The Brumbies lobbed in the Republic and named five changes for this match against the also undefeated Sharks. Would Jake White’s changes be enough to extend the Brumbies’ winning start to the season?
The Match
The Brumbies enjoyed the early share of possession and their forwards dominated the play before Jesse Mogg dived over for the first try within 5 minutes.
The Sharks were being starved of the ball and the visitors added to their score with a try down the left wing to Joe Tomane after foregoing a penalty shot at goal.
The Sharks eventually got their hands on the ball and settled themselves with a penalty goal to Lambie but the Brumbies then responded with their third try within 20 minutes.
Great handling and interplay saw the TMO give fly-half Matt Toomua the nod after he dived over again down the left hand edge as the Sharks’ tackle count started to rise rapidly.
The Brumbies then secured their four-try bonus point before half time after a tight head within the Sharks’ half led to Henry Speight diving over in the corner to silence the home crowd.
The Brumbies continued with more of the same early in the second half and were unlucky not to score again with poor handling letting them down twice as the conditions worsened.
The Sharks were finally able to hang onto the ball and with the weight of possession, they finally scored a try to their number 8 Ryan Kankowski – their first since round 1.
But as the rain continued the handling ruined the spectacle and made it hard for either team to get any real continuity. If anything, the Sharks had the better of the play but left their run too late.
A penalty goal to Lealiifano was the only addition to the visitors’ score in the half to secure the 29-10 win and come away with 5 points. They now head to Cape Town to take on the Stormers next week full of confidence.
Some injury concerns followed the game with scrum-half Nic White and Fotu Auelua leaving the field with head knocks and Jesse Mogg battling a shoulder problem.
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The Game Changer
No real incident stood out but the Brumbies’ fourth try before half time made the Sharks’ task even more difficult.
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The G&GR MOTM
Fotu Auelua loves playing in South Africa and made some huge runs and set up tries for the Brumbies.
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Wallaby Watch
Joe Tomane had a solid game, as did many others, to put their names in the mix come the Lions series.
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The Details
Crowd: Damp and angry.
Score & Scorers
[one_half last=”no”]Sharks: 10
Tries: Kankowski
Conversions: Lambie
Penalties: Lambie
[one_half last=”yes”]Brumbies: 29
Tries: Mogg, Tomane, Toomua, Speight
Conversions: Lealiifano 3
Penalties: Lealiifano
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Cards & citings
None
