They gave up field position almost freely and, when the Brumbies allowed their opposition a sniff of possession, their clear threat with ball in hand was often wasted by errors.
How the Chiefs scored only one try was an enduring mystery to emerge from the match. Frustration, rather than confusion, would have been the overriding feeling, with the Chiefs thrilling at times but their own worst enemies in vital moments.
That's not to say the Brumbies played the role of helpless victim. The visitors' forwards spent much of the match firmly on the front foot, excelling in the set piece and enjoying some prosperous drives, one of which led to their only try through Ita Vaea.
But the Chiefs generally found ascendancy as soon as they found the ball in their hands, particularly during a rampant first half, dangerous whether through a quick exchange of passes among the outside backs or a clever cross-field kick from Aaron Cruden.
Neither of those two instances resulted in points, though, a profligacy that presented a serious problem as the wore on. The Chiefs should have scored a handful of tries in the opening spell and, on another night, a nervy finale would have never been needed.
Matt Symons and Maama Vaipulu were both let down by their hands and another chance was wasted after Bryce Heem's excellent break, leaving the Chiefs content to head to halftime with only Charlie Ngatai's try to show for their efforts.
All of their counter-attacking menace promised positive things for the second half, though the Chiefs would have been less reliant on the counter had they looked after the ball a bit better. Far too many infringements gave the Brumbies ideal field position, and the Chiefs were left thankful for a physical and urgent defence to largely limit the visitors to shots at goal.
Those shots, however, did put the Brumbies in front after the break as, despite the halftime introductions of Ben Tameifuna and Brodie Retallick, the Chiefs' scrum continued to cede both ground and penalties.
The Brumbies knew they had found a weakness and they continued to exploit it, playing tight around the edges and slowing down the game whenever in possession. They were struggling to cope with the Chiefs' explosive backs so they set about limiting their opportunities, eschewing their favoured tactic of kicking deep and choosing instead to prioritise finding touch.
But the Brumbies failure to puncture the Chiefs' defence eventually proved costly after a strong scrum, of all things, led to a penalty that gave the Chiefs a last-gasp win.
Chiefs 19 (Ngatai try; Cruden 3 pens, con)
Brumbies 17 (Vaea try; Lealiifano 3 pens, White pen)
HT: 13-11
