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They did it the hard way, but the Brumbies have come from behind to beat the Western Force in Canberra 22-19 on Saturday afternoon.
After yet another sleepy start, the Brumbies trailed 14-0 after 20 minutes but managed to get to the half-time sheds trailing by just four points.
The game, however, turned right from the outset of the second half as winger Harry Potter made contact with Darcy Swain in the air and was shown a yellow card.
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Darcy Swain was put in a dangerous position against the Western Force as Harry Potter made contact with him in the air on March 09, 2024, in Canberra. (Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)
Initially, the Brumbies made a meal of the numerical advantage, as their lineout struggled, but two tries in seven minutes to forwards Rob Valetini and Billy Pollard swung the game to the home side.
The Brumbies had the chance to put some gloss on the scoreboard, but another overthrown lineout hurt them.
With time running out, the Force finally returned to what worked in the opening half as Wallabies incumbent playmaker Ben Donaldson took the ball to the line and slipped a lovely offload to Max Burey, who sent Potter in to score.
But Donaldson’s second missed shot of the half meant the Force only closed to within a penalty.
A late linebreak to Potter threatened to turn the game on its head, but the prolific tryscorer, who won a premiership with the Leicester Tigers only two years ago, dropped the ball on the deck after copping a stray leg as he was tackled to the ground by Corey Toole from behind.
Donaldson lamented his side’s star to the second half that invited the Brumbies back into the contest.
“We had a great first half,” he said. “Our message was to come out, get first points, and get on top of them, but we gave away a yellow card and the penalties kept piling up.
“They went to their rolling maul and it’s tough to get back momentum at GIO [Stadium] when you’re giving them that many penalties and that’s where we fell behind.”
Ryan Lonergan scored the Brumbies’ opening points against the Force on March 09, 2024, in Canberra, Australia. (Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)
After being blown away by the Chiefs last week in Super Round, halfback Ryan Lonergan said the Brumbies’ ability to withstand adversity showed some progress.
“The Force was quality that whole time,” he said.
“They put us under so much pressure, particularly at the lineout, and for us to be able to grind that out sort of shows a lot of growth in the group since last week.”
Asked whether coach Stephen Larkham had laid down the law in the dressing sheds after a sloppy first half, Lonergan said Wallabies great turned coach was calm and measured compared to his predecessor.
“Not really,” Lonergan chuckled. “He doesn’t really have that. I’m used to Dan McKellar, I don’t think anything will ever top that.
“It was more around our carry and recycling the ball. We were making a lot of inroads, but just our recycle was poor. On top of that, with our lineout being under a lot of pressure, it put us under a lot of stress.”
After coming off the bench twice to start the season, recalled inside centre Tamati Tua’s strong carry through the midfield was telling for the Brumbies.
Along with Rob Valetini, the duo helped the Brumbies get some quick ball after being demolished in the contact zone last week during their heavy loss to the Chiefs.
As well as the Force’s poor second-half discipline, the Brumbies’ bench made the difference as hooker Billy Pollard and front-row teammate Blake Schoupp helped the home side to some scrum dominance. It was yet another painful reminder of the depth Force coach Simon Cron is missing up front.
Pollard scored the Brumbies’ third try and was particularly threatening in the five-metre channels out wide.
Early on, however, it was all the Force.
With Nic White returning to his old stomping ground, the halfback got plenty of quick ball to work with in the opening 20 minutes.
It allowed Donaldson to show what he is capable of, as he sent in Hamish Stewart to score the opening try after eight minutes.
Ten minutes later the Force had another, as Michael Wells, who was one of the best for the Force, stretched out to score inconspicuously. Indeed, it was left to the TMO to interject to inform Dan Waenga that the back-rower had scored rather than knocked on.
A fine hit back from Lonergan, who pounced onto a Tua offload, saw the Brumbies get on the scoreboard in the 29th minute.
The Force looked like they had once again extended the lead out even further when Potter got on the end of a lovely Donaldson offload, but the try was rubbed out when the TMO found that loose-head prop Ryan Coxon had prevented Swain from making a tackle.
The blown chance was another huge turning point in the game, as the Brumbies closed the gap shortly after via the boot of Noah Lolesio.
It was all the Brumbies in the 20 minutes after half-time, as the home side punished the Force for Potter’s clumsy mid-air challenge.
The Brumbies’ forward pack took it upon themselves to get the side back on track, as they held on to secure an important win.
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.