It was an ugly win, but the Brumbies will take it as it’s snapped a five-match losing streak. It was also the Brumbies’ first win over the Hurricanes since 2006 and interim head coach Tony Rea’s first since taking over the reins.
In front of the smallest crowd since 2000, the Brumbies looked set to provide more suffering for their fans when after just four minutes Matt Toomua’s attempted clearing kick was charged down not once, but twice, letting Hurricanes fly-half Aaron Cruden dive on the ball for the opening try.
The Hurricanes dominated the opening exchanges but were unable to capitalise on their field position — a problem that has typified their season so far. One attacking run from Andre Taylor could have ended in their second try, but it appeared a lack of confidence (combined with a great covering tackle from Henry Speight) meant they came up empty-handed.
The Brumbies came into the match keen to showcase the ‘tri-half’ system with three play-makers rotating positions throughout the match, and with an extra week of training under their belts the trio looked more comfortable in directing play.
Matt Giteau seemed to be enjoying a bit more freedom under the new system and in the 18th minute made a line break that could have resulted in the Brumbies’ first try of the night — if he’d had support other than Huia Edmonds and Ben Alexander.
The game was played in a fashion of typical of clashes between desperate sides: at a frenetic pace, with many passes and line-breaks the order of the night. Speight started and should have finished a rare journey into the Hurricanes’ 22, but lost the ball when tackled just shy of the line.
From the resulting scrum the home team showed their dominance and pressured the Hurricanes into conceding a penalty, and then another after halfback Tyson Keats collected Giteau around the shoulder. Giteau got himself up and slotted his first penalty goal of the night.
The scorer wasn’t troubled again until late in the half when the Hurricanes kicked a penalty goal. Almost immediately the Brumbies responded through a try to Speight, who atoned for his earlier mistake and sent the teams to the sheds with the Brumbies just in front at 11–10.
The second half was almost a replica of the first with the Hurricanes dominating the early exchanges but unable to come away with any points. The Brumbies had Lealiifano step up for a shot at penalty goal while Giteau was recovering from a small knock, but his attempt was waved away. Replacement Canes fly-half Daniel Kirkpatrick showed his kicking prowess soon after, kicking two penalty goals to take the visitors out to a five-point lead.
The Brumbies were eventually able to add to their score on their first visit the Hurricanes’ 22 — another Giteau penalty goal. Points were proving hard to come by and it was best to take what was on offer. Giteau was able to kick another three-pointer after Josh Valentine sneakily milked a penalty; that made it 17–16 to the home side, and that’s the way it stayed.
Towards the end of the half it was disappointing to see that Valentine must have been watching nature documentaries — of the meerkat, rather than the honey badger — with slow ball at the ruck allowing the Hurricanes’ defensive line time to reset and almost undoing the good work of his forwards.
After the match Tony Rea said his team’s execution and decision-making were a lot sharper than in previous weeks, and was pleased with the efforts of the forwards who were quite dominant on the night. He did acknowledge that his team will still be under pressure in the coming weeks, both internally and externally, with some fringe players pushing for selection.
Hurricanes coach Mark Hammett lamented his team’s inability to put phases together, which allowed the Brumbies to get back into the match when trailing. The poor decision-making from both senior and youger players was also concerning, which Hammett suggested could be a result of low confidence.
Injury news out of the match saw Adam Ashley-Cooper cop a hip pointer injury and Huia Edmonds suffer a slight hamstring strain. For the Hurricanes, Conrad Smith suffered a sickening broken nose — which captain Andrew Hore said made him “a good-looking man” — that leaves him in doubt for his team’s trip to South Africa.
Brumbies 17 Speight try; Giteau 4 pens def. Hurricanes 16 Cruden try, con pen; Kirkpatrick 2 pens.
Wallaby Watch:
Put his hand up: Ben Alexander – Has been seen as a weak link at loose-head, but the Brumbies’ scrum was dominant throughout the night and caused headaches for the Canes’ All Blacks props.
Did himself no favours: Once again Adam Ashley-Cooper was used on the wing and once again offered little in the position. A hip injury that saw forced him off after 30 minutes didn’t help his cause.
Bolter watch: A few to choose from: the forwards battle was a highlight and Peter Kimlin stepped up to lead the way. Honourable mentions go to other pack members Ita Vaea and Dan Palmer.
