But when the clock hit 70, the Brumbies applied pressure, Blues first five-eighths Stephen Perofeta was sent to the sin bin for a knockdown and, ultimately, things fell apart for the visitors.
After putting themselves in a position to seal a successful two-game road trip, the Blues were beaten 30-27 by the Brumbies, with a Charlie Cale try at the death being the final say in a back-and-forth encounter.
“Losing like that is always heartbreaking, but I told my team after the game when we huddled up to keep our heads held high. You can’t fault the effort,” Blues captain Dalton Papali’i told Stan Sport.
“I felt like the Brumbies have been a class team for the past couple of years now and especially seeing them in the last two weeks, they’ve dominated some really good teams. We knew it was going to be a dogfight and all we asked from our boys was we want some dogs out there; we want some animals.
“I think we showed it today but just like [against] the Chiefs, it’s our last 10 minutes that we really need to look at ourselves and how we can become better because that’s what’s costing us.”
While Perofeta’s 71st-minute yellow card was immediately followed by a try to Brumbies flanker Luke Reimer, the Blues would have backed themselves to close the game out when they had possessions inside Brumbies territory with 80 seconds left on the clock.
However, Reimer got over the ball at the breakdown to win a penalty and give his side a minute to make something happen. Score good carries after a successful lineout got the Brumbies quickly into the right area of the field, before ultimately the competition’s leading try-scorer put another five-pointer next to his name.
With the win, the Brumbies stay at the top of the table with three wins in as many matches, while the Blues sit fifth with a 2-1 record. Of the 11 teams in the competition, only three have a winning record after three rounds.
The scoring began from the most unlikely source when, after cleaning up a loose ball, veteran loosehead prop thumped the ball downfield as Blues fullback Zarn Sullivan was up in the line.
That created a foot race, and Brumbies first five-eighths Declan Meredith was too quick for the Blues’ cover defence and nudged the ball ahead before planting it over the line.
That was soon cancelled out by Caleb Clarke, who scored after a smart intercept. The Blues winger did not score a single try in the 2025 season, but it was his first of two in Canberra.
With the scores level at the break, the Blues built a lead with Clarke’s second try and another through milestone man Papali’i, who was celebrating his 100th appearance in the contest.
“We’re going to look at ourselves pretty deep because we need to. It’s a big competition and games like this we need to win,” Papali’i said.
Blues 27 (Caleb Clarke 2, A.J. Lam, Dalton Papali’i tries; Stephen Perofeta 2 cons, pen)
Brumbies 30 (Declan Meredith, Billy Pollard, Luke Reimer, Charlie Cale tries; Ryan Lonergan 2 cons, 2 pens)
HT: 15-15
