Rugby: Brumbies ride out storm of emotion

Stirling Mortlock runs through the Stormers. Photo / Getty Images

SUPER 14
Brumbies 17
Stormers 10

It was always going to be an emotional night in Canberra. It was a horrid week for the Brumbies, one they never want to go through again.

The unknown was how much of an emotional toll the death of their teammate, Shawn Mackay, had taken. A moving tribute before kick-off brought tears and focus for the home side.

Playing with a stiff wind at their backs they dominated territory and possession for most of the first half. But they never built the points bank they needed. And that was always the concern.

They hit the break 9-0 ahead thanks to three Mark Gerrard penalties but it didn't feel enough.

It certainly didn't feel enough when Jean de Villiers was able to gather a high kick three minutes after the break and run through six tackles from inside his own half to score the opening try. It was quite hard to believe what was happening was really happening. There were men aplenty to put de Villiers down but they just didn't do it.

When the Brumbies defence finally looked like swallowing him up, he stopped, threw a dummy that everyone bought and he cantered over.

It was a critical score as it wiped out most of the Brumbies' lead early and made then realise they were going to have to slog it out for 35 minutes into the wind with the rain lashing to secure the victory.

How the Brumbies responded was going to be the clue as to their mental state. Did they have the resolve to fight on or would it all be too much? When Gerrard slotted a penalty immediately after there was fire left in the home side. They were not going to cave in and they let the Stormers know it.

The scrum stayed steady. The tackles continued to be made but they were guilty of trying to play too much rugby with a wet ball deep in their own territory.

Gerrard took control and began probing the ball deep into the corners and when he wasn't doing that, the forwards rumbled it effectively.

The Stormers started to lose heart. They clearly hated the rain and the cold and the longer it went on, the more it became apparent they didn't want to be there.

Patrick Phibbs scrambled over on 60 minutes to push the lead out to 10 points and that was it. The Brumbies weren't going to throw it away.

Not only were they playing with a lot of emotion stored, they were also playing to keep their faint playoff hopes alive. They are a long shot, but if the Brumbies had lost last night they would have had no shot.

They were helped no end by the fact the Stormers just couldn't do enough with the ball. They are a side with plenty of big names but they don't operate collectively.

Schalk Burger and AJ Venter were left to fight the good fight on their own and de Villiers was the only back who made an impression.

The Stormers didn't build any sustained pressure and they didn't put the ball in places where they could hurt the Brumbies.

Brumbies 17 (P. Phibbs try; M. Gerrard 4 pens)

Stormers 10 (J. de Villiers try; P. Grant con, pen)