Brumbies grind Sharks down

The Brumbies scored the only try of the game to beat the Sharks 16-9 in a tense battle at a wet Canberra Stadium.

The Australian conference leaders are now just behind the Sharks and the Chiefs at the top of the table, whilst the Sharks take a single bonus point.

Ugly. This was ugly rugby. It could have been uglier only if there had been thuggery, but this was no way to play the game – joyless and unskillful – and the two teams playing were top teams. It makes one wonder about Super Rugby and the idea of making it even bigger. This was not big or wholesome or worth imitating, as Jake Past played Jake Present.

Perhaps the drizzle and the dampness gave them the excuse to kick as much as they did, but you had the feeling that these two teams would have played like this on a dry, sunshine, wind-free day,

Kicking was the game, and one should perhaps comment on the effectiveness of the kicking. The Sharks' kicker-in-chief was Frans Steyn who had an off day. He kicked for length which was comfortably dealt with by the Brumbies. He goaled three penalty attempts and missed three. He kicked out on the full from two kick-offs, failed to find touch from a penalty and kicked a penalty dead for a scrum back. But the Sharks had all their eggs in one basket;  though the game is meant for 15 players.

The Brumbies won the kicking. They were more judicious in their kicking and much better at dealing with opposition kicks. In particular Jesse Mogg was outstanding in his kicking and in fielding kicks.

There was a try – one try. It came from a line-out. After Bismarck du Plessis had won a turn-over in the face of a Brumbies' attack, Steyn's clearing kick reached just to his 22. The Brumbies played off the top, charged ahead and then Nic White passed a short pass to Sam Carter and the tall lock ran straight ahead for 18 metres for a try at the posts.

In the end that try was the difference between winning and losing.

The Brumbies also won the penalty count. The most penalised team in Super Rugby in 2014 won the penalty count  14-6. Three of these penalties were at scrums where the Sharks looked to be dominant.

There were four bits of running rugby in the match – Joe Tomane's burst at the first kick-off that took him from 15 metres from his line to just short of the Sharks' 10-metre line where the Sharks were penalised; Pat McCabe's burst down the right and SP Marais's run down the left; and then Carter's try.

That was it.

The Sharks did have their turn to attack but the Brumbies were hard on defence. Twice knock-ons scuppered promising attacks, once at a five-metre line-out, and once the throw into a line-out went over the back where the Brumbies received it with gratitude.

The Brumbies took the lead inside two minutes when Christian Leali'ifano goaled a penalty. The Sharks did not ever have the lead in the match. 3-0. Steyn then missed two penalty opportunities, one against Stephen Moore and one against Carter, but when Moore was offside at a ruck, Steyn got one over. 3-3 after 15 minutes. When Sibusiso Sithole was penalised at a tackle Leali'ifano goaled. 6-3 after 36 minutes. That was the half-time score.

Steyn levelled the scores early in the second half but then conceded a penalty and Leali'ifano made it 9-6 after 47 minutes. That is how the score stayed until Carter ran between Cobus Reinach and Ryan Kankowski to score.  16-6 after 63 minutes.

When Ben Mowen was penalised the Sharks opted to kick at goal. Steyn goaled to make it 16-9 with 9 minutes to play.

That was the final score though the Sharks dominated those nine minutes, frustrated by two knock-ons and an overthrown line-out.

Man of the Match: Matt Toomua was good but the outstanding player was Jesse Mogg, our Man of the Match.

The scorers:

For the Brumbies:

Try: Carter

Con: Leali'ifano

Pens: Leali'ifano 3

For the Sharks:

Pens: Steyn 3

Teams:

Brumbies: 15 Jesse Mogg, 14 Joe Tomane, 13 Tevita Kuridrani, 12 Christian Leali'ifano, 11 Robbie Coleman, 10 Matt Toomua, 9 Nic White, 8 Ben Mowen (captain), 7 Jarrad Butler, 7 Jarrad Butler, 6 Fotu Auelua, 5 Sam Carter, 4 Scott Fardy, 3 Ben Alexander, 2 Stephen Moore, 1 Scott Sio.

Replacements: 16 Josh Mann-Rea, 17 Ruan Smith, 18 Ruaidhri Murphy, 19 Jordan Smiler, 20 Tom McVerry, 21 Conrad Hoffmann, 22 Andrew Smith, 23 Pat McCabe.

Sharks: 15 Lwazi Mvovo, 14 Odwa Ndungane, 13 Sibusiso Sithole, 12 Paul Jordaan, 11 JP Pietersen, 10 Francois Steyn, 9 Cobus Reinach, 8 Ryan Kankowski, 7 Jean Deysel, 6 Keegan Daniel, 5 Stephan Lewies, 4 Willem Alberts, 3 Jannie du Plessis, 2 Bismarck du Plessis (captain), 1 Tendai Mtawarira.

Replacements: 16 Kyle Cooper, 17 Dale Chadwick, 18 Lourens Adriaanse, 19 Etienne Oosthuizen, 20 Tera Mtembu, 21 Charl McLeod, 22 Heimar Williams, 23 SP Marais.

Referee: Glen Jackson (New Zealand)

Assistant referees: Andrew Lees, James Leckie (Australia)

TMO: George Ayoub (Australia)