KEY POINTS:
Hurricanes 11 Brumbies 10
Why worry when a final movement try from Thomas Waldrom will do?
The Hurricanes teased their way to a sensational victory when the No 8 dummied and speared over in the corner but those searching for some elusive attacking quality from the Super 14 left Wellington last night disappointed.
Defence dominated this match as the Hurricanes won by a solitary point for the second week running while the Brumbies suffered their second anguish this season after losing to the Blues in the final move of that match.
The excitement for the crowd came down to whether the Brumbies belligerent defence could hold out the Hurricanes. The answer was in favour of the visitors until the Hurricanes held their nerve in one final dramatic move.
But most of this match was undistinguished, there was little to raise it from the previous weeks of mediocrity in this competition.
After a dogged first half, the Brumbies lost first five-eighths Stephen Larkham to injury and with him some of their attacking clout. His exit was balanced soon after when Hurricanes captain Tana Umaga quit with an Achilles tendon problem as the slogfest continued .
Kickers Julian Huxley and Jimmy Gopperth missed a penalty kick each in the third quarter though Gopperth did succeed with another kick after an enterprising attack from David Smith, Hosea Gear and Thomas Waldrom was closed down illegally.
The Hurricanes muffed the chance of taking the lead when referee Craig Joubert decided prop Neemia Tialata had dropped the ball at the end of an impressive lineout drive but they were applying tremendous heat to the Brumbies defence as the result came down to a final quarter shootout.
The Brumbies were gifted an early chance to test their attack when Hurricanes midfielder Ma'a Nonu was sinbinned for an indisciplined late intrusion to a minor scuffle. It was unnecessary and Nonu was made to suffer further as visiting lock Adam Wallace-Harrison scored during his enforced absence.
It could have been worse as a final pass from Jeremy Paul to Mark Gerrard was ruled forward and a possible second try disallowed.
The Brumbies had not scored a try in their previous two matches but their extra-man advantage allowed them to redress that blight. They began to get their renowned phase play going and while there was better fluency to their play, they lacked serious penetration. On their rare forays with the ball, the Hurricanes looked more dangerous.
The hosts' scrum was also more potent in the first half but some judicious work from the Brumbies forwards allowed them to escape without any great damage other than a penalty to Jimmy Gopperth.
Neither side was too ambitious in the opening spell, the greasy surface, blustery wind and high stakes restricting their enterprise. The low 7-3 halftime advantage to the Brumbies indicated the tight contest.
Hurricanes: 11 (T. Waldrom, try; J. Gopperth 2 pen).
Brumbies: 10 (A. Wallace-Harrison, tries; J. Huxley con, pen) Halftime 3-7
