A week after booting the side to victory against the Cheetahs, Lealiifano again showed superb poise to level the score with a sideline conversion against the Chiefs. But minutes later, the Brumbies crumbled under pressure and the home side stole victory with a last-gasp try in the corner.

In their two victories this season, the Brumbies have won by a combined total of three points. Another tight win was up for grabs until the final seconds of their clash with the Chiefs. Lealiifano praised the Brumbies for fighting their way back into the match but wants the young side to be ruthless and secure a convincing win over the Highlanders at Canberra Stadium on Saturday.

''That one really hurts, we're really disappointed because we were on the other end of the tight game this time,'' Lealiifano said. ''I'm sick of these tight games. It's probably good for this side and something for us to build on. But hopefully we can put in a good performance and finally put a team away when we get our chances. We can't dwell on it, we have to move forward and make sure it doesn't happen again.''

The Brumbies levelled the score with four minutes remaining before Jackson Willison snatched victory for the Chiefs with a last-minute try.

The Brumbies' ball control was poor and they turned over possession 20 times. They had chances to get in front, but continually stumbled and opportunities were lost. When the Brumbies drew level, they immediately lost possession when a clearing kick went out on the full. They recovered and stole the lineout, but lost the ball at the ensuing ruck. Brumbies vice-captain Pat McCabe said the team ''ran out of luck''.

After their season spiralled out of control last year following a last-minute loss to the Rebels in round two, McCabe warned his teammates to avoid repeating past mistakes.

''We had a few close losses last year and we didn't learn from them and grow from them,'' McCabe said. ''This is our first real test as a group of how we're going to respond. The feeling I get from everybody is that we all want to learn from it and move forward. Absolutely you have to look at the deficiencies. First, it's knowing if we play at our best we're good enough to beat the best. Too often last year we had close losses and we would do the same mistakes the next week. That can't happen again.''

After beating the Chiefs in round one last season, the Brumbies' form took a big dive and the club recorded its worst season in Super Rugby. But with Jake White now in charge, the Brumbies are determined to ensure they do not follow the same path. ''We were lucky with the bounce of the ball in the first couple of weeks and [against the Chiefs] it just didn't go our way,'' McCabe said.