ACT Brumbies celebrate victory over Queensland Reds with fans

Having just defeated the Queensland Reds, the ACT Brumbies allowed the 8501 spectators in attendance at Canberra Stadium on to the field to mingle with their heroes.

What came next was a rare look behind the curtain as the squad sung their team song on the field with their fans.

The act comes as the Brumbies continue to engage with the community and strengthen ties with supporters.

Coach Stephen Larkham said the moment came about after a conversation with captain Nic White, who was presented with a commemorative jersey to celebrate his 100th Super Rugby cap.

It's a stark turnaround for the old-school coach who is fiercely protective of his players and what happens inside the inner sanctum.

"We had a really good crowd tonight," Larkham said. "They lifted us, Whitey wasn't on but he was on the sideline and I could feel it in the stands, particularly when we got down into that 22. That was a deciding factor for us to get a little bit less fatigued and a little bit more energy out there.

"We've spoken about trying to give back to the community and show that we really appreciate their support and that was part of it.

"Whitey had his jersey presentation out on the field and then we shared that moment with the fans who have been supporting us through tough times."

The Brumbies acknowledged they weren't at their best on Saturday night, but they did enough to get the victory.

At this point in the season, such results are crucial and the competition points will prove vital in the lead up to the finals.

After controlling much of the first half, the Brumbies were on the back foot throughout the second as the Reds came hard at their opponents.

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Led by flyhalf James O'Connor, Queensland spent much of the period on the attack and searching for a breakthrough.

While they did cross for three tries, they could have had plenty more if not for desperate Brumbies defence.

"We were a bit clunky," captain Nic White said. "It was just a little bit inconsistent. We weren't at our best tonight but I thought we were pretty composed in those moments of pressure out there.

"They came pretty hard. We knew they had a lot of threats and I was proud of the willingness to want to work hard, even though a lot of what we were doing wasn't coming off.

"We were just a bit off tonight but we were able to find a way to win, which was pretty pleasing because they just worked bloody hard for that. There's something that feels good when you have to work hard for something. Our willingness to work hard to get a result in front of a really good first-time crowd was important for us."

He's been forced to sit behind youngster Tom Lynagh after returning from injury but James O'Connor showed he has plenty left to offer throughout the second half.

The veteran replaced Lynagh at half-time and immediately provided the Reds with more direction in attack.

It took Queensland just four minutes to strike in the second half and O'Connor produced a smart kick to set up the team's second.

The Reds added a third late in the contest to set up a grandstand finish, the experienced flyhalf at the centre of the team's attack.

"We were a lot better getting and keeping that momentum," scrumhalf Tate McDermott said. "A lot of that ties into what Thorny's talking about and around the breakdown work.

"I thought the first half we were a little bit scrappy and we probably put Tom [Lynagh] under a little bit of pressure around that breakdown. We overplayed a little bit in our C-zone and I think against a good side like the Brumbies if you do that, it does accumulate points against you. I think we fixed that [in the second half].

"Our defense was awesome the whole night. So really proud of the effort that the boys put in and that's the standard that's got to be there moving forward for us. But I mean, that second half, we just got the momentum and we kept it for longer."

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