Robbie Coleman’s successful pursuit of a seemingly impossible cause earned the Brumbies a 25-15 win over the Stormers and took them back to the top of Super Rugby Australian conference.
Winger Coleman scored two of the Brumbies three tries at GIO Stadium on Saturday, but it was his second five-pointer in the 62nd minute that brought the crowd of 11,527 to full voice.
With the Brumbies clinging to a 13-10 lead, Coleman contested a high kick and then chased through after the ball was toed ahead by captain and No.8 Ben Mowen.
Stormers winger Jacobus van Wyk appeared to have the kick covered and waited for it to go out, but Coleman kept running and somehow twisted his body and grounded the ball millimetres from the corner post for an improbable but precious five-pointer.
Halfback Nic White, who landed all three of his first half kicks, missed the conversion and two subsequent penalties, but the Brumbies hung on despite Stormers’ substitute back Juan De Jongh crashing over for a 75th minute try to cut the deficit to three points.
Experienced five-eighth Peter Grant missed what appeared a relatively simple conversion three minutes after hitting a post with a penalty attempt.
In a frantic last three minutes, Coleman was denied a hat-trick when the ball rolled out of play with him leading the chase and then centre Pat McCabe was held up.
A penalty try from a scrum on the bell sealed the points for the Brumbies.
The Stormers were quicker to settle and Grant posted first points from a seventh minute penalty after missing his first attempt three minutes earlier.
The Brumbies were barely sighted in attack until the ninth minute when five-eighth Matt Toomua ghosted his way through the defensive line and set up Coleman for his first try.
White’s conversion put the Brumbies up 7-3, but the home team struggled to put together multi-phase moves, missed more tackles than they would like and gave away a number of breakdown penalties.
From one of the penalties, powerful Springboks No.8 Duane Vermeulen powered his way across from close range after a drive from the Stormers pack following a lineout.
Grant’s conversion gave the Stormers a 10-7 advantage before the Brumbies responded with two of their own before the break.
Brumbies director of rugby Laurie Fisher said it was a massively important win for the team, who have now notched four straight victories.
“The Stormers have been very good defensively for many years now, so it’s unlikely you get to play a whole lot of fancy football against them,” Fisher said.
“You are pretty much committed to the grind and I thought we ground and ground tonight and eventually got a result at the end.”
The Stormers suffered a blow before the game when inspirational but injury-prone Springboks backrower Schalk Burger withdrew due to a grade two quadriceps tear that will keep him out for at least two more games.
Stormers coach Allister Coetzee said it was tough to watch as his team slumped to a third straight loss on their Australasian leg, but praised the Brumbies for their set piece proficiency.
“I think set piece made a massive difference. That last scrum in particular, I think they really came at us there and they did the job,” Coetzee said.
