The NSW Waratahs snatched a late try to replacement forward Sitaleki Timani to defeat the Brumbies 29–22 in Canberra. Fullback Kurtley Beale starred for the visitors with a 19-point haul.
In a game that was evenly contested but did not show much spark until the death, the Waratahs took their chances in the two tries-to-one victory to consign the Brumbies to their fourth consecutive loss. The loss leaves the Brumbies at 1–4 on the table and in grave danger of kissing their season goodbye.
The Brumbies were their own worst enemy at times, with numerous dropped balls close to the Waratahs line not helping their cause. Their high turnover count was never going to help them either against a team looking to redeem themselves. They also failed to take advantage of some good field position on the back of some Waratah kicking errors.
Matt Giteau tried to lift his side with some darting runs but his teammates were unable to combine to get the Brumbies on the board. One Giteau run saw Andrew Smith well tackled by Luke Burgess in the middle of the park.
The Waratahs looked like a new team compared to last week. Led superbly by Phil Waugh, the Tahs showed they were desperate to get their season back on track. One attacking raid saw 20 phases put together and was ended only by a blatant Huia Edmonds infringement.
Neither team could get over the line in the first half. Matt Giteau and Kurtley Beale shot it out in a penalty duel, landing four each to see the teams level 12–12 at the break.
The second half had a bit more promise about it with the Brumbies trying to catch the Waratahs on the back foot with some counter-attack. But again, handling errors in crucial parts of the field let them down.
One journey into the Waratahs’ 22 ended with a scuffle between Tom Carter and Josh Valentine that resulted in Chariots cooling his wheels in the sin bin for 10 minutes. But the Brumbies were unable to take advantage of Carter’s absence and were continually frustrated by some determined Waratahs defence.
Birthday boy Drew Mitchell was unlucky not to score after he dropped the ball cold with only Adam Ashley-Cooper to beat from close range.
In the 6oth minute Kurtley Beale attacked the line and with two men outside him, he grubber-kicked through. Ryan Cross pounced on the pill in the corner to put his side in front.
More poor discipline by the home team saw Beale land his fifth penalty of the night, stretching the lead to 7 points with 10 minutes to play. It appeared the match was slipping out of reach for the Brumbies.
That was all to change when a stroke of good fortune for the Brumbies saw them score their only try of the night. Beale took an eternity to clear the ball and his kick was charged down by Matt Giteau. The resulting play saw Ben Alexander crash over for a try and with Giteau’s conversion making the score 22–22, the crowd of 18,011 was in for a grandstand finish.
In the shadows of full-time and with a draw looming, the Waratahs were denied what looked to be a fair try to Afa Pakalani by TMO Matt Goddard after another Beale grubber kick. In the resulting scrum the Brumbies put a good hit on and should have cleared it, but the Warathas wheeled the scrum and were given the feed at the reset. After a series of pick-and-drives and with the clock winding down, ex-Brumby Timani stretched out his long arm to plant the ball on the line and snatch a dramatic win for his team.
Looking ahead, the Brumbies will need to regroup before they take on the Highlanders in New Zealand, while the Waratahs will be sweating on the fitness of Berrick Barnes for their clash against the Chiefs.
Waratahs 29 – Cross, Timani tries; Beale 2 cons, 5 pens def Brumbies 22 – Alexander try, Giteau con, 5 pens
Wallaby Watch:
Put his hand up: Kurtley Beale – An outstanding game from Gilbert who showed his class when his team needed it most and also put on an excellent goalkicking display.
Did himself no favours: Ben Alexander – Did score a try, but was penalised numerous times for scrum infringements and that is starting to become a concern.
Bolter watch: Ben Mowen – Was strong at the breakdown and showed some strong running.
