Brumbies 24
Sharks 22
Not so long ago, Australian scrummaging was a joke, subject to the same humour that used to be applied to Italian tanks - you know, one forward gear, seven in reverse.
Yet, faced with an all-Springbok front row and a scrum of some grunt, the Brumbies so convincingly shunted the Sharks in that most South African of phases that prop Ben Alexander came up with a try from the resulting crashes at the line. It was Alexander's second of the night and a fillip that his team needed against the plucky Sharks.
It's hard to know what to make of the Brumbies so far this season. They have not really fired yet are handily placed. They have promise and potential but have not produced - a little like a high-performance car with a flash paint job but which hasn't been tuned for ages and which produces mostly exhaust noise and smoke.
They looked puzzlingly tepid for long periods against the Sharks last night, although it must be said that the luckless and winless South Africans played well, especially in defence. In the first half, the Brumbies finally gathered possession and strung together so many phases that the Sharks couldn't hold out and Alexander scored the first try.
That the Sharks came back was due to a faultless kicking display by English import Andy Goode and a slashing try by Ruan Pienaar. One of the world's classy halfbacks, Pienaar fell victim to the presence of Fourie du Preez in South African rugby and has been shunted around at first five-eighths and fullback.
In the Sharks, his versatility has meant enterprising halfback Rory Kockott was preferred but Pienaar is now back behind the scrum. It was his livewire dart from a series of Sharks pick-and-drives that scattered Brumbies defenders and saw the South Africans ahead 16-13 at halftime.
Alexander's scrum-based try was the difference in the end as Matt Giteau and Goode traded penalties in the second half. The Brumbies will probably put someone spectacularly to the sword soon - but it didn't happen last night.
Brumbies 24 (B. Alexander 2 tries; M. Giteau con, 4 pen), Sharks 22 (R. Pienaar try; A. Goode con, 5 pen). HT: 13-16.
