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They lost the battle, but the war is still to be won. Despite going down 32-27 to the Hurricanes in Wellington, the Brumbies showed they are well and truly Super Rugby contenders in 2023.
An inability to exit their own half after scoring and a couple of dubious tries to the Hurricanes saw the home side make it a frustrating night for the visitors.
Nonetheless, the Super Rugby standings aren’t lying. The Brumbies will still feel like they’re firmly in the mix this season and their losing bonus point meant they are hanging onto second position for now.
“Being a big game it always comes down to little key moments, which we weren’t too good at tonight,” Brumbies skipper Allan Alaalatoa reflected at fulltime.
“A lot dropped ball and missed one-on-one tackles, so you’ve got to take your hat off to the Hurricanes.”
Nick Frost scored two tries but it wasn’t enough as the Hurricanes edged the Brumbies at Sky Stadium in Wellington. Photo: Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images
It was a case of one step forward, two back for Australia’s best Super franchise.
With Tom Wright growing with every game in the No.15 jersey, Corey Toole a constant threat out wide and Rob Valetini making metres in the middle, the Brumbies had plenty of X-factor. The issue was they didn’t exit their own line with the precision needed by championship sides.
Nor could they contain the likes of Asafo Aumua either, with the massive hooker contributing to the 40 missed tackles – many of which were in tight.
It was in that area that Len Ikitau’s absence was felt, with the Wallabies centre left behind to ensure he’s fit for the back half of the season.
Unfortunately, too, former sevens star Ben O’Donnell, who scored a hat-trick against the Fiji Drua, looked to have suffered a bad knee-injury.
Tom Wright was one of the Brumbies’ best during their 32-27 defeat to the Hurricanes on April 28, 2023, in Wellington. Photo: Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images
The Brumbies made the perfect start to the match when Nick Frost scored after an incredible counter from former sevens sensation Toole.
But their early lead didn’t last long after Test halfback Nic White kicked out on the full from the kick restart.
Despite some stoic defence, the Hurricanes eventually hit back to level the score through loose-forward Devan Flanders.
A questionable short lineout throw from Asafo Aumua then saw Ardie Savea take advantage of a poor missed tackle from Frost to give the home side a lead.
But Frost made up for his mistake, running 75 metres to score after the Hurricanes’ short kicking game backfired and saw the big lock show all the speed that made him a schoolboy sprinter.
A Jordie Barrett penalty on the stroke of half-time and some clever work from halfback Cam Roigard saw the Hurricanes extend their lead to 22-14.
After Jack Debreczeni’s super touch finder from a penalty, Rory Scott hit back for the visitors through the Brumbies’ rolling maul to cut the margin to three.
Once again though the Brumbies were unable to exit their own line soon after as replacement halfback Ryan Lonergan twice attempted to slow the tempo down but possibly contributed to a jittery Debreczeni spilling the ball.
The pressure heaped the pressure back onto the Brumbies and soon after Barrett banged over another three.
The game was effectively over when fullback Aidan Morgan crashed over just next to the posts from a set-piece play from a scrum.
Loose-forward replacement Luke Reimer complained of being held back at the scrum. He was, but local referee James Doleman turned a blind eye to the clear interference.
Some more individual brilliance from Wright, who was one of the Brumbies’ best despite one or two clumsy moments that could have been penalised, gave the Brumbies a late sniff. Unfortunately, it was only a sniff as Lonergan’s kick from out wide missed.
While the Brumbies couldn’t win, an excellent penalty from Lonergan after regular time saw the visitors at least take a losing bonus point back to Canberra.
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.