The ACT Brumbies downed the Perth-based Western Force 24-10 on Saturday to wrap up top spot in the Australian Super Rugby conference and book their place in the finals.
The Brumbies went into the match against the lowly Force knowing they could afford to lose the match and still finish ahead of the NSW Waratahs if they gained a bonus point.
However, they never looked like losing against the injury-ravaged Force, who were outgunned in almost every position.
The Brumbies scored three tries to one but will know they need to improve markedly when they host defending champions the Otago Highlanders next weekend.
The Highlanders earlier defeated the Waikato Chiefs 25-15 in a high quality game to book their spot against the Brumbies.
“They are the defending champions, but the positive is that it is at home in front of our fans,” Brumbies co-captain Christian Leali'ifano said.
“We're excited about the challenge - we've just got to stay focused and we'll see what happens next week.”
The Force began with plenty of commitment and dominated the early stages, but were unable to break through the solid Brumbies defence.
It took 20 minutes for the first points to be scored, a penalty from Leali'ifano, but the points came regularly after that.
Matt Toomua crossed under the posts for the Brumbies first try to make it 10-0 after 25 minutes, but the Force hit back with a penalty to Ian Prior and a 60-metre try from winger Ben Tapuai.
However, the rest of the first half belonged to the home side, whose scrum was in total control.
Referee Paul Williams awarded a penalty try after a collapsed scrum on the Force tryline, before Wallabies winger Tevita Kuridrani crossed under the posts right on halftime to give the Brumbies a 24-10 lead at the break.
In a worrying sign for the Brumbies, they were unable to go on with the job and struggled to make an impact in the second half.
“I'm glad that we got the win but obviously there were parts of our game that were really disappointing,” Leali'ifano said.
“They're a tough defensive side and work really well for each other. It was tough to find cracks.
“They put pressure on us, which is really good heading into next week.”
AFP