No matter what motivation was behind the ACT Brumbies' 17-10 win over the Cape Town Stormers last night, it worked.

And more importantly, it kept their Super 14 season alive.

Amid the gloom of having to deal with the death of teammate Shawn Mackay earlier in the week, it would have been easy for the Brumbies to forget about rugby for a few days.

But in the long-term outlook of their season, that wasn't an option. Nor will it be an option when they host the Pretoria Bulls on Friday night.

There is no room for slip-ups from the Brumbies as they chase a return to the finals for the first time since 2004.

It was a tough last week as they dealt with the trauma of knowing they would never see their teammate Mackay again.

For more, pick up a copy of today's Canberra Times