KEY POINTS:
Blues 17 Brumbies 15
A sideline conversion after the bell from flyhalf Isa Nacewa gave the Blues a get-out-of-jail 17-15 win in their Super 14 clash against the Brumbies at Canberra Stadium last night.
Nacewa calmly slotted his winner after his pack had rolled a maul over the Brumbies line in the final minute of the match, which the home side had led for almost 70 of the 80 minutes.
Prop Saimone Taumoepeau emerged from the pile of bodies in the north-western corner as the scorer of the Aucklanders' second try.
All 15 of the Brumbies' points came from the boot of fullback Julian Huxley with five penalty goals.
The match began in steady rain amid storm warnings in the national capital with lightning flashes around the ground throughout the first half.
The conditions made handling difficult for both sides with Brumbies flyhalf Stephen Larkham, playing his first match for more than three months, particularly struggling with his timing early.
Huxley's boot had given the Brumbies a 9-7 halftime lead, the No.15 getting three from five in the first stanza, including a 48-metre bomb.
The former Queensland Red increased the halftime lead when he slotted over his fourth penalty goal six minutes into the second stanza.
But a Nacewa penalty got the Aucklanders back to 12-10 with a reply in the 60th minute.
The disjointed Brumbies were struggling to control the ball and remained camped in their own half until a booming Mark Gerrard kick got them back into Blues territory and Huxley was able to slot another penalty in the 62nd minute to take the home side out to 15-10.
The home side had a tryscoring chance in the 64th minute when they swept wide after a turnover and Larkham grubbered for Mark Gerrard, only for the winger to soccer the ball over the dead-ball line.
Larkham also hit the crossbar with a 40m drop goal attempt in the 68th minute.
The only try of the first half had come from Nacewa in the eighth minute when All Black inside centre Luke McAlister strolled through some ordinary defence and sent the flyhalf over, the conversion giving the Aucklanders a brief 7-6 lead..
Wallaby winger Gerrard - in a surprise return to the bench from a knee injury suffered in last week's win over the Chiefs - didn't have long to wait to get himself into the game, replacing debutant Peter Playford, who left the field with a face injury after only six minutes.
- AAP
