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The Brumbies’ decision to make 12 changes and stand down several Wallabies has come back to bite hard, as the Western Force toppled Stephen Larkham’s side 34-19 in Perth.
Marley Pearce’s face said it all. The rising prop out of Perth scored the match-sealing try, crashing through some weak defence before joining spectators in the crowd to celebrate.
Indeed, it was a night to celebrate in the west.
The Force snapped a decade-long, 14-match losing streak against the Brumbies by winning.
“I didn’t know about the history. Obviously we don’t read too much into that as players, but it was nice to get a win and good to come away with the points,” Force skipper Michael Wells said.
Marley Pearce celebrates his match-sealing try during against the ACT Brumbies at HBF Park on May 20, 2023, in Perth. (Photo by James Worsfold/Getty Images)
At the same time, the Force made the Brumbies’ hopes of pushing for a first fully-fledged Super Rugby in almost two decades that much more difficult.
A Brumbies victory would have seen Larkham’s men move within striking distance of the ladder-leading Chiefs (50) ahead of their clash next week.
Now, they will return to the nation’s capital without a single point and are sitting third, one point behind the Crusaders on 41 points.
It’s a hammer blow for their hopes of finishing in the top two and, indeed, giving themselves a chance of hosting a home semi-final.
“We got absolutely blown away there in the first 20,” acting captain Ryan Lonergan said.
“Managed to crawl back a little bit late in the first half, but the Force were too good.”
While the Brumbies had to rest several of their players twice throughout the season, Larkham opted to rest the bulk of his players in one hit.
It meant that their Test front-row trio James Slipper, Lachie Lonergan and Allan Alaalatoa stayed behind in Canberra. They were joined on their sofas by Nick Frost, Rob Valetini, Nic White, Len Ikitau and Tom Wright.
Asked whether the Brumbies suffered the consequences of making wholesale changes, Lonergan said they had played together and were simply too slow out of the blocks.
“Yeah, in a sense. We played together before against the Crusaders with a similar type of squad. Again, we got blown away in the first 20,” he said.
“If you do that against a quality opposition you’re going to get hurt. We put ourselves in a tough position, but no excuses.”
Folau Fainga’a celebrates Marley Pearce’s second half try against the Brumbies at HBF Park on May 20, 2023, in Perth. (Photo by James Worsfold/Getty Images)
The Force led 21-0 after 25 minutes after the Brumbies missed the jump and their discipline let them down.
Impressive lock Felix Kalapu scored after just seven minutes.
Jack Debreczeni’s yellow card after a series of Brumbies penalties was another huge blow.
The Force’s midfield took full advantage of the numerical advantage as Hamish Stewart and Sam Spink crossed in quick succession.
While the Brumbies scored two of their own in quick succession through forwards Charlie Cale and Darcy Swain, the visitors were continually playing catch up.
Max Burey, who made his debut only a fortnight ago against the Crusaders, continued his impressive start to his career by banging over the first points of the second half to halt the Brumbies’ comeback.
Luke Reimer hit back to close the margin to just five points after 53 minutes.
But Pearce’s try and Burey’s second penalty of the half ensured the Force would snap their decade losing run to the Brumbies.
By winning, the Force kept their finals hopes alive as they moved ahead of the Highlanders into eighth spot.
Wells put the Force’s fast start down to a stronger emphasis of turning up with the necessary mindset at training.
“It’s something we really wanted to work on and that’s a whole squad thing,” he said.
“When we end up training on Thursdays against the non-23, they come out every week and they show us up with energy. It made us come into this game with a bit of a statement to prove.
“We’ve grown over the year and we’ve developed and you can see that in the way we’re playing now. It’s something WA can be proud of because we’re pretty proud.”
Lonergan said the defeat served as an important reminder for the Brumbies.
“You’ve got to show up every game,” he said. “It doesn’t matter what team you roll out, you’re expected to win. It’s disappointing.”
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.