The ACT Brumbies will have to wait until Tuesday for any apology or answers as to why they were hammered by penalties during their heartbreaking after-the siren Super Rugby loss.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Saturday night's 21-19 loss to the Auckland Blues marked the first time the side had lost back-to-back games at Canberra Stadium since May 2018.
All eyes shifted to the referee decisions post-match, as the visitors shattered the Brumbies' one-point lead with a penalty-advantage drop goal after the siren.
The 16-5 penalty count, alongside yellow cards for Foloau Fainga'a and Darcy Swain, will be a hot topic during Super Rugby's weekly referee review, set for Tuesday.
But it will be too little, too late for the Brumbies' top-two finals hopes.
Either way, skipper Allan Alaalatoa believed the Brumbies would get an apology of some form.
"Our boys showed so much heart ... our backs were against the wall throughout the whole game," he told Stan Sport.
MORE IN CANBERRA SPORT:
"The penalty count was 16-[5]. I think some of those were our fault but, mate, I reckon we will get an apology or something like that later in the week. We will probably send in some videos."
Referee Damon Murphy warned both sides at the midway point of the first half he would begin handing out cards for any more ruck issues during the Test-quality fixture.
True to his word the Brumbies were then depleted to 13-men, Swain following Fainga'a to the sin bin for the final minutes of the first half.
One question from the Canberra camp at the review will likely focus on a Blues try-preventing high tackle early in the second half, asking why two Brumbies were sent for 10-minute stints while inside centre Roger Tuivasa-Sheck stayed on the field for his high tackle.
ACT scrumhalf Nic White picked up the ball from a Blues fumble and broke away, coming within six metres of the line before Tuivasa-Sheck grabbed him around the neck to prevent a try. Murphy awarded a penalty to the Brumbies, but did not reach for a card.
MORE A.C.T. BRUMBIES NEWS:
Brumbies coach Dan McKellar fell short of blasting the officials, to avoid any fines, but agreed it was a high tackle and he would be reviewing it "closely".
Alaalatoa, however, said the penalty calls were no excuse for the loss.
"I just didn't feel like we were getting the rub of the green at times," he said.
"That's finals footy for you. Defence was a big part of this game, it was something that we spoke about throughout the week and I thought we delivered on that ... [but] our discipline wasn't there. So I think that's something that we'll probably touch on."
AUCKLAND BLUES 21 (Beauden Barrett, Karl Tu'inukuafe tries; Stephen Perofeta con, 2 pens; Barrett drop goal) bt ACT BRUMBIES 19 (Pete Samu, Folau Fainga'a, Billy Pollard tries; Noah Lolesio 2 cons) at Canberra Stadium.
We've made it a whole lot easier for you to have your say. Our new comment platform requires only one log-in to access articles and to join the discussion on The Canberra Times website. Find out how to register so you can enjoy civil, friendly and engaging discussions. See our moderation policy here.
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content:
- Bookmark canberratimes.com.au
- Download our app
- Make sure you are signed up for our breaking and regular headlines newsletters
- Follow us on Twitter
- Follow us on Instagram