David Pocock has lead the Brumbies to a convincing 24-6 win over the Reds (half-time 8-6) in their Super Rugby clash at Canberra Stadium.
Jake White said that with Pocock in their side, they could return to the glory days of old, and Saturday night’s victory proves that the man might be on the right track.
Jesse Mogg scored both tries for the Brumbies, but it was their defence that shut down the Reds. No doubt his South African blood coming to the fore there …
The win broke a two-match losing streak against the Reds as the Brumbies showed they’ll again build their campaign around a rock-solid defensive game.
Halfback Nic White played a leading role, setting up a try and kicking two long-range penalties that kept the Reds out of reach.
Nine minutes into the match and with referee Andrew Lees playing the advantage in the Reds’ 22, White dabbed a smart kick in behind the line, with speedster Mogg touching down in the corner.
Penalty kicks from White and Mogg had the Brumbies in control, before flying fullback Mogg put the icing on the cake with a last-minute intercept try.
Toomua and Lealiifano ran the backline smoothly, in the second half , showing a willingness to run the ball, while Clyde Rathbone had a fairly quiet outing.
Boxer / rugby player Quade Cooper also didn’t get much opportunity to show his wares, with the Reds scarcely getting themselves into an attacking position all night.
Scorers:
Brumbies – Tries: Jesse Mogg (2). Conversion: Robbie Coleman Penalties: Nic White (2), Mogg (2).
Reds – Penalties: Mike Harris (2).
Brumbies: 15. Jesse Mogg, 14. Henry Speight, 13. Andrew Smith, 12. Christian Lealiifano, 11. Clyde Rathbone, 10. Matt Toomua, 9. Nic White, 8. Ben Mowen, 7. David Pocock, 6. Peter Kimlin, 5. Sam Carter, 4. Scott Fardy, 3. Dan Palmer, 2. Stephen Moore, 1. Ben Alexander
Bench: 16. Siliva Siliva, 17. Ruaidhri Anthony Murphy, 18. Colby Faingaa, 19. Fotu Auelua, 20. Ian Prior, 21. Joseph Tomane, 22. Robbie Coleman
Reds: 15. Mike Harris, 14. Dom Shipperley, 13. Aidan Toua, 12. Ben Tapuai, 11. Digby Ioane, 10. Quade Cooper, 9. Ben Lucas, 8. Jake Schatz, 7. Liam Gill, 6. Ed Quirk, 5. Rob Simmons, 4. Adam Wallace-Harrison, 3. James Slipper (Captain), 2. Saia Faingaa, 1. Greg Holmes
Bench: 16. Albert Anae, 17. James Hanson, 18. Ed O`Donoghue, 19. Jarrad Butler, 20. Nicholas Frisby, 21. Jonathan Lance, 22. Chris Feauai-Sautia
