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Brumbies made to work by lowly Lions

Fri, 05 Mar 2010 12:39

Hard work: Brumbies scrumhalf Josh Valentine - Pic: Doug Fitz-Gerald

The Brumbies were made to work hard for their 24-13 Super 14 win over the Lions in Canberra on Friday, failing to collect the four-try bonus point they so desperately wanted.

With rain before and during the game, the difficult conditions would have contributed to the stop-start nature of the encounter.

The Lions were happy to slow the game down and prevent the Brumbies from playing the quick tempo, flowing game they would have preferred, and the home team were seldom able to quicken the game up.

The Canberra team will be disappointed at not getting the bonus point, despite always appearing in control against the Lions. The win, their third in four rounds, saw them move into a top four position on the standings.

But not succeeding in imposing their pattern on one of the weakest teams in the tournament will be a worry for the Brumbies as they have considerably more challenging matches ahead.

Perhaps in a competition like the Super 14 it is not 'on' to suggest that a team losing by 11 points and three tries to one should be satisfied with their performance, but the Lions have been so mediocre this year - and woeful at times - that this performance does represent progress.

They conceded far too many penalties through their lack of discipline and their scrummaging was inconsistent, and at times weak. Their decision-making was often poor. But at least their defence has improved from what has at times this season been miserable. Their defensive system held up better and they missed far fewer one-on-one tackles than had threatened to become habitual.

They need to decide their starting XV now and to build that combination. The time for rotation and giving masses of players the opportunity to start is behind them. They need - urgently - to settle their selection and to build on their strengths and work on their weaknesses with that team.

In the seventh minute the Lions had an ideal chance to score the first points when Brumbies hooker Stephen Moore was penalised for sealing off at breakdown and flyhalf Burton Francis had a chance to goal from 30 metres out and in front of the posts, but he botched what should have been a straight-forward three points.

Francis had another shot at goal three minutes later when the home team strayed offside near their tryline. This time he made no mistake and the Lions led 3-0.

Two minutes later, from a scrum in front of the Lions posts, Brumbies fullback Adam Ashley-Cooper cut through the Lions defence but was stopped five metres short. Stirling Mortlock then came close to scoring but TMO George Ayoub's evidence was inconclusive and referee Steve Walsh went with assistant referee Vinny Munro's call that Mortlock had grounded short of the goal-line.

The Brumbies equalised in the 25th minute when Matt Giteau goaled a 45 metre penalty (3-3).

The Lions were having a tough time in the scrums but their defence was better than in previous games as the Brumbies launched a series of attacks inside the 22. However, the Lions conceded a penalty at a ruck and then three penalties at consecutive five metre scrums - resulting in a team warning.

With the Brumbies opting to scrum for each penalty, the fourth consecutive five metre scrum resulted in a fourth consecutive penalty and a yellow card for tighthead Kevin Buys.

With 14 men on the field the Lions continued to concede penalties inside their half but, much to their own frustration, the Brumbies were unable to convert the pressure into points.

But then the Brumbies did eventually score points when from yet another five metre scrum Lions scrumhalf JP Joubert played the ball under No. 8 Stephen Hoiles's feet and the referee awarded a penalty try. Giteau goaled and the Brumbies led 10-3 after 36 minutes.

The home team had created far more than they had finished in the first half. They had been by some way the better team but with the Lions slowing the game down and the Brumbies not succeeding in upping the tempo, they had only a seven-point lead to show for it.

The Lions reduced the lead to 10-6 three minutes into the second half when Francis goaled a long, angled penalty.

But then the Brumbies attacked with continuity and the Lions defence couldn't hold. Rocky Elsom beat defenders and from the ruck, scrumhalf Josh Valentine switched with his skipper Hoiles who ran strongly into the 22. Hoiles switched skilfully with inside Christian Lealiifano, who scored under the posts. Giteau converted and the Brumbies led 17-6 after 49 minutes.

The visitors fought back immediately and in the 50th minute, from a penalty inside the Brumbies 22, inside centre Doppies la Grange tapped and ran. From the ruck on the tryline replacement hooker Hannes Franklin dived over the pile-up of bodies to score a deserved try. Francis converted and the Lions had reduced the lead to 17-13.

But two minutes later, the Lions conceded a penalty inside their 22, the Brumbies tapped and ran and after George Smith had made good ground and committed defenders, Moore crashed over for a try awarded on the advice of the TMO (24-13).

The Lions were kicking but their kicking game was ineffectual and the Brumbies attacked strongly. Josh Valentine knocked on as he tried to cross the tryline when he should have passed and the Lions were hanging on - with a number of players showing a determination on defence often absent in previous games.

With six minutes to play, Brumbies right wing Pat McCabe came close to scoring but a brilliant try-saving tackle by Lions substitute wing Wandile Mjekevu bundled him into touch-in-goal.

Replacement fullback Earl Rose, under pressure inside his in-goal, tried to run in a bizarre attempt at counter-attack, but the Lions defence held out at the five metre scrum.

The Brumbies had multiple opportunities to score their fourth try and secure a bonus point, including from penalties leading to attacking sorties which took them to within centimetres of the goal-line after the hooter, but they were not able to score.

A frustrating game ended with a Brumbies knock on and the nearest Lions player immediately knocking on as well - neatly summing up a game which will go down as one of the less impressive matches in the history of Super Rugby.

Man of the Match: This was a game in which players grafted hard but few stood out. The rain didn't help the level of skills and few players would have come off the field particularly happy with their games. Rocky Elsom was potent as a ball-carrier in his few opportunities to attack in his 65 minutes on the field. Ben Alexander was very good for the Brumbies and Cobus Grobbelaar deserved a medal for his workrate, as he does in every game for the Lions. But the Man of the Match must be Brumbies and Wallaby flank George Smith, who was as industrious and effective as ever - a real force for a full 80 minutes.

The scorers:

For the Brumbies:
Tries: Penalty try, Lealiifano, Moore
Cons: Giteau 3
Pens: Giteau

For the Lions:
Try: Franklin
Con: Francis
Pens: Francis 2

Yellow card: Kevin Buys (Lions, 28 - repeated infringements, collapsing scrum)

Teams:

Brumbies: 15 Adam Ashley-Cooper, 14 Pat McCabe, 13 Stirling Mortlock, 12 Christian Lealiifano, 11 Francis Fainifo, 10 Matt Giteau, 9 Josh Valentine, 8 Stephen Hoiles (captain), 7 George Smith, 6 Rocky Elsom, 5 Mark Chisholm, 4 Ben Hand, 3 Salesi Ma'afu, 2 Stephen Moore, 1 Ben Alexander.
Replacements: 16 Huia Edmonds, 17 Guy Shepherdson, 18 Justin Harrison, 19 Mitchell Chapman,  20 Patrick Phibbs, 21 Matt Toomua, 22 Tyrone Smith.

Lions: 15 Michael Killian, 14 Tonderai Chavhanga, 13 Walter Venter, 12 Doppies la Grange, 11 Dusty Noble, 10 Burton Francis, 9 JP Joubert, 8 Todd Clever, 7 Derick Minnie, 6 Cobus Grobbelaar (captain), 5 Willem Stoltz, 4 George Earl, 3 Kevin Buys, 2 Charles Emslie, 1 JC Janse van Rensburg.
Replacements: 16 Hannes Franklin, 17 Heinke van der Merwe, 18 Franco van der Merwe, 19 Jacques Lombaard, 20 Jacques Coetzee, 21 Wandile Mjekevu, 22 Earl Rose

Referee: Steve Walsh (Australia)
Assistant referees: Vinny Munro (New Zealand), Angus Gardiner (Australia)
TMO: George Ayoub (Australia)

By Len Kaplan

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