The Brumbies restored some pride in Australian rugby by claiming the first Kiwi scalp of Super Round with a hard-fought 28-17 victory over the Highlanders, after NSW and Queensland both fell short in the opening two days of action at AAMI Park.
The Canberra-based Brumbies had only lost once through the 2022 domestic component of the competition while the Highlanders had only banked one win but the men from Dunedin still proved difficult to shake on Sunday afternoon.
Brumbies halves pairing Noah Lolesio, in his return from five weeks out with an ankle injury, and Nick White were stand-outs, with a clever kicking game helping keep their opponents pinned in their own half. The Brumbies backrow of Pete Samu, Jahrome Brown and Rob Valetini also did plenty of heavy lifting, while coach Dan McKellar praised 30-year-old prop Scott Sio’s “best game in five years”.
McKellar said his Brumbies didn’t feel any additional pressure to get a win for Australian rugby after the Waratahs and Reds capitulated on Saturday. “There was no pressure - we felt a whole lot of excitement,” McKellar said. “We want to create positive stories for the game in this country so we’re talking about good things instead of constant negativity, and I thought there was a lot of good things to talk about.
The Brumbies should have been up 5-0 after a minute but fullback Tom Wright dropped the ball cold as he attempted a one-handed put-down over the line. Flanker Brown made no mistake 10 minutes later when his outstretched arm slammed down the ball for the Brumbies to take a 7-0 lead.
A try by hooker Lachlan Lonergan then made it 14-0 but the Highlanders rallied with centre Thomas Umaga-Jensen scoring and the teams went into halftime at 17-7.
After a Brumbies penalty, the Highlanders hit back again with a try by flanker James Lentjes closing the margin to seven. Another penalty strike by Lolesio gave the Australian team a little more breathing room and then the young Wallabies playmaker was able to run on to a pop pass from Irae Simone for a 72nd minute try to secure the win.
McKellar said he hoped White, the Wallabies’ first-choice halfback, would turn his back on a reported $1 million a year contract to play in Japan. White himself didn’t give away if his plans included next year’s Rugby World Cup. “Not yet - that will take its course and hopefully it’s laid out sooner rather than later,” White said.
Last year the Australians only managed two victories from 25 games in the trans-Tasman competition and yesterday’s results didn’t bode well for the home teams.
In the first trans-Tasman clash of the year, the Waratahs were blown away by the Chiefs, who scored seven tries (four to Kiwi winger Jonah Lowe) in hammering NSW by 51-27 in a drama-filled clash.
The Waratahs were in trouble early when star prop Angus Bell was red carded for a dumping tackle on Chiefs skipper Sam Cane. When teammate Jamie Roberts was binned soon after for a deliberate knock-on, NSW were down to 13 men. The Chiefs seized on the ill-discipline to run in 20 unanswered points.
Things got even worse for the Waratahs when both hookers, Dave Porecki and Tom Horton, left the field with concussions. At 22-3 down, a cricket score looked likely until Waratah backrower Jed Holloway put skipper Jake Gordon through a hole and over the strip. Another try to the inspirational Gordon minutes later brought the margin back to three before the Waratahs fightback fizzled and the score blew out.
Without stars James O’Connor and Jordan Petaia, Queensland were always going to struggle against the Hurricanes. But with rookie Lawson Creighton assuming the playmaking role, the Reds hit the board first through a penalty then quickly added a slick Hamish Stewart try after some Hunter Paisami lead-up magic in the 23rd minute. And when Fraser McReight peeled off the back of the maul to dot down in the 28th minute and take the score to 17-0, the upset of the year was on.
However a second-half capitulation brought the underdog Reds back down to earth. They squandered that 17-0 lead and conceded 30 unanswered points to the Canes, eventually crashing to a 30-17 defeat. It will give Reds coach Brad Thorn terrible flashbacks to last year when his side broke through for a Super Rugby AU triumph only to then win just one of their five matches in Super Rugby Trans-Tasman.
In the final trans-Tasman game of Super Round, the Melbourne Rebels were reeling early when veteran playmaker Matt Toomua left the field with a head knock just 13 minutes in, but they dug deep to trail the Crusaders by just 7-3 at halftime.
However, the men from Christchurch lifted after the break, All Blacks flanker Ethan Blackadder scoring twice within 10 minutes to push the lead to 19-3. Despite late tries to Reece Hodge and Matt Philip, the Crusaders cantered home to win 41-17.
