The Brumbies spent most of the game banging their head against a defensive brick wall, much like they had done in the past four losses in a row.

It was largely due to their own faults as they lacked a spark of creativity to fool the Southern Kings.

The knock on the Brumbies is that they are too predictable in attack, allowing opposition teams to move up quickly in defence and engage in a physical war.

The Brumbies are trying to change the perception but a lack of confidence from a six-week winning drought affected their ability to make inroads.

That changed with two kicks to catch out the Kings' defence in the second half in Port Elizabeth. First it was a flying Aidan Toua who scored and then Tom Banks who got the ball down inches inside the the field of play.

Kicking to score won't be the answer to the Brumbies' woes, but it may break down the brick wall they've been running into and give the players the belief they can score tries after ending a 230-minute drought.

WHEN YOU'RE DOWN ON LUCK..

Everything seems to go against you, and that's the way things started for the Brumbies against the Kings.

Flying winger Makazole Mapimpi kicked the ball behind the Brumbies and went toe-to-toe with Tom Banks in a foot-race to the try-line to regather.

Banks fell behind and then simultaneously knocked the ball backwards and appeared to start to wrap his arm around Mapimpi.

Referee Jaco Peyper deemed that Banks had tackled Mapimpi early, despite the Brumbies fullback knocking the ball away before he touched Mapimpi.

The result was an early bullet to the Brumbies, with Peyper sending Banks to the sin bin and awarding a penalty try in just the fourth minute.

It was the second week in a row a decision in the first five minutes had gone against them and changed the momentum of the game.

There was a similar situation in the second half when Aidan Toua was tackled without the ball, but managed to pick it up and score a try. Peyper didn't send the Kings player to the sin bin.

Banks made up for it in the end, scoring the match-sealing try in the 71st minute on almost the same blade of grass that he was penalised on in the first half.

KINGS SHY AWAY FROM PHYSICAL MAUL BATTLE

South African rugby is renowned for its love of the tough stuff, in particular using the lineout to set up a rolling maul.

But the Kings decided they didn't want to engage in a battle of muscle in the second-half against the Brumbies, adopting the frowned-upon disengaging tactic to stop the maul.

For the uninitiated, disengaging is when a team opts to stand off the opposition at the lineout, thus not allowing the team with the ball to set up a maul.

Referee Peyper incorrectly ruled the Brumbies had transferred the ball back through the maul, despite Jordan Smiler holding it the same time.

Regardless of Peyper's decision, the South African's decision to use a style that has been slammed as "not in the spirit of the game" will raise eyebrows.

DE WET STEPS UP IN FRONT OF FAN CLUB

De Wet Roos' days as an ACT Brumbies may be nearing their end as scrumhalf Tomas Cubelli edges closer to making a comeback from a knee injury.

But the South African-born recruit stepped up when it mattered most and with a massive fan club watching from the stands of the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium.

Roos' father flew from Australia to South Africa and then drove nine hours with his grandfather to just to get to the game to watch the Brumbies beat the Kings.

Roos was injected in the second half and didn't disappoint, putting in a solid performance to ensure the Brumbies held on for a nine-point win.

Regular No. 9 Joe Powell has carried a heavy work load this year, and Roos could be a spark of energy against the Argentina Jaguares this weekend if called on.

It could also double as one of his last Super Rugby game with Cubelli set to return to action after the mid-year break for international rugby.