Having knocked over three Kiwi teams in succession, the Brumbies can be called contenders.
The manner of their fourth defeat is testament to that. The Brumbies deserved to turn 18-14 in front at halftime. The Chiefs had their moments. One offload set up midfield partner Alex Nankivell's sixth try of the season. In terms of the best teams in the competition, though, the Chiefs are not in the Brumbies' league. Chiefs backline directors Bryn Gatland and Kaleb Trask battled in the face of that pressure, with their exits not up to scratch.
The Chiefs took on the Brumbies in Hamilton tonight. Here's how it all went down from Jamie Wall.
At FMG Stadium Waikato, Hamilton: Brumbies 38 (Nic White try 7min, Folau Fainga'a try 16min, Len Ikitau try 43min, Billy Pollard try 72min; Noah Lolesio 3 ...
Like elite athletes at their peak, our sports journalists are highly trained in the art of news. Brumbies captain Nic White steered his team expertly, box-kicking well and taking the right options all night. While they couldn’t score from the ensuing rolling maul, they soon after knocked over a penalty against Sam Cane at the ruck to make it a healthy 14-point advantage. So we're asking you to support us with more than your attention. It may have been four tries apiece, but the Brumbies were in control for the majority, despite being made to make 80 more tackles than the hosts. Nic White’s 50-22 kick 10 minutes into the second half.
The Brumbies have evidenced themselves as serious Super Rugby Pacific title contenders after an "impressive...
It may have been four tries apiece, but the Brumbies were in control for the majority, despite being made to make 80 more tackles than the hosts. Needing something special, the Chiefs got just that near the hour-mark, when a close-range lineout resulted in a stunning try to a rampaging Pita Gus Sowakula, and all of a sudden the momentum made a switch towards the hosts. The visitors then shot out of the gates in the second stanza, winning an early turnover penalty then profiting with Wright sending Len Ikitau through a hole and all of a sudden the lead was 11.
The Brumbies have defeated the Chiefs to claim their third Kiwi scalp and further enhance their title credentials in Super Rugby Pacific.
“We’d spoken about the intensity we’d have to go up. “The boys really rolled up the sleeves tonight. “A lot of their contestable kicking was good and they pinned us in areas of the park and, when we tried to play too much in our own half, they were good enough to force an error or a penalty. It’s very tough to come away and win.” The Brumbies were clinging to an 18-14 lead after the two sides traded a pair of tries in an entertaining first half. Really proud of that effort.
The Chiefs had their moments. They looked best when the likes of All Blacks hooker Samisoni Taukei'aho, Pita Gus Sowakula and Quinn Tupaea punched through the ...
The manner of their fourth defeat is testament to that. The Brumbies deserved to turn 18-14 in front at halftime. The Chiefs had their moments.
Huge victories and shock losses have been at the fore in Round 12 of Super Rugby Pacific.
Fullback Will Jordan and winger Leicester Fainga’anuku both dotted down for hat-tricks in their dominant win, putting the side back on track as they move to their next clash against the Brumbies in Canberra next weekend. The Hamilton-based team looked far from their best, making several basic errors on attack and defence that allowed a ruthless Brumbies side to attack their line and dominate the scoreboard. The Chiefs succumbed to their third home-loss in four outings as they were outplayed by a clinical Brumbies side 38-28 on Saturday night.
The Chiefs were outclassed by a clinical Brumbies side in Hamilton on Saturday night. Who were the best performers in a losing effort?
Got involved in everything and scored the Chiefs’ final try to close the gap. Made some big metres by caring off the back of the scrum and scored a try off the back of the Cheifs lineout to keep the Chiefs in the match. He proved a handful for the Brumbies. Came on for Ross and shored up the scrum. Found some space as the game opened up in the second half. Was solid in defence, not allowing any traffic to come down his side and making important covering tackles late in the game. Found the outside shoulders of his opponents to break the line for 52 metres off 11 carries. Subbed off for Narawa in the 55th minute. Varied it up in attack but struggled to get his backline into the game. Was targeted three times in the lineout and even used his big mitts to reel in some stray throws. Was subbed for Norris in the 50th minute. The Brumbies were able to execute when it mattered with some silky skills to covert on their entries in the opposition 22.