Brumbies vs Hurricanes: Wallabies lead the way, expect the unexpected

The ACT Brumbies are through to the semi-finals in Super Rugby Pacific, beating the Hurricanes 35-28 at Canberra’s GIO Stadium. With the Blues shocking the Chiefs in another one of the Qualifying Finals, the stage is set for some great matchups next week.

Ruben Love opened the scoring in the fifth minute for the Canes, and the first five-eighth was in the thick of the action when they regained the lead later in the half. The Canes led 14-7 midway through the first half, but the home side took control from there.

Billy Pollard completed a double, Allan Alaalatoa scored, Tom Wright raced away for a crucial five-pointer after the break, and James Slipper also got in on the point-scoring fun. It was a clinical performance deserving of a semi-final berth.

Here are some takeaways.

Wallabies lead the way in do-or-die final

With everything to play for, it was the big-name Wallabies who led the way for the Brumbies in this thriller at GIO Stadium. Rob Valetini, Tom Wright, Noah Lolesio, Allan Alaalatoa and Billy Pollard were especially impressive, all making their mark on a big stage.

As always, Valetini carried an imposing presence around the field, and the backrower backed that up time and time again against the Canes. ‘Bobby V’ had the most carries out of any Brumbies forward by the one-hour mark and impressed defensively as well.

Lolesio was clinical once again, in what was only the playmaker’s second game back from a stint on the sidelines. Alaalatoa and Pollard also made their mark, but there’s more on their excellence later in this piece.

Don’t forget about Wright, who raced away to score a decisive try six minutes into the second term. There’s also James Slipper, who received a loud applause from the faithful in attendance after scoring a key try with about 20 minutes left.

With the Blues shocking the Chiefs in Hamilton, there was no second chance for either of these teams in Canberra – winning was the only option. After months of resilience, hard work and perseverance, it all came down to this, and the Brumbies’ big-name players led the way.

Brumbies played to their biggest strength and were rewarded

With less than 90 seconds left in the first half, the Brumbies were awarded a penalty so close to the upright that Noah Lolesio could’ve thrown the ball over. That hypothetical penalty would’ve given the hosts a three-point lead, but they opted to kick for the corner.

Hooker Billy Pollard had crashed over from a rolling maul in the 10^th minute, and captain Allan Alaalatoa fought his way to the try line from a pick-and-drive later on. The Brumbies had done all of their point-scoring damage up-front and backed their forwards to do a job once again.

The Brumbies set up for another maul about five metres shy of the line, but another penalty saw them kick to the corner for a second time in about a minute. This time, the home side were rewarded, and the Canberra crowd loved every single moment of it.

Pollard peeled off the maul to score a second.

Then, Lolesio stepped up, converting a difficult conversion from out-wide.

The Brumbies were superb on the defensive side of the ball and made their mark in attack during the first term as well. Forever, the rolling maul has been the Brumbies’ most lethal weapon, and that proved to be the case once again in this Qualifying Final.

Points Flow Chart

Brumbies win +7

Time in lead

42

Mins in lead

10

52%

% Of Game In Lead

12%

35%

Possession Last 10 min

65%

0

Points Last 10 min

0

Ruben’s great at 10, but you’ve got to Love him at 15

Ruben Love is an incredibly talented rugby player.

Legendary All Black Grant Fox recently compared Love to a young Beauden Barrett, with the first five-eighth going on to win two World Rugby Player of the Year honours. To say that’s high praise is almost an understatement, but it’s a comparison many would feel included to agree with.

With the Wellington Lions in New Zealand’s National Provincial Championship, the Hurricanes at Super Rugby level, and even the All Blacks in one Test appearance to date, Love has showcased elite skill, vision, composure, and playmaking ability.

When Love debuted for the Canes back in 2021, the talent was seen primarily as a No. 10, but times have changed with the now 24-yaer-old playing a lot of rugby at fullback. At Test level, Love even scored a double on debut for the All Blacks as a winger.

But another strong performance at fullback on Saturday evening showed, at least for now, that Love’s best position is indeed in that No. 15 jumper. With more time and space in general play, Love was able to make the Brumbies pay on more than one occasion.

Love sliced through the Brumbies’ defensive line to score the opener in the fifth minute. Not only did Love nail the tough conversion, but the fullback was back in the thick of the action soon after, sending Fehi Fineanganofo over for a five-pointer midway through the first term.

After racing through a gap out wipe, Love threw a pinpoint cut-out pass – missing hooker Jacob Devery – to assist Fineanganofo. Once again, Love stepped up by converting the try from out wide, this time from the other sideline.

That was just the start of another solid, composed performance.

If you’re a Canes fan, or even an All Blacks supporter, you can’t help but Love what you’ve seen from Ruben in 2025. It seems inevitable that the Hurricane will get more opportunities in the black jersey in the very near future.

Expect the unexpected

Expect the unexpected in the Super Rugby Pacific Finals Series.

Saturday’s clash between the Chiefs and Blues showed the sport doesn’t always go to plan.

With the Blues stealing that one with an 83rd-minute winner, the defending champions will travel to Christchurch next week to face the Crusaders. As for the formerly number-one seeded Chiefs, they’ll look to bounce back against the travelling Brumbies.

The Brumbies showed against the Hurricanes that they’re more than capable of matching it with some foe from across the ditch, and while winning in New Zealand is another beast altogether, it’s not like the Canberrans haven’t done that this season.

Earlier in the campaign, the Brumbies shocked the world by beating the Blues at their fortress, Eden Park. Ryan Lonergan was the hero that night, scoring a last-gasp penalty goal to etch the 2025 Brumbies into history.

The Chiefs will be desperate to bounce back next week, and that’s an intimidating challenge in itself for the Brumbies, but the last Australian team standing will bring plenty of fight themselves. That should be another beauty.