Waratahs 19 Brumbies 12
Wallabies winger Lachlan Turner scored the only try of the match off a Berrick Barnes kick to give the Waratahs a win over the Brumbies last night.
The win moved the Waratahs into fifth and a point outside a semifinal spot with three rounds left. The Brumbies picked up a bonus point but their playoff chances are fading, dropping seven points behind the leading four.
The Waratahs led 12-9 after a 47th-minute penalty to first five Daniel Halangahu before Turner scored his fifth try of the season and 20th in Super rugby.
Halangahu converted to give the Waratahs a 19-9 lead but Wallaby and ACT first five Matt Giteau pulled the Brumbies to within a converted try 10 minutes later with his fourth penalty of the night.
The Brumbies put on sustained pressure in the final minutes but a penalty at the breakdown to the Waratahs three minutes into injury time ended the match.
The scores were level 9-9 after a lacklustre first half in slippery conditions. Halangahu gave the home side a 9-0 lead with penalties in the third, 18th and 25th minutes. Giteau kicked three of his own in the final 15 minutes, including the equaliser in injury time.
Referee Steve Walsh disallowed a try to ACT's Adam Ashley-Cooper for a double movement late in the first half but neither team produced much in the way of try-scoring opportunities. Numerous breakdown penalties made the game a stop-start affair.
The Brumbies lost Julian Huxley late in the first half to a hamstring injury, with Ashley-Cooper dropping back to fullback and Alfie Mafi coming off the bench and on to the wing.
"It was tough. Both teams were desperate and the conditions didn't help," Waratahs captain Phil Waugh said. "There was a lot of passion in the game and an important win for us."
Brumbies captain Stephen Hoiles called the match a grind.
"It was a really disappointing result," Hoiles said. "I don't know what it looks like mathematically but we can't lose another game."
The Brumbies play the top-four Queensland Reds next Saturday in Canberra, where the Reds have never won. The Waratahs travel to Invercargill to play the Highlanders.
Waratahs 19 (L. Turner try, D. Halangahu con, 4 pens), Brumbies 12 (M. Giteau 4 pens). Halftime: 9-9.
