THE injection of ACT Brumbies players into the Easts team came at a cost, with coach Jeremy Osborne lamenting missed opportunities and an unusual pre-game warm-up as his side squandered a chance to rise up the ladder.
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The Griffith-based club was bolstered by the inclusion of five Super Rugby-contracted players for their clash with Royals.
But not even the addition of towering South African Etienne Oosthuizen and former Wallabies winger Clyde Rathbone could save them as they slipped to a 26-13 defeat at Griffith Oval.
The Brumbies players flooded Canberra's premier division on Saturday to boost the John I Dent Cup in the Super Rugby bye week.
Easts were the biggest beneficiaries with five players. But while it looked like a blessing, the club had to have an hour training session before kick-off to try to spark some combinations.
It didn't work as they threw away opportunities and constantly dropped the ball when they had top-of-the-table Royals under the pump.
''Usually our guys grow a leg when the Brumbies are around, but it does bring its challenges,'' Osborne said.
''We had to warm up for an hour just to get a training run in … I had nine first-graders sitting around at Thursday night training.
''I love having them around the club and the positives outweigh the negatives, but it takes something special to produce a good effort on Saturday.
''It … was like our guys were at a funeral out there today, there was just no spark.''
In a scrappy ''slogfest'', the game with a host of Brumbies players failed to live up to any great heights.
Both teams struggled to maintain possession and build pressure. The Royals defended like a team capable of winning the premiership to clinch a 13-point win.
Royals were also boosted by Brumbies talent, with Siliva Siliva lining up at hooker. Tom Staniforth, Robbie Abel and Jordan Rapana - who all train with the Brumbies but don't have contracts - were also in the Royals line-up.
The Royals defence was strong as it held off constant raids.
The win kept Royals undefeated after five matches and they sit above defending champion Tuggeranong Vikings on the ladder.
But coach Russell Ingram will be searching for improvement as they attempt to stamp themselves as a contender.
Royals' defence was strong as they held off constant raids with powerful veteran Rathbone attacking out wide.
But Easts handed them the win when they continually lost the ball and Liam Davis scored the match-winner in the dying seconds of the match.
''We put pressure on ourselves, we didn't build any continuity and won it off the back of defence,'' Ingram said.
''It was a slogfest, lots of scrums and it was hard to get them back up after a [last-minute] win against Queanbeyan last week, so to get away with a bonus point is an achievement.''
AT A GLANCE
ROYALS 26 (S Tai 2, M Rowlings, L Davis tries; C McMahon 3 conversions) bt EASTS 13 (E Oosthuizen, S van der Walt tries; M Laudenbach penalty); GUNGAHLIN EAGLES 12 bt QUEANBEYAN WHITES 10; WESTS 43 bt UNI-NORTHS OWLS 14.