Brumbies triumph in wet to stay top

THE Brumbies have survived a late Blues fightback in treacherously wet Auckland weather conditions to win 20-13.

brumbies v blues

A BRUMBIES side aided by unpredictable wet weather conditions has fought off a late Blues fightback in Auckland to win 20-13 and snap a two-game Super Rugby losing streak.

It was a scrappy, desperate game at Eden Park, the Brumbies finishing slightly ahead courtesy of their early domination of the scrum and ill-discipline from the Blues.

Brumbies coach Jake White said the wet weather favoured his side's high-percentage game plan, led by midfield bombs and pinpoint corner kicks from fullback Jesse Mogg, halfback Nic White and five-eighth Matt Toomua.

"The weather actually aided us but at the same time that's probably the game plan we would have wanted to play against them because we couldn't afford to make it to loose,'' he said.

"We saw how dangerous they were when they got a bit of loose ball and they could run and bump us off.''

White added that the Blues had opted to run against the wind in the first half so they could finish strongly, only to have it switch directions at half time when they were 14 points down.

"That doesn't often happen where you can play away from home, and they win the toss, pick the wind, and have it change,'' White said.

Unlike the Brumbies, the Blues refused to cap their usual attacking flair early on and paid for it dearly through numerous handling errors that gifted the Brumbies both possession and territory.

The Brumbies made the most of their early prime real estate, inside centre Christian Lealiifano kicking two penalties before the 17th-minute mark.

Halfback White then extended the lead in the 22nd minute through a piece of individual brilliance, toeing ahead a loose ball following another Brumbies bomb and sliding 6m in the wet conditions to score.

A third Lealiifano penalty on the cusp of halftime gave the Brumbies a 14-0 lead heading into the break.

The Blues hit back immediately, first through a penalty to five-eighth Chris Noakes and then a 54th-minute try to Rene Ranger to narrow the gap to four points.

However the Brumbies weren't finished, the two sides trading a penalty each, before Lealiifano kicked over the final three points of the match.

Blues captain Ali Williams said his side had lacked passion and desire early on.

"We should give ourselves an uppercut for the first half,'' he said.

"It was difficult but it was difficult for both sides.''

The win snapped a two-match losing streak for the Brumbies and was their first victory at Eden Park since 2008.

It also puts them six points ahead of their nearest Australian rivals the Queensland Reds, who play the Stormers in Cape Town early on Sunday morning.

BRUMBIES 20 (Nic White try Christian Lealiifano 5 pens) bt BLUES 13 (Rene Ranger try Chris Noakes con Baden Kerr, Noakes pens) at Eden Park. Referee: Lourens van der Merwe. Crowd: 10,811.