Brumbies coach Stephen Larkham will have plenty to ponder after his side were handed a 34-point thrashing by the Chiefs at Super Round.
The men from ACT were outclassed from start to finish in a 46-12 shellacking with All Blacks star Damian McKenzie running the cutter in the Sunday sunshine.
Here's what we learnt:
1.Brumbies reality check
Following the Waratahs’ thrilling upset over defending champs Crusaders, Aussie fans would’ve been licking their lips at another Trans-Tasman boilover.
But it wasn’t to be with the Chiefs rarely troubled at AAMI Park, posting their third consecutive win over ACT.
The Brumbies barely fired a shot across the 80 minutes and failed to convert pressure into points with Corey Toole a lone bright spot on Sunday afternoon.
They’ll have plenty to consider ahead of next week’s clash with the Western Force at home before a Round 4 litmus test looms against the Highlanders in Dunedin.
2. McKenzie’s flying start
While the Brumbies floundered early, the Chiefs were clinical from the outset with Damian McKenzie pulling strings with a 21-point masterclass.
The All Blacks livewire laid on three linebreak assists to go with a linebreak and try of his own before oranges to spearhead the Chiefs' 25-7 advantage and was also sublime off the boot, finishing with just under 600m gained in general play and a total 16 points off the tee.
Etene Nanai-Seturo was also excellent on the sting with four line breaks and a try while halfback pairing Xavier Roe and Cortez Ratima shared three tries between them.
3. Forward wobbles decidedly un-Brumbies
A 79th minute turnover from Naitoa Ah Kuoi on the Chiefs tryline with his side up by 34 points summed up the game perfectly - they just wanted it more.
Laurie Fisher would’ve been pulling at his bucket hat seeing how the Waikato men rolled the Brumbies at ruck time with Stephen Larkham’s forwards a pale imitation of those who dominated the Rebels last week.
The Chiefs were at their disruptive best, slowing down any Brumbies ruck they didn’t turn over, and enjoyed the upper hand in attack with 200 more metres carried and a clear win at collision time.
There were further inconsistencies at set piece as well, with two lineout turnovers plus a technical lineout penalty cruelling the Brumbies in strong attacking positions.
4. Corey Hotline blows up – again
In a beaten side, Corey Toole once again was the Brumbies’ standout.
Last week’s double could’ve been attributed to a flat Rebels defence but this week’s brace was truly special.
Toole’s first was another miraculous chip and regather effort down the left touchline before the flyer showed great strength in his second, barreling past Liam his opposite winger and planting the ball inside the corner post.
He’s a genuine weapon and will have plenty of suitors this year with Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt looking to build his squad from local talent and Aussie sevens coach John Manenti another admirer.
5.Tick tock, halfbacks on the clock
It might’ve taken Ryan Lonergan by surprise but referee James Doleman’s 15th minute decision to ping the Brumbies halfback for timewasting should be celebrated.
Caterpillar rucks to set up a box-kicking platform are one of rugby’s uglier modern trends.
Match officials have been directed to give halfbacks a five-second warning to “use it” and Lonergan was rightly pinged for failing to do so, resulting in an attacking scrum for the Chiefs.
Aussie rugby fans (and players) will doubtless be scarred from a certain French referee’s decision around time-wasting in 2022 but it’s the right move from referees to speed up the game and keep players accountable.
