Brumbies learn harsh lesson
Brumbies vice-captain Nic White has vowed to work with halfback partner Matt Toomua to take more control of games in clutch moments after learning another brutal lesson in a last-minute fadeout.
The Brumbies returned to Canberra heartbroken on Saturday night after the Chiefs kicked a last-second penalty to secure a 19-17 win in New Plymouth.
White made no excuses for the Brumbies' poor decisions in the dying stages of the match, conceding he and Toomua needed to ensure the team stuck to its plan.
"We should be able to close out games, as a group we've been in situations like that and the biggest disappointment was not being able to lock it out.
"We really should have put them to the sword and continued to attack. We went away from the game plan and maybe there were moments where myself or Matt [Toomua] have to look at our games towards the end.
"But I think a lot of guys went away from our structure, the moments where we really needed to commit to it, we went outside of it. We've got a structure for a reason, we all have to be on the same page. We've got to start winning the close games," White said.
The Brumbies led for almost all of the secondhalf before they were penalised for breaking too early from a scrum, while trying to defend their own line in the last second.
Aaron Cruden's successful kick drove a dagger through Brumby hearts, proving the difference between two wins from two games for a perfect start to the season, or falling back to average.
The Brumbies escaped their shattering loss in New Zealand without any major injuries, but the physical encounter took a toll on the players' bodies.
Coach Stephen Larkham likened the contest against the Chiefs to Test-match intensity, the challenge a stark contrast to their six-try romp against the Queensland Reds in Round One.
Larkham said the Brumbies needed to clamp down on discipline and "hopefully we learn from mistakes".
"If you want to take a positive out of it, it's early in the season and we don't make the same mistakes again. I thought the game was a finals and Test-match intensity, it was very physical.
"We've got the tools to play that physical, forwards style of game. But you don't want it to be a complete contrast from week one to week two. I thought the guys coped really well, but it's the last 10 minutes we have to reassess," Larkham said.
The Brumbies are desperately trying to resurrect their record on the road after winning just three of eight games away from Canberra last season.
"I think we showed [against the Chiefs] that we can perform [away from home], we were 30 seconds away from winning the match," Scott Fardy said.
The Canberra Times
