Brumbies battle back after halftime deficit to beat Highlanders
The Brumbies have won a see-sawing battle against the Highlanders with the ACT side continuing to find their Super Rugby Pacific form with a 27-21 victory in Dunedin.
The visitors were leading by two points before hooker Lachlan Lonergan sealed the win with a 75th-minute try on Saturday afternoon after his team mauled the ball over the line.
Five-eighth Noah Lolesio then converted the try to push it out to a match-winning margin.
Highlanders playmaker Sam Gilbert was able to salvage a bonus point with a successful penalty kick after fulltime.
It was the Brumbies' third successive win over the Highlanders although they hadn't won at Forsyth Barr Stadium since 2013.
The home side took an 11-7 lead into halftime after opening the scoring through a penalty strike by Gilbert and then a try to Nikora Broughton.
The No.8 capitalised on a Brumbies error and kicked the ball into the in-goal, winning the race to touch down.
The Brumbies opted against taking a penalty kick and built on their phases in attack before being rewarded with a try in the 23rd minute to fullback Tom Wright.
The visitors cleaned up their game in the second half, particularly around the breakdown, and were first on the scoreboard when winger Corey Toole used pure pace to race around the defence.
Their lead was out to 17-11 after Lolesio added the conversion and then another penalty.
But the Highlanders kept coming and were back in the lead after flanker Billy Harmon dragged five Brumbies defenders along as he stormed over from 10 metres out.
The Brumbies kept their composure and went in front 20-18 in the 65th minute off the boot of Lolesio.
Coach Stephen Larkham emptied his bench and came up trumps through Lonergan's effort to give his team their third win from four games.
They do have some injury concerns with prop Blake Schoupp and centre Len Ikitau both forced off late in the first half.
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Free to air is the key to fan expansion. I attended last weeks game at Suncorp (Reds v Blues) and the total cost is prohibitive to most people that wish to attend. Two tickets $130, parking (event day gouging) $75, road tolls $20, dinner beforehand $130, plus some petrol and a beer inside the stadium and a single game starts to cost $300-400. Who can afford that week in week out, I’d love to go more but could only afford this one game to see the Blues, I’d have loved to have seen more NZ teams here but I’d need to stop eating or sell a kidney.
Go to commentsBrumbies are looking good and if they keep their home form up a final is not beyond the realms of possibility. They showed against the Hurricanes exactly how clinical they can be as they absorbed pressure in that contest while also scoring points and applying their own pressure. Reds are well placed as well but need to find consistency. They are building a longer term project with a young side and plenty of quality players. Been surprising to see the strength of Aussie sides this year after the debacle of the world cup. Have NZ sides gotten weaker? Have Aussie sides gotten stronger? A bit of both I would say. Whatever the case its good to see some actual competition between NZ and Aus sides again and thats exactly what the fans wanted and is probably driving better viewership numbers. All of this can only be healthy for Aus and Super Rugby and I hope the Brumbies go all the way.
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