The Safeguard Global ACT Brumbies climbed into the top two of the Smartech Super Rugby Pacific standings with a hard-fought 33-14 win over the Western Force at HBF Park in Perth.
Tries from Len Ikitau, Corey Toole, Ollie Sapsford on his 50th cap and remarkably, first Super Rugby tries for both Tom Hooper and Liam Bowron, saw the Brumbies clinch what could be a crucial bonus point to leapfrog the Crusaders into second, who earlier lost to the Chiefs in Christchurch.
Head coach Stephen Larkham praised his side for picking up five points and in particular the finishers who came onto the field to complete the job.
."We know where we sit on the table now. The bonus point at the end of the game was certainly helpful," Larkham said.
"We've been speaking about that over the last couple of weeks because the ladder is so tight and competitive. We've been chasing bonus points and we had to work for that one.
"The reserves that came on did a fantastic job at bringing some energy to it. Then our backs worked really hard from side to side and eventually found some space down the edges."
Captain Allan Alaalatoa agreed with the positive impact the replacements had coming onto the pitch.
"I thought our finishes were massive tonight. They came on and added energy. The deeper we go into this competition, the more we're going to rely on them. So I thought it was great for them to come on and to win us that game."
It was a cagey start to the encounter, with both teams feeling each other out. Brumbies and Wallabies fly half Noah Lolesio was stretchered off the field in the 21st minute with what is deemed to be a spinal injury.
The Force took the lead two minutes later from a driving maul, with hooker Nic Dolly on the end of it. Ben Donaldson kicked the conversion for a 7-0 lead.
The Brumbies responded almost instantly, with Ikitau crashing over from close range for his seventh try of the campaign. The scores were tied following Declan Meredith’s conversion in front of the posts.
The game entered another topsy-turvy phase with both teams making set-piece errors. As half-time beckoned, the away side turned over an opposition lineout deep in their territory and the ball was spun out wide for Toole’s ninth try of the season. The Brumbies led by seven heading into the break.
Sapsford headed onto the field at around the hour mark and it injected life into his team. Hooper crashed over from close-range, to score his inaugural Super Rugby try on his 49th appearance.
The Force were quick to respond through Mac Grealy to close the gap once again to seven, but Sapsford was on the end of a Toole offload to power his way over to move the deficit back out to two tries.
And it was the Brumbies who had the last laugh in the closing stages. Canberra local Bowron on the end of a driving maul to push the margin out to three tries and secure a bonus point win in Perth.
