Brumbies bounce back to thump Melbourne Rebels 37-10 at Gio Stadium, Canberra

THE Brumbies have bounced back to form with a 37-10 thumping of the Melbourne Rebels at GIO Stadium.

CANBERRA, AUSTRALIA - MAY 31: Matt Toomua of the Brumbies scores a try during the round 16 Super Rugby match between the Brumbies and the Rebels at Canberra Stadium on May 31, 2014 in Canberra, Australia. (Photo by Mark Nolan/Getty Images)

THE Brumbies have kept their Super Rugby season alive with a 37-10 bonus point win over the Melbourne Rebels in Canberra.

The six-try victory was a stark contrast to their last win against the Sharks three weeks ago, the Brumbies kicking far less and running with intent in front of 11,071 fans at Canberra Stadium.

Brumbies flyhalf Matt Toomua staked his claim for a Wallabies inside backs spot for the upcoming Tests against France with a two-try effort.

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Halfback Nic White was equally brilliant, his crisp passing and sniping linebreaks setting up several tries in a performance that would have sent Wallabies coach Ewen McKenzie a loud message.

VIDEO: Watch full Brumbies v Rebels highlights

Pat McCabe, Clyde Rathbone and Fotu Auelua were brought into the starting side to bend the line and they did just that with a brutal display of direct running.

Pat McCabe charges at the Rebels defence.

The Brumbies’ willingness to run the ball from their own half was rewarded with a four-try bonus point at just the 30th minute mark.

The foundations for their attack was built on the back of ruthless defence, constantly driving the Rebels backwards and forcing errors.

It took the Brumbies just three minutes to get on the board, Toomua slipping under Tom English out wide after more than a dozen phases.

The Rebels replied with a penalty, before Brumbies fullback McCabe burst over for a 12-3 lead in the 14th minute.

Toomua picked up his second two minutes later courtesy of a White linebreak, before prop Scott Sio scored his first try of the season in the 30th minute to secure the bonus point.

Scott Sio is congratulated by his Brumbies teammates after scoring a try.

The Brumbies picked up where they left off after half-time, lock Sam Carter burrowing over for a 32-3 lead.

The Rebels finally got the upper hand in an epic scrum battle, and Brumbies prop Ben Alexander was yellow-carded with 13 minutes to go.

The Rebels made the most of their numerical advantage with a try to captain Scott Higginbotham, but the Brumbies would cap off a great night with a try to Leon Power.

Goalkicker Christian Lealiifano continued to struggle with the boot, only managing three from seven, while captain Ben Mowen went off with a cut under his eye in the 50th minute.

The win moves the Brumbies up to fourth spot on the log, and three points behind the Australian conference-leading Waratahs. The Rebels on the other hand have slipped back to 13th spot going into the break for the June Tests.

Stephen Moore on the charge for the Brumbies.

Rebels coach Tony McGahan admitted his side’s attitude was off.

“Our first-up tackling was unacceptable,” he said.

“Once (the Brumbies) got their hands on the ball they had great intensity and commitment to what they were doing.”

Brumbies director of rugby Laurie Fisher said both Toomua and White’s performances came off the back of a good forward effort.

“Whitey was brilliant,” Fisher said.

“He probably didn’t get that same platform in the last couple of weeks. He’s certainly back to his best.”

Brumbies captain Mowen praised his side’s improvement in their first and second phase defence.

“We’d conceded four first-phase tries in the last fortnight. So what we did was focus on making sure that part of our game was clear,” he said.

He added that his big black eye wasn’t a serious injury.

BRUMBIES 37 (Matt Toomua 2, Sam Carter, Pat McCabe, Leon Power, Scott Sio tries Christian Leali’ifano 2 cons pen) bt MELBOURNE REBELS 10 (Scott Higginbotham try Jason Woodward con pen) at GIO Stadium. Referee: Steve R. Walsh. Crowd: 11,071.

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Originally published as Brumbies bounce back to thump Melbourne Rebels 37-10 at Gio Stadium, Canberra