Super Rugby: ACT Brumbies beat Auckland Blues, avenge 2022 semi-final defeat

Win at any cost.

Playing their fierce rivals, the Brumbies were determined to make a Super Round statement and turn the tables on two heartbreaking defeats last season.

So when the Blues were pressing, and the clock ticked well past 80 minutes, the ACT players knew what they had to do.

Phase after phase, they threw their bodies at their opponents, desperate for the match-winning turnover.

Eventually Nic White was the man to come up with the crucial play to secure a thrilling 25-20 victory.

The final exchanges were reflective of a game that felt like a Test match in its intensity. As the mercury soared above 30 in Melbourne, neither team was willing to give an inch in a scoreless second half.

The physical contests were brutal, the end-to-end play was exciting, the fatigue continued to mount.

Eventually the Brumbies who stood up and veteran James Slipper said it was an emotional result.

"There was a lot of courage out there today," Slipper said. "It was a hot day, we knew it was going to be a tough ask.

"The first half had a lot of attack and tries, the second half was all character. It was about hanging in the moment and competing hard. We're pleased with the result, [but it's only] round two, so we'll move on."

The Brumbies burst out of the gates, jumping out to a 10-0 lead after just six minutes and leading 17-7 after 18 minutes.

The Blues fought back and proved their danger at the counter attack when Tom Robinson levelled the scores with a 30th minute try.

The Brumbies hit the front five minutes later courtesy of Lachlan Lonergan to hand his team a 25-20 lead with what turned out to be the final scoring play of the match.

While the first-half was an open, attacking affair, the second was a physical grind. The collisions were brutal and the battle at the breakdown was intense. Both sides attempted to throw the ball around, however fatigue and smothering defence largely neutralised any attacking opportunities.

The match didn't go exactly as coach Stephen Larkham envisaged, but he praised his players for adapting on the run and doing whatever it took to come away with the points.

"We're going out to play a certain way, the Blues went out to play a certain way, sometimes that doesn't eventuate," Larkham said.

"Today we were faced with that. A situation where we didn't quite get to play how we wanted to play but found a way to win. That's something we also want to see in this team. We have a style we want to play, but also need a lot of what we saw tonight."

The Brumbies were dealt an early blow with captain Allan Alaalatoa failing a head injury assessment in the 10th minute. He will miss next Saturday's clash with the Queensland Reds at Canberra Stadium.

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The side returns home with two wins to start the season and Larkham said the focus has always been on opening the campaign in a positive manner.

"We put a lot of effort into the start of the campaign," Larkham said. "I'm really pleased with how hard that game was and how hard our guys pushed. It was physical up front, a bit of a set-piece battle at times, breakdown pressure at times.

"It was very difficult defensively for us to continually get up with their big bodies coming at us. I was blown away by the amount of physicality and character the boys had out there."

ACT BRUMBIES 25 (Andy Muirhead, Lachlan Lonergan tries; penalty try; Ryan Lonergan conn, 2 pens) bt AUCKLAND BLUES 20 (Ricky Riccitelli, Tom Robinson tries; Beauden Barret 2 cons, 2 pens).

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