Rugby: Brumbies storm back into finals

Clyde Rathbone of the Brumbies. Photo / Getty Images

The Brumbies have qualified for the Super Rugby finals for the first time in nine years after beating the Melbourne Rebels 39-17 at Canberra Stadium late on Friday.

The six-try bonus point victory gives the ACT franchise virtually an unassailable lead over nearest Australian conference rivals the Queensland Reds, and they can't be overtaken by the seventh-placed Auckland Blues. It's the first time the Brumbies have qualified for the Super Rugby finals since winning the competition in 2004.

However, an early injury to stand-in captain and Wallabies hopeful Nic White took some of the gloss off the emphatic victory. With his reliable box-kicking game missing, first-five Matt Toomua and Jesse Mogg ramped up their kicking and kept the Rebels buried in their own half for most of the match.

White came off the field in the ninth minute clutching his shoulder, just five minutes after prop Scott Sio had opened the scoring for the home side.

"I just cleaned up a bit of ball there, went in low thinking I was going in for a try and got a bit of contact," White said.

However, the Brumbies didn't allow their momentum to be stalled, with winger Clyde Rathbone crashing over in the left corner in the 11th minute to give his side a 10-0 lead.

The Brumbies seemingly then dropped a gear, both sides exchanging penalty goals before Rebels winger Tom English scored a try against the run of play to narrow the score to 13-10. But the home side hit back immediately with four consecutive tries of their own; Rathbone touching down for his second before Henry Speight, Colby Faingaa and Zack Holmes got a piece of the action. A consolation try to Rebels replacement Paul Alo-Emile with 10 minutes remaining managed to take a little sting off the final score.

Man of the match No8 Peter Kimlin, who took the captaincy reins following White's injury, was brilliant in his ability to crack the advantage line throughout the game.

He said he was inspired to lead by example: "Obviously I didn't have an option, I wasn't going to refuse it," he said. "The boys responded pretty well and we played a simple game."

Rebels coach Damien Hill said the Brumbies got the better of his team at the breakdown.

"That is the best breakdown contact unit in Australian rugby at the moment and that's something we need to get ourselves up to speed on," he said."That, plus the kicking duel, they won that."

Brumbies coach Jake White said it was a "hell of a relief" to go into the five-week break period knowing his side had qualified for the finals.

• Meanwhile, Ireland prop Cian Healy has been forced out of the British and Irish Lions tour of Australia with an injured ankle, only hours after being cleared of a biting allegation.

The Lions issued a statement saying Scotland prop Ryan Grant had been drafted in as extra cover after scans revealed extensive damage to Healy's left ankle, which he injured in Wednesday's win over Western Force.

England prop Alex Corbisiero was already on his way from Argentina to join the Lions squad as cover for Healy, and Grant was called in from Scotland's tour to South Africa as an extra reinforcement after Welsh front rower Gethin Jenkins was also forced to withdraw from the tour yesterday due to a calf strain. The Lions play three tests against Australia starting June 22.

- AAP, AP