Brumbies face nervous wait

The Brumbies face a nervous wait over the fitness of co-captain Stephen Moore after a disappointing loss to the Crusaders. 

Stephen Moore (calf) and speedster Joe Tomane(ankle) exited the game early and the ACT franchise will be sweating over their availability for next weekend's Highlanders clash.

Moore left the game at half-time with his calf injury but played down the issue post-match.

"I just got a whack on my calf in the first half and it seized up at half-time," he said.

"I've got ruck marks so I'm pretty sure it was a bruise right in the muscle there so it just really seized up and I couldn't put weight on it."

"I'll just have to ice it and look after it over the next 48 hours."

The Brumbies will be hoping Moore's confidence in his fitness is not misplaced, with their Highlanders clash next week a vital one to keep their finals hopes alive.  

It's not just the Brumbies that would miss Moore, with Wallabies coach Michael Cheika likely wanting his skipper ready to go for the June Tests.

Brumbies coach Stephen Larkham said the fitness of a number of players wouldn't be known for at least a day.

As for his side's performance, Larkham wasn't willing to give his side any excuses post-match.

"There was good effort out there but it was individual errors that really hurt us."

Any time you get a score like that backed up on you, it's disappointing," he said

"I think it was more our mistakes than any pressure the Crusaders put on.

"It probably was a bit of a transfer from some of the mistakes through the week."

The Brumbies' 40-14 loss to the Crusaders knocked them off the top of the Australian conference and out of the potential finals spots for the first time in 2016.