Brumbies run in nine tries in statement defeat of Moana Pasifika
A brilliant Tom Wright try-of-the-year contender has helped the ACT Brumbies trounce Moana Pasifika in a statement 39-point Super Rugby Pacific win in Canberra.
Five-eighth Noah Lolesio was also a standout in Friday's 60-21 victory, the Brumbies scoring nine tries and moving to 4-1 ahead of a tasty Australian derby with the in-form Queensland Reds in Brisbane next Saturday.
The game was in the balance when Wright boldly chipped across-field from the Brumbies' line, finding flying winger Corey Toole in traffic.
Toole, who did his own Test case no harm with another scything display, veered back in-field and found Wright again for a daring full-field try.
Pasifika had looked set to score themselves before hooker Billy Pollard stripped a runaway Nigel Ah Wong, giving Wright the platform to display some Brumbies brilliance.
Lolesio dropped a pass with the line in sight, but it was an early blemish in an otherwise dominant performance by the man overlooked for a World Cup role last year.
He no sooner set up Hudson Creighton with a line-break and flick pass, then kicked across-field to create a try after halftime, and threw the last pass for rampaging flanker Charlie Cale to score.
No.12 Tamati Tua scored from a turnover, Pollard showing a clean set of heels before Rob Valetini stormed on to a pass and set up the centre.
Pasifika, who are now 2-3, kept early pace when they twice exposed a thin left-side Brumbies defence and scored through Kyren Taumoefolau and Lotu Inisi.
Wright's bold play swung the tide - it was 43-14 before the visitors scored again - and he iced his display with a polished assist for Toole and a try of his own in a two-minute burst in the final stages.
The Brumbies' not-so-subtle reminder of their class comes ahead of a spicy encounter with the Reds, who are 3-1 and sit second ahead of Saturday's date with the winless Western Force in Perth.
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I don’t refuse to acknowledge it at all HHT! NZ has been the main base for talented PI’s after all…
Don’t you feel any sense of awkwardness that KT has won 6 Tonga caps and now wants to rep the ABs?
Go to commentsI don’t think there can be any doubt that the shrink from 5 to 4 hs improved Aussie competitiveness Mitch, and that will breed confidence… That last 20-30 mins is directly influenced by quality off the bench after all.
I don’t thnik there is any chance of WR demanding specilaist back off the pine though. It’s up to opoonents to upset the strategy and expose the risks being taken!
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