Brumbies beat Waratahs in heated Super Rugby derby
Last Updated: 07/03/16 11:33am
The Brumbies beat the Waratahs 32-15 in a heated Australian Super Rugby derby in Canberra on Friday.
With Wallaby coach Michael Cheika looking on from the stands, the two sides took part in a physical battle as tempers occasionally flared.
It was 8-8 at half-time as neither team was able to stamp their mark on the game, but things opened up in the second half as the Brumbies' dominance up front began to tell. The Brumbies remain unbeaten in the Australian conference following the win.
The home side scored four tries to two with a penalty try among them as the Waratahs' forwards were back-pedalled over their try-line by the surging Brumbies pack.
Despite the loss it was a much-improved performance by the Waratahs in comparison with their 30-10 win over the Reds last week in Sydney, and they more than matched the Brumbies in the opening half despite having two players sin-binned and conceding a flurry of penalties.
The Waratahs rattled the Brumbies in the opening exchanges, and though the visitors lost forwards Will Skelton and Dean Mumm to the sin bin, they held the Brumbies to a stalemate at half-time.
Christian Leali'ifano scored a ninth-minute try stepping through three tackles to add to his penalty goal, while Wallaby full-back Israel Folau beat Joe Tomane to score out wide at the end of the first quarter.
The Brumbies stepped up the pressure in the second half with winger Tomane palming off Kurtley Beale to score, only for scrum-half Nick Phipps to back up a Folau break and score a quick reply for the Waratahs.
The Brumbies earned a penalty try on the back of their dominant scrum in the 69th minute and sealed victory when replacement Nigel Ah Wong finished off smart work by Tomane to score the home side's fourth try with no time left on the clock.
Brumbies captain Stephen Moore said: "We had a lot of chances in the first half and we couldn't get over the line so we said at half-time we just needed to play our own game and style.
"We did that and we finished well at the end so we're very happy to get a win against a quality side."
Waratahs skipper Michael Hooper was pleased with the start his side made, but praised the opposition for their finishing.
"We got two yellow cards and we regrouped really well and I was happy with the way we fought our way back into the game at 8-8 at half-time," Hooper said.
"I thought until 15-20 minutes to go we were right in it, I thought we were on a roll but credit to the Brumbies, they built pressure and their set piece got us in the end."
