The Brumbies missed out on a perfect tour record with a loss to the Jaguares.
What are we talking about after that 20-15 loss?
1. Brumbies miss chance to move on up
The Brumbies became the latest team to blow a golden opportunity to push themselves up the Super Rugby log with their loss in Buenos Aires.
A bonus-point win could have put the Canberra outfit equal on points with the Australian conference-leading Rebels and potentially even in top spot in the conference.
Had they managed a regulation win, they would have leapfrogged the Waratahs, whose ill-discipline cost them their own chance at the conference lead on Saturday night.
Instead, they remain in third, though on equal points with NSW, and still have work to do to put themselves in the middle of the finals race.
Things won’t get any easier for the Brumbies in the coming weeks.
They get back to Canberra and prepare to play a Blues side fresh off a bye next Saturday and that will surely be another physical, grinding encounter.
3. Territory game plays into Jags' hands
The Brumbies were parked in their own half in Buenos Aires and the superb exit kicking of youngster Domingo Miotti was a huge reason why they struggled to make gains.
Miotti wasn’t afraid to look long when the hosts found themselves deep in defence and every pill he booted landed in an advantageous position for his side.
While the Brumbies were effective in defence, ill-discipline began to creep into their game under pressure and wherever they were on the park, Miotti made them pay with points or field position.
The 22-year-old the match-sealing penalty with the only points of the second half as well.
2. Tom Banks worth the investment
Tom Banks’ stocks continue to rise, even when the Brumbies are on the wrong end of the ledger.
He backed up a well-rounded performance in Africa with another impressive outing in Buenos Aires.
Showed his pace to burst through the Jaguares’ defensive line for a try in the 19th minute and though he probably didn’t have the impact he would’ve liked in the second half, was still heavily involved.
The 24-year-old had 14 carries for the game and made 108 metres in a team that spent plenty of time defending.
Banks is already well and truly in the World Cup mix but how he would be deployed in a World Cup squad is an interesting debate in a post-Israel Folau era.
Rebels captain Dane Haylett-Petty, who is still out with injury, likely shapes as the no. 1 fullback option for the Wallabies but Banks is doing his position in the pecking order no harm at all.
That Kurtley Beale looks a far better player returning to fullback for the Waratahs complicates the debate for the Wallabies.
There is a case that Banks could play on the wing with the dual-fullback structure that the Wallabies have favoured in recent years but he is generally considered a more out-and-out fullback, understandably so.
4. Wrong place, wrong time, wrong result
The Brumbies will take plenty of regrets from this clash in Buenos Aires, with opportunities left on the table.
At times they were peppering the Jaguares line, including a run of three consecutive driving maul attempts in the second half, but handling errors, poor decisions and penalties hurt them.
It wasn’t just the errors they made but the times they made them - almost every mistake they made cost them precious territory or points and put the Brumbies right on the back foot.
Luck is an element in many parts of rugby and, sure, some of these were unlucky moments but the Brumbies simply need to take the pivotal moments in close games rather than cough them up.
5. Jaguares throw another spanner in South African conference
The Australian Super Rugby conference might seem close but the South African Super Rugby sides are almost inseparable.
Sunday morning’s win propelled the Jaguares up their conference log and relegated last year’s finalists, the Lions, to the bottom of the conference.
With seven rounds to go, all five of the South African sides have five wins from their opening 10 games and only bonus points separates the no. 1 Sharks from the last-placed Lions.
