Super Rugby AU grand final: Brumbies take home the win

The Brumbies withstood a ferocious fightback from the Queensland Reds in Canberra before finishing on top in the Super Rugby AU grand final.

The Brumbies celebrate their grand final win during the trophy presentation post match. Picture: Getty Images

The Brumbies have led from the front all season and that eventually was where they finished in the Super Rugby AU grand final, but not before they had withstood a ferocious fightback from the Queensland Reds in Canberra on Saturday.

Down 28-13 in the 51st minute, with gamebreaker Jordan Petaia rules out of the match during the halftime break and forced to play a backrower at lock after Lukhan Salakai-Loto was forced off with a head knock just three minutes into the second half, the Reds still stormed back to within a converted try of victory at 28-23. There were still 16 minutes of play remaining when lock Angus Blyth dived on the loose ball between the posts, time aplenty for them to win the match if they were good enough. But on this night, they weren’t.

Certainly Queensland will look to their lineout for the cause of their defeat. It would be easy to blame the loss of their primary jumper, Salakai-Loto – replaced by backrower Angus Scott-Young - but that element of their game had been a shambles in the first half even when he was fully fit.

Angus Scott-Young pushing through a tackle. Picture: Getty Images

Though under pressure in the scrum, which provided the Reds with three of their penalties, the Brumbies ruled the sideline set pieces, with Cadeyrn Neville proving to be a dominant figure.

The Reds had one final fling at their line in the 73rd minute and looked for a moment to be on the brink of crossing for the match-winner when outside centre Hunter Paisami thundered into Peta Samu. But the Wallabies backrower, though injured, held his ground and as play broke down in the Queensland backline, referee Angus Gardner signalled a momentum-shifting penalty for the Brumbies.

There were moments at the death when the Reds had possession but with all their strike weapons off – including, astonishingly halfback Tate McDermott whose final contribution was to set up a critical Blyth try – they could find no spark of brilliance.

Harry Wilson is tackled by the Brumbies. Picture: Getty Images

It was the Brumbies 16th win in 17 matches in Canberra – their only defeat this year to the Highlanders after the full-time hooter – and their eighth win over Queensland in a sequence now stretching back to 2014.

“It was a huge effort from the boys,” said Brumbies captain Allan Alaalatoa. “But you have to give credit to the Reds side. We knew they were going to come back in the second half and they made it really hard for us. But I’m really proud of the boys, the way they closed out the game there. We had a lot of momentum heading into that second half and that’s testament to how strong the Reds side is as well.

“From a forward’s perspective, we knew that the set piece would be a strong battle up front. I felt we did really well in the lineout but they got on top of us every now and then in the scrum but we did well to get out of it.”

Harry Wilson of the Reds shows his emotion after his team’s loss. Picture: Getty Images

A maximum crowd of 6000 turned out of GIO Stadium and Alaalatoa paid tribute to the Brumbies supporters for getting the team home to victory. “When your back is against the wall, it is the crowd that brings you home.”

Queensland captain Liam Wright started his post-match talk with a tribute to coach Dan McKellar, Alaalatoa and the entire Brumbies side. “They were class the whole season and again tonight. They are really deserving winners. We shot ourselves in the foot again. Our ill-discipline was very costly, it let the Brumbies set up too early,” Wright said.

“We put ourselves in this position (having to come from behind) a few times. It wasn’t unfamiliar territory and we just know that this time has a lot of fight. I’m incredibly proud of every one of our boys who have put in an incredible amount this season. The same goes to our staff. It has been trying times and we couldn’t have been tighter. We couldn’t quite get there tonight but everyone knows we gave it our all.”

Certainly it didn’t help that the Reds, who played last weekend while the Brumbies had a two-week break to prepare for the grand final, had to catch a charter flight to the national capital today but in three visits to Canberra this year they have not lost by more than an unconverted try.

Taniela Tupou of the Reds and James Slipper of the Brumbies embrace following the Super Rugby AU Grand Final. Picture: Getty Images

Aside from the scrum, the Brumbies were given an armchair ride by the Reds ill-discipline with winger Filipo Daugunu, Salakai-Loto, Blyth all being penalized for high shots in the first 15 minutes of play. It was Blyth’s tackle which gave the Brumbies their first crack at a driving maul, and although Wright did help stop the first attempt, he was ruled to have come in from the side and the Canberra side was able to go again. This time they got their set-up right, the backs poured in to help the forwards and hooker Folau Fainga’a barely worked up a sweat as he followed the maul home for his 10th try of the season.

Noal Lolesio, who earlier had kicked a handy penalty goal, landed the difficult conversion but it was the work he did in the 26th minute which showed why McKellar had put such faith in him, bringing him back after a seven week absence because of a hamstring injury.

As the Brumbies pounded the line, it was 20-year-old Lolesio who prised open the defence, offloading the ball in the tackle to winger Adam Muirhead who danced and wriggled his way 10m to the tryline. Really, it was a try the Brumbies conjured up out of nowhere, although the Reds defence was under pressure by now.

A piece of Petaia magic, breaking pack Will Miller and Irae Simone before backhanding a pass to Harry Wilson produced the first Queensland try in the 30th minute and when James O’Connor punished a Miller infringement at the breakdown, the Reds were able to go into the halftime break just two points adrift, 15-13.

But it seemed Petaia had been injured in setting up that try and so it proved when he didn’t return after the break Bryce Hegarty appearing in his position. He was the Reds player penalized for playing the ball at the breakdown in the 43rd minute and again Muirhead pounced, taking a quick tap and setting sail for the line. The defence stopped him this time but when the Brumbies quickly shifted the ball to their left, there was no-one able to hold out fullback Tom Banks as he thundered into the line.

The Brumbies cheer in celebration of their win. Picture: Getty Images

It was all starting to flow the Brumbies way at this point, Lolesio helping himself to a vital field goal while under penalty advantage, and with Dalgunu having a brain snap from the kick-off, attempting to upend Lachie McCaffrey and earning a yellow card, and Hamish Stewart giving away another three points for yet another high shot, the Reds were down and seemingly out as the score blew out to 28-13.

But Wright further enhanced his standing as a captain on the rise when he pointed to the goalposts when the Reds were given a penalty for a Nic White infringement at the breakdown, with O’Connor reducing the gap to less than two converted tries sat 28-16.

And when McDermott did what he has been doing all season, breaking the defence wide open with a mesmerising run, before laying the ball back to Wright who toed ahead for Blyth to score, suddenly the Brumbies worst fears had been realised. The Reds captain had been right to back his team. One more converted try and the Reds could win the game. How desperately they tried to find it. And how mightily the Brumbies resisted them.