The Brumbies have come away with a hard fought 26-20 win against the Melbourne Rebels at AAMI Park in their last match of the regular season.
Run-on debutant Rory Scott was the standout for the Brumbies, recording a try, an assist and a number of turnovers at the breakdown to help lead his side to victory.
The Rebels came out quickly in the first half, firing the first shot from close range through hooker James Hanson.
That didn’t rattle the Brumbies, and the side went hunting for tries.
Folau Fainga’a looked to have nabbed a try off the back of a rolling maul but a slight knock-on ruled it out.
After the Rebels then lost Marika Koroibete to the bin, the Brumbies opened their account from the ensuing penalty.
Another rolling maul gave Scott the chance to cross for his first Super Rugby five-pointer and he made no mistake to level the score.
The Brumbies dominated for the rest of the half, keeping the Rebels pinned in their 22 metre line as the home side continued to infringe.
Too many penalties meant Trevor Hosea was next in the bin for the Rebels, but they held strong, at least for a little while.
Quick ball inside the attacking 22 gave Lonergan time to find Cadeyrn Neville and the towering lock was too strong as he crossed for the Brumbies second try.
They didn’t have to wait long for their third after Bayley Kuenzle forced the ball loose from Campbell Magnay, and some slick hands from Len Ikitau put Tom Wright in space with a clear avenue to the try line to make it 19-7 at halftime. Â
After the break, the Rebels came out fighting, scoring the pick of their tries with a long range effort finished by former Brumby Joe Powell to bring them back to within two points.
The Brumbies responded after pressuring a To’omua kick which rattled off his own player and found Scott who then gave it to Kuenzle for his maiden Super Rugby try.
The Rebels added another penalty, and had a chance at the death, but a crucial turnover from Will Miller sealed the 26-20 for the Brumbies.
The Brumbies have a bye in Round 10 of the competition before hosting the third placed team in a Knockout Final in Canberra on Saturday 1 May.
Brumbies 26 (T: Scott, Neville, Wright, Kuenzle; C: Lonergan 2, Lolesio)
Melbourne Rebels 20 (T: Hanson, Powell; C: To’omua 2; P: To’omua 2)
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