Brumbies extend unbeaten start to Super Rugby Pacific season with tight win over the Queensland Reds

The Reds scored more tries but it was the Brumbies who prevailed in the top-of-the-table Super Rugby Pacific battle.

Reds centre Hamish Stewart takes on the defence. Picture: Matt King/Getty Images

The Brumbies have avenged last year’s Super Rugby AU grand final loss to Queensland with a 16-12 win over the Reds in Canberra.

The Reds scored two tries to one, but it was the Brumbies who continued their undefeated start to the Super Rugby Pacific season with a fifth successive win on Friday night.

Queensland, who beat the Brumbies 19-16 in last year’s Super Rugby AU decider, lost for the first time this season after opening their campaign with four consecutive victories.

The Reds seemed certain to score a match-winning try in the dying stages but flanker and co-captain Fraser McReight was denied by the goalpost when he was about to grab the ball from his own kick and chase.

McReight also looked to be held back by replacement Brumbies flyhalf Rodney Iona earlier in his run, but it was ignored by referee Damon Murphy.

“I maybe got held back a little bit but who knows? That’s the game. It’s footy, it’s pretty fickle,” McReight said.

Reds coach Brad Thorn said to “make your own judgment” on whether McReight was impeded.

“But ideally we’re not in that position at the end of the game if we did what we wanted to do,” Thorn said.

:Reds flanker Seru Uru looks to pass the ball in Queensland’s loss to the Brumbies. Picture: Matt King/Getty Images

The Reds then had one last opportunity close to the Brumbies line but centre Hunter Paisami dropped the ball as he steamed on to a pass from replacement Hunter Paisami.

It was harsh on Paisami, who was tough in defence all night in a match that contained plenty of niggle and the odd scuffle.

Brumbies lock Darcy Swain was sin-binned in the 58th minute following a 16-phase Reds move.

But despite being a man down for 10 minutes the Brumbies minimised the damage to remain ahead for the entire second-half.

Earlier, the Reds scored the first try of the contest in the 25th minute through flyhalf James O’Connor.

The Wallabies star sold a huge dummy to Brumbies hooker Folau Fainga’a before touching down under the posts.

O’Connor’s conversion made it 7-3 to the Reds, but it was a short-lived lead for the visitors with the Brumbies – who scored the first points of the match through a Noah Lolesio penalty – going back ahead five minutes later via a Tom Wright try.

The Wallabies winger was first to a perfectly weighted grubber kick from Irae Simone.

The Brumbies came close to extending their three-point half-time lead in the 52nd minute through flanker Jahrome Brown.

However, O’Connor saved the day for the Reds with a last-gasp tackle that put Brown’s foot on the sideline a split second before he put the ball down over the tryline.

A Nic White penalty put the Brumbies ahead by six points two minutes later before Queensland hooker Josh Nasser scored his third try in two matches to reduce the hosts lead to one point.

However, that was as close as the Reds got in the second half, with Brumbies replacement halfback Ryan Lonergan kicking a 66th-minute penalty to give the game its final scoreline.

“You come here to win,” a disappointed Thorn said.

“Well done to the Brumbies, They got there in the end.”

Originally published as Brumbies extend unbeaten start to Super Rugby Pacific season with tight win over the Queensland Reds