The Brumbies ended years of anguish when they lit up Canberra Stadium to demolish the Melbourne Rebels with some of the best attacking rugby of their season.

The crowd was treated to some superb play and erupted as the Brumbies turned it on in the second half to score a 37-19 win and secure a crucial bonus point.

It was a historic night for the club, erasing almost a decade of painful memories which has seen them miss the finals every season since claiming the title in 2004.

Now the new generation Brumbies are setting themselves to cement their place in history and chase the club’s third championship.

The Brumbies have locked in top spot in the Australian conference, guaranteeing them a home final and their first appearance in the play-offs since 2004.

They sit at the top of the overall ladder going into a four-week competition bye and if they secure a place in the top two they will get a week off to start the finals.

Hosting a final will inject up to $500,000 into the club’s coffers.

The only dampener was losing stand-in captain Nic White after just nine minutes after the Wallabies hopeful injured his shoulder.

Despite missing eight regular starting players, the Brumbies caught fire in attack in the second half.

Veteran winger Clyde Rathbone turned back the clock to score a double while Henry Speight, Scott Sio, Colby Faingaa and Zack Holmes all got across the line.

The only result which could prevent finals rugby returning to the capital is a complete meltdown in the last regular-season fixture against the Western Force on July 13.

The Queensland Reds are second in the Australian conference. But the points differential means the Reds would need to win their last game by more than 100 points to leapfrog the Brumbies.

The nightmare memory of their their choke last year is now gone after they had missed a spot in the finals with a last-round wobble.

“It is satisfying. To win the conference, I know we’re jumping the gun, but the Waratahs aren’t going to lose by 100 points to the Reds and first prize was to win the conference,” Brumbies coach Jake White said.

“The most pleasing thing isn’t just the result, it’s that everyone that came in stepped up. You have to be really excited about the future of the club, the future is bright for the Brumbies.”

The Brumbies only needed a win to guarantee a finals berth. But they can now try to push for a top-two finish and the four-try bonus point seals their fate earlier than expected.

The win was even more impressive when you look at the list of players unavailable for the two-time champions.

Regular captain Ben Mowen, Stephen Moore, Ben Alexander, Christian Lealiifano and Joseph Tomane were all in camp with the Wallabies.

David Pocock and George Smith – two of the world’s best flankers – are injured and outside centre Andrew Smith is making his comeback from a hamstring problem in club rugby on Saturday.

After a see-sawing battle in the first half – which saw the Brumbies lead 10-3 and led to the crowd booing because of constant kicking – the home side returned to the field fired up and ready to rumble.

The Rebels were also without a host of stars including James O’Connor, Kurtley Beale and Nick Phipps.

But with the game on the line, the Brumbies lifted to another level and the Rebels simply couldn’t keep up.

The won the second half 29-14. The Rebels put up a brief resistance, but it was futile as the Brumbies charged to a six tries to two triumph.

The Brumbies’ last game of the season is against the Western Force in Perth next month, but they will also play the British and Irish Lions on June 18.

BRUMBIES 39 (Clyde Rathbone 2, Scott Sio, Henry Speight, Colby Faingaa, Zack Holmes tries; Jesse Mogg penalty; Ian Prior 3 conversions) bt MELBOURNE REBELS 17 (Tom English, Paul Alo-Emile tries; Jason Woodward penalty, 2 conversions) at Canberra Stadium last night. Referee: Rohan Hoffmann. Crowd: 11,055