A wet and gloomy afternoon did little to dampen the attacking spectacle at Brumbies HQ on Saturday, with the ACT Brumbies Super Rugby AUS squad running riot in a 74-0 trial victory over the ACT Griffins.
The scoreboard told the story of the Brumbies’ dominance, but the afternoon also offered some of the region’s best club players a chance to test themselves against the next level. Drawn from across the ACT club rugby landscape, the Griffins were captained by Uni-Norths’ Sam Mickelson and featured a host of talented players eager to make their mark against Super Rugby opposition.
Captained by young bull Toby Macpherson, the Brumbies wasted little time asserting their authority.
Fly-half Tane Edmed scythed through the middle with an arcing run, finding space between defenders before feeding inside to halves partner Klayton Thorn. Thorn kept the ball alive, with two quick shifts to the left finding Macpherson, who galloped over in the corner after just six minutes. Edmed’s conversion sailed wide to leave the score 5-0.
The Brumbies continued to heap pressure on the Griffins defence, throwing wave after wave at the line. A scrum five metres out provided the perfect platform for Edmed, who again sliced through a gap for his second try to make it 12-0 after 10 minutes. Ollie Sapsford then burst down the wing before dropping a deft grubber inside for the long-striding Nick Frost, with centre Dylan Bretton finishing off the ensuing ruck to push the Brumbies out to 19-0.
The Brumbies, eager to use every club in the bag, turned to their maul to power over from close range, hooker Liam Bowron the beneficiary as the lead grew to 26-0.
Edmed was clearly enjoying the freedom of the trial, finding himself in acres of space to stride through for his third with 10 minutes remaining in the half.
The pressure refused to relent. Hard-running centre Bretton continued to bang on the door, taking carry after carry and leaving the Griffins asking if anyone else could please take a hit up. The time on task in defence eventually took its toll, and the livewire Thorn made them pay, finding his way over from close range.
David Feliuai had the final say of the opening half, crossing down the right after slick hands created space to send the Brumbies into the sheds 43-0 to the good.
The Brumbies picked up where they left off after the break, with the rain lashing down as Bowron powered over twice in quick succession to complete his own hat-trick and stretch the advantage to 57-0.
To their credit, the Griffins continued to muscle up and defend, refusing to take a backward step despite the mounting scoreline. They had their moments too, with enterprising back-rower Jack Gordan a constant threat and the ageless Pedro Rolando showing his class.
A nod must also go to Easts Rugby Club’s Nick Guigni, who stepped up from the Canberra Suburban Cup to take on Super Rugby opposition after being selected from well outside the John I Dent Cup.
But the Brumbies’ cohesion, speed and class continued to shine through.
New signing TJ Talaileva looked right at home in his first outing in Brumbies colours, carrying hard throughout the afternoon before finding space through tired Griffin defenders to slide over in the wet.
The Brumbies rang the changes in the second half, using the trial to test combinations and give opportunities to their wider Super Rugby AUS squad ahead of the tournament.
A barnstorming break from prop Rhys van Nek was another highlight, the powerful front-rower stretching his legs in open space before finding Eli Langi, who was bundled over the line to take the score to 67-0.
Kadin Pritchard had the final say, crossing late in his return from injury to put the finishing touch on a comprehensive 74-0 victory.
The result reflected the Brumbies’ dominance, but the trial also gave the Griffins a valuable opportunity to test themselves against Super Rugby opposition as they build towards a series of representative fixtures.
The Griffins will face similar barbarian-style teams from across the country, battling the Victorian Axemen on 19 September before taking on Pig Athletic Club XV on 27 September.
For the Brumbies, attention now turns to the Super Rugby AUS tournament, with their campaign opening against the NSW Waratahs at Bungendore Sports Hub on Sunday, 13 September at 2PM AEST.
They will then travel west to face the Western Force in Perth on Sunday, 20 September at 3.30PM AEST, before returning home to Viking Park to host the Queensland Reds on Sunday, 27 September at 2.35PM AEST.
