The Brumbies surrendered a 10-0 lead and rolled the dice after the siren in a bid to snatch victory, but fell short in a tense 18-13 loss to the Highlanders at Canberra Stadium.

It was another tight defeat in what is quickly becoming a season of cliffhangers and the Highlanders were the Canberra heartbreakers for the second time in seven months.

Much like they did in a qualifying final in August last year, the Highlanders found a way to muscle their way to the lead and then withstand a late Brumbies charge to seal victory.

It continued Australian rugby's rot against New Zealand sides, with the Kiwis winning 29 of the past 33 trans-Tasman matches.

It also leaves the Brumbies with two wins from their first five games, but they are still in a position to launch a charge in the Australian conference.

The Brumbies' three losses have all been by five points or loss and the new-look squad has won plenty of admirers for its gutsy attitude.

The next challenge is turning those results into wins if they want to be considered a contender.

"It's been tough but it's a young group and we're a tight group," said Brumbies captain Sam Carter.

"We said at the start of the season that this wasn't a rebuilding year. This is a year that we want to win.

"The attitude and the intent doesn't change. It's really pleasing to see that and if we keep it up, the results will come."

The Brumbies showed some slick innovation to catch the Highlanders napping and open the score with a bamboozling lineout move.

Flanker Chris Alcock grabbed the ball at the back, dummied one way and then ran the other to score the first try of the game.

But the conditions played a dominating role with the greasy surface contributing to almost 30 handling errors from both teams.

The Highlanders found some spark after half-time and scored the only two tries of the second half, both off the back of Brumbies mistakes, to take the lead with seven minutes left.

The Brumbies camped themselves in the attacking 22m for the last five minutes of the game and had an attacking lineout after the siren to try to steal the win.

But their maul was shutdown by the Highlanders and the Canberra side fell short of a drought-breaking win against a Kiwi side.

The Brumbies haven't beaten a New Zealand team since round one last year, but the good news is the Australian conference has been so bad that they're still at the top.

"Every team in this competition is tough, it doesn't matter if they're Kiwi or an Aussie side," said Highlanders skipper Ben Smith.

"You know what you're in for and it doesn't get much tougher than [coming to Canberra]. I'm really happy to get the win.

"It just shows a lot of character. When we needed to, we dug deep and got the job done. That's what the Highlanders are about."

The Brumbies will wait until Monday for an injury report on lock Rory Arnold, who appeared to injure his knee in the dying minutes.

One of the Highlanders players is also set to be cited for a high tackle on Brumbies winger James Dargaville early in the first half.

They have the bye next weekend to give them extra time to recuperate before clashing against the Queensland Reds in a heritage match on April 8.

"Sometimes it doesn't fall your way and that was the case tonight," said Brumbies coach Stephen Larkham.

"There's no doubting the effort. The execution was difficult in those conditions ... and when you fall behind you chance your arm a little more.

"This is where we're at and the only thing that's important now is our next game. We shouldn't be looking at other results, the destiny is in our hands."

AT A GLANCE

OTAGO HIGHLANDERS 18 (Patelesio Tomkinson, Aki Seiuli tries; Marty Banks 2 penalties, conversion) bt ACT BRUMBIES 13 (Chris Alcock try; Wharenui Hawera 2 penalties, conversion) at Canberra Stadium on Saturday night. Referee: Marius van der Westhuizen. Crowd: 11,195.