The Brumbies have recorded their first loss of 2016, going down to the Stormers 31-11 in Cape Town.
Discipline cost the Brumbies dearly through the night and were forced to play the final 16 minutes with 14 men, after replacement hooker Josh Mann-Rea was red-carded.
Down by five points when Mann-Rea’s night ended, the Brumbies conceded two more tries and a penalty as their winning chances slipped away.
In a relatively even contest, it was penalty kicks that handed the Stormers the advantage in the opening half as the Brumbies coughed up eight first-half infringements to give the Stormers a 9-5 buffer at the break.
The Brumbies were kept out of the Stormers’ half for much of the opening stanza, but took opportunities when they presented themselves.
Henry Speight snatched the only try of the opening half for the Brumbies, after a blistering Tevita Kuridrani run set up the winger on the right edge.
Speight and his opposite Joe Tomane were both electric when they had the chance to be but that was few and far between as the two sides played out much of the match in the middle third of the ground.
The Brumbies’ so far solid set piece wavered against the Stormers, as the South Africans took 18 lineout wins to the Brumbies’ five.
Christian Lealiifano squeezed the first points from the second half, to narrow the margin back to just one point.
The Brumbies continued their desperate defensive efforts but the Stormers finally took advantage of their territory share as Siya Kolisi barged over the line in the 56th minute.
Another penalty put the Brumbies just five points down but Mann-Rea’s red card nullified that.
The Stormers rubbed salt in the wound, slotting the ensuing penalty and adding a Dillyn Leyds try with three minutes left in the match, before prop Vincent Koch sealed the win with another after the full-time siren.
The Brumbies take on the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein next weekend.
STORMERS (Tries Kolisi, Leyds, Koch, Cons: Coleman, Du Plessis Pens: Coleman 4)
BRUMBIES (Tries Speight 1 Pens: Lealiifano 2)
