Lions win 'ugly' in Canberra
It was an arm wrestle from start to finish and it was the Lions that had the grit to muscle over the line for a full-house of three victories on their Australian tour, scoring the only try of the match in the Australian capital in a 10-6 Super Rugby win.
The early pressure was all from the Brumbies and in the fifth minute their siege of the Lions line resulted in centre Kyle Godwin putting wing James Dargavile in for a (disallowed) try in the corner because of a knock on in the build up. It would prove to be an important TMO decision be in the context of a closely -ontested match.
The Brumbies stayed camped in the Lions 22 and kicked a number of penalties to the corner, but it would take 18 minutes of steadfast defence from the Lions before the home team relented and flyhalf Wharenui Hawera kicked a penalty goal to register the first points of the game.
It stayed 3-0 for the rest of the half, with the Brumbies unable to do achieve anything constructive with their surfeit of possession while the Lions hung in and, having never had much possession or territory, they would been pleased to be only 3-0 down.
The tussle between the teams would go on for 12 minutes into the second half before Elton Jantjies levelled the score with a penalty, and then flank Kwagga Smith exploded through a gap on the halfway line and outstripped the defence for a crucial try, the first of the match. And it would prove to be the decisive score.
When the Lions look back on their campaign going into the play-offs, they will remember this heroic defensive effort which saw the home side unable to score a try.
Scorers: Brumbies 6 (3). Penalties: Wharenui Hawera (2)
Lions: 13 (6): Try: Kwagga Smith. Conversion: Elton Jantjies. Penalies: Elton Jantjies. Andries Coetzee