on the line.”

In chill, still but slightly dewy conditions in Hamilton the Brumbies opened the scoring in the sixth minute when White scored after multiple phases and pressure.

The Chiefs hit back immediately, after Alex Nankivell fell on a bouncing ball following strong work off a scrum by centre Quinn Tupaea.

Valetini did another Valetini thing when he charged down, charged after the ball, toed ahead and just failed to plant in a contest with Bryn Gatland.

The Brumbies scrum made a statement in the 15th minute when their young front row won a shove and a penalty from a 5-metre scrum that was Chiefs’ loosehead and feed.

From the resultant lineout the Brumbies went to their pet play, the rolling, driving, unstoppable maul, from the back of which barrel-chested rumble man Folau Fainga’a broke free and scored.

Noah Lolesio missed the conversion from wide out but did not miss a penalty goal from 35 metres out in front minutes later that gave his team an eight-point lead.

Yet the visitors’ decision to spurn the chance to kick for the line and play to their world class lineout was seen as a negative move by some.

But it proved a match-winning ploy. They gave the Chiefs nothing.

Pete Samu of the Brumbies makes a break. (Photo by Hannah Peters/Getty Images)

Soon after the Chiefs put together dozens of phases, with Tupaea prominent again, before an exchange of short passes between Gatland and Luke Jacobson saw halfback Cortez Ratima plunge over.

The Brumbies answered with another penalty goal by Lolesio from 35m out. Against Kiwi teams in New Zealand, it went against prevailing wisdom that you must attempt to score more tries.

Because the Chiefs didn’t stop trying and were held up with 90 seconds to play in the first half. The Brumbies held on, however, and went to half-time up by four points.

It was a lead that immediately increased to nine points after half-time when Len Ikitau crashed over from close out and Lolesio converted from out wide.

Lolesio landed another penalty goal before storming cult hero Chiefs No.8 Pita Sowakula ran over for a try back-rowers dream of – one that storms over a pin-head five-eighth, in this case Lolesio, who was more chance of stopping La Nina.

The Chiefs came again – hard and good rugby. They’d been slightly sloppy in parts of the first half. But momentum had shifted. They had come out to play.

They replaced their front-row with another one. The Brumbies won a penalty on halfway. And went on the attack.

Multiple phases, strong running – they hadn’t stopped playing just because the Chiefs started. They bombarded the Chiefs’ line. Won a penalty. Up by seven points, they wanted 10 points. They got it. There were 13 minutes to play.

And then Valetini did Valetini. And the Brumbies had a strong win over Kiwi opponents on their patch.

“It’s a good win and an important one for us,” White said. “It’s another round game though. We’ve got Crusaders and Blues to come at home and we’re looking forward to getting back to Canberra and getting into that.”