Brumbies move to top of Australian conference with five-point victory over NSW Waratahs

THE Brumbies have taken control of the Australian conference with a 28-23 victory over NSW Waratahs in a brutal Super Rugby clash in Canberra.

THE Waratahs’ confidence - and the NSW coaches box - were left worse for wear in Canberra Saturday night after the aggressive Brumbies claimed a satisfying victory over their fierce rivals.

After a week of heated words between the camps, the ACT men had a satisfying final say by holding off a fast-finishing Waratahs and re-assert their top dog status in the Australian conference.

Underscored by outstanding pressure in defence and at the breakdown, the Brumbies scored two first half tries to Nic White and Jesse Mogg, and then kicked out to a 25-9 lead in the second half following a third try to Tevita Kuridrani.

The Brumbies were “living on the edge” with the referee, however, and two yellow cards in the final twenty minutes saw the Waratahs race back to within 25-23 with tries to Michael Hooper and Israel Folau.

The Brumbies kicked clear with a scrum penalty in the final minute that left Waratahs coach Michael Cheika fuming, and will see a damage bill in the post for the Waratahs this week.

The glass door of the coaches box was splintered when Cheika, angry at the final ruling, stormed out at full-time and it flung against a bolt on the wall.

“I thought we were a bit unlucky at the end, the way the scrum panned out,” Cheika said post-match.

“There was a lot of intensity and I thought the referee did a pretty good job really.

“In all the other parts of the game the referee was very accurate. I just thought in that part of the game it was not consistent enough in the way it was ruled.”

Cheika was quick to point out the Brumbies, playing a brutal game that pressured the Waratahs’ attacking stars, had earned the win.News_Image_File: The glass door to the Waratahs coaches box which was reportedly smashed by Cheika.

“If we had of got a penalty at the end there we might have been able to sneak it,” he said.

“Mind you on the balance of things we probably wouldn’t have deserved it. But at the same time plenty of teams have won games they haven’t deserved. Especially against a team like the Brumbies, at home, I would have taken that any day.”

The smiles on the Brumbies’ faces post-match had an extra inch or two in width after a week of bitter word-play between the two sides over lingering resentment from last year’s Wallabies tour.

Skipper Ben Mowen, who came under particular scrutiny for reported involvement in the Dublin drinking episode, played down the context but not the significance.

News_Rich_Media: Waratahs coach Michael Cheika addresses the media after his side's 28-23 loss to the Brumbies.

“We take satisfaction of a Brumbies-Tahs game when the Brumbies come out on top, definitely,” Mowen said.

“The personal stuff aside, you just want the side to win. The chat can go forth as much as you want, it matters crap. Nothing matters until the 80 minutes, and the side that wins it.

“That was us tonight because we worked bloody hard for it, and that’s what we’re going to keep doing.”

Under incredible pressure from the fast Brumbies line speed and trademark breakdown harassment, the Waratahs’ big guns not only simply couldn’t fire, they couldn’t even be rolled into position.News_Image_File: Israel Folau scored his sixth try in three matches but it wasn’t enough for the Waratahs.

Time and again the likes of Pat McCabe and Matt Toomua rocked the Tahs’ backs behind the gainline, and forced their alignment in a non-effective deepness. On the back of that they seized their scoring chances, with two tries in a five minute period midway through the first half setting up a nice buffer.

“We didn’t get going in the first half. We just didn’t seem to have the flow we needed, and they got a few scores and we found ourselves behind,” Cheika said.

News_Rich_Media: ACT Brumbies co-coach Laurie Fisher addresses the media after his side's 28-23 win over the Waratahs.

“When we were trying to get going with our attacking play they were coming in hard at the rucks.”

Bullocking work from the Brumbies front row, but particularly Stephen Moore, kept the NSW forwards up to their arm pits in work. The Waratahs set-piece was rumbled by the ACT men frequently, and none were more important than the last two, when the Brumbies won a tight head in the 77th minute and then a game-sealing penalty in the 79th.

News_Rich_Media: Re-live all the action from the Brumbies clash against the Waratahs.

“The No.1, No.2 and No.3 don’t often get credit but those guys, they need to be described as the difference between the two sides tonight because they were,” said Mowen.

“When you go back and review those types of moments, it’s just all about character.”

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