Published: 8:29PM Sunday May 05, 2013 Source: AAP/ONE Sport
Dan Carter in action against the Brumbies - Source: Getty Images
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A lacklustre performance from the Brumbies has seen them slump to their first home loss of the Super Rugby season, falling to their old foes the Crusaders 30-23 in Canberra.
The Crusaders slowly ground their opponents down in front of 16,544 spectators at Canberra Stadium, their defence simply too strong and well prepared for the Brumbies wide gameplan.
After disappointing losses to the Hurricanes and the Western Force, the Crusaders sixth win in 10 matches this season proving a watershed moment for captain George Whitelock.
"We thought this game would be season defining and we got there and have done the job so now after 10 rounds we get the bye and can freshen up," the flanker said in a pitchside interview.
"We knew we had to front up tonight and get physical and I'm pretty pleased with the way the boys did it.
"We talked about it all week that that was going to be the winning of the game and the guys got off the line and made some big hits and made the tackles count tonight so that was pretty pleasing."
The Brumbies failed to build momentum throughout the match, with poor handling, disrupted lineouts and scrum penalties being the main culprits.
The Crusaders encountered their own problems at the lineout, but still managed to dominate territory on the back of five-eighth Dan Carter's boot.
The ever-solid Carter had an unblemished night in front of the posts, nailing three penalties and three conversions.
Flanker George Smith was a shining light for the home side in his record 137th Super Rugby game for the Brumbies, stealing balls in the ruck in his trademark fashion and making dozens of tackles in defence.
Brumbies five-eighth Matt Toomua got the early wood over Carter, intercepting his opposite's cut out pass near his tryline and running 85 metres to open the scoring in the seventh minute.
The two sides traded penalties before Crusaders halfback Andy Ellis scored in the 21st minute to level the scores 10-10.
The scoreline remained unchanged until the 59th minute when Crusaders winger Zac Guilford found himself on the end of an overlap and dived over in the corner.
A fresh-off-the-bench Israel Dagg then scored in the 73rd minute to secure the match for the visitors.
A late try to Ben Mowen and then a penalty to Christian Lealiifano was enough to salvage a late bonus point for the Brumbies, but it proved too little too late for a win.
Despite the loss, the Brumbies remain on top of the Super Rugby table, one point ahead of the Chiefs and two points ahead of nearest conference rivals the Queensland Reds.
The Crusaders [34 points] remain third in the New Zealand Conference behind the Blues [36 points] and Chiefs [40 points].
Crusaders 30 (Israel Dagg, Andrew Ellis, Zac Guildford tries Daniel Carter 3 cons 3 pens)
Brumbies 23 (Ben Mowen, Matt Toomua tries Christian Lealiifano, Toomua cons Lealiifano 3 pens)
Halftime: 10-10
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