Brumbies bounce back with win over Chiefs

David Skippers

The Brumbies got their Super Rugby campaign back on track when they claimed a deserved 26-14 victory against the Chiefs in Hamilton on Saturday.

The men from Canberra, who suffered an agonising last-minute defeat against the Highlanders last week, were full value for their win as they were in control of proceedings for most of this match.

The result is a momentous one as it ends a 13-match losing streak for the Brumbies on New Zealand soil – they hadn’t won in that country since they beat the Hurricanes in March 2014.

Tries from Tom Banks, Solomone Kata and Pete Samu (2) helped the Brumbies to victory and their other points came courtesy of three conversions from Noah Lolesio, who also caught the eye with his general play.

For the Chiefs, Aaron Cruden and Anton Lienert-Brown scored tries which were both converted by Damian McKenzie.

The Brumbies made an excellent start and raced into a 19-0 lead at half-time courtesy of three well-taken tries from Banks, Kata and Samu.

They opened the scoring in the ninth minute when Banks crashed over after slipping through a tackle from McKenzie deep inside the Chiefs’ 22.

That early five-pointer boosted the Canberra-based side’s confidence as they opted to run the ball from all areas of the field. That tactic gave the Brumbies the upper-hand as they had most of the possession and in the 15th minute their inside backs created space for Kata out wide and he rounded off in the right-hand corner.

And just before the interval they capitalised on a huge scrum on the Chiefs’ five-metre line when Samu broke from the back of the set-piece before dotting down under the posts.

The home side seemed shell-shocked but that did not deter the Brumbies who continued to attack after the interval. Shortly after the restart they increased their lead when Samu crossed for his second converted try after a superb run in which he beat three defenders on his way over the try-line.

With the score 26-0 to the visitors the Chiefs needed to respond and the rest of the half saw them upping the ante on attack but it wasn’t enough to haul in their opponents.

In the 48th minute, Alex Nankivell put his team on the front-foot with a powerful surge deep inside Brumbies territory before Cruden went over for their first try after running onto a pass from Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi.

That score was a shot in the arm for the Chiefs and they ran the ball from all areas of the field during the rest of the half. In the 53rd minute, the Brumbies were dealt a blow when James Slipper was yellow carded when he tackled Tahuriorangi inside the 10-metre radius after the scrum-half took a tap penalty.

The Chiefs soon benefited from their numerical advantage when Lienert-Brown gathered a pass from Tahuriorangi before crossing for his side’s second try. That meant the Brumbies were leading 26-14 and although the final quarter was a frantic affair, as the home side launched several attacks, the Brumbies did well to keep them out with a resilient defensive effort.

Elsewhere, in Saturday’s early game, the Sharks returned to the victory trail courtesy of a 36-24 triumph over the Rebels in Ballarat.

The Durban-based outfit outscored their hosts by five tries to three with Springbok flyer Makazole Mapimpi leading the way with a deserved brace. Their other five-pointers were scored by stand-in captain Andre Esterhuizen, Madosh Tambwe and Curwin Bosch, who also kicked three conversions and a penalty.

For the Rebels, Marika Koroibete, Isi Naisarani and Anaru Rangi crossed the whitewash and their other points came via the boot of Andrew Deegan, who slotted three conversions and a penalty.

Following the Brumbies’ win in Hamilton, the Reds took on the Sunwolves in Brisbane and were too good for their visitors, prevailing 64-5.

It was a procession from the outset at Suncorp Stadium as Brad Thorn’s outfit ran in 10 tries for their record points score in Super Rugby.

Liam Wright, Taniela Tupou, Hunter Paisami, Tate McDermott (2), Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, James O’Connor, Hamish Stewart, Josh Nasser and Isaac Lucas crossed for the Reds as they sealed their first win of the campaign. Meanwhile, Siosaia Fifita crossed for the Sunwolves’ only score.

Brumbies