Brumbies 37 Blues 15
Stirling Mortlock became the leading scorer in the history of the Super 14 - but he and his Brumbies team-mates really wanted a bonus point win last night.
They got it, too, largely thanks to Mortlock, but will still need to beat the Chiefs in their last round-robin match to
make the semifinals - and take a bonus point there, too. At least they have a chance. The Blues don't.
Mortlock, 31, showed he is still a real force at Super 14 and international level - several All Blacks may still wake with nightmares of Mortlock's attacking and defensive prowess in that horror-filled 2003 World Cup semifinal, when he was a leading light in the Wallabies' destruction of the All Blacks at the breakdown.
He says he wants to play in the 2011 World Cup and, by then, will have left Andrew Mehrtens' old Super rugby record of 990 points far, far behind.
The Blues, so unpredictable all season and after their capitulation to the Hurricanes last week, maintained their Dr Jekyll/Mr Hyde season by starting efficiently and playing rather well last night.
They had snap in their passes and running, their ball security was good and, more importantly, they had the Brumbies on at the breakdown.
They also had Isaia Toeava in blistering form. Twice in the first half hour, he carved up the Brumbies, the second time sparking a try to first five-eighths Jimmy Gopperth after good support work from wing Rene Ranger, their other standout player.
The Brumbies led 6-3 after 25 minutes but didn't have the Blues' penetration. With the Blues' erratic defence behaving itself, the visitors looked comfortably better in the first half, even if the scoreboard reflected closeness rather than a chasm.
The second half played out rather differently. The Brumbies increased their physical work at the breakdown, shelved their limp kicking and Mortlock began making inroads.
After one Mortlock cut, the Brumbies scrum embarrassed the Blues and Mortlock slid over in the corner for the try that made him the competition's most prolific player, with 994 points, when he slotted the sideline conversion.
With their intensity level lifted from indifferent to undeniable, the Brumbies recycled their way close to the line again and, from the scrum again, Francis Fainifo slipped over.
Then, as Yogi Berra once famously said, it was deja vu all over again. The Brumbies sliced the Blues up with runs from midfielders Tyrone Smith and Gene Fairbanks and halfback Patrick Phibbs scuttled over with the Blues defence gasping and grasping.
Then the coup de grace - Mortlock crash-tackled Tony Woodcock to turn the ball over and the Brumbies recycled their way to the bonus point try to hooker Huia Edmonds.
Joe Rokocoko scorched over after good work from Ranger but their season was done and dusted by Mother's Day. This time, they couldn't even find their familiar friend, a bonus point loss.
Brumbies 37 (S. Mortlock, F. Fainifo, B. Phibbs, H. Edmonds, S. Timani tries; M. Toomua drop goal, con; Mortlock 2 cons, pen) Blues 15 (J. Gopperth, J. Rokocoko tries; Gopperth con, pen). Halftime: 6-10.
