The Brumbies ended a 42-year drought for Australian provincial teams against the British and Irish Lions, holding on for a 14-12 upset victory in wet and slippery conditions after a hail storm in the national capital on Tuesday night.
The injury-hit Lions, who dominated the first five games on their 2013 tour, were behind on the scoreboard from the fifth minute against the Super Rugby-leading Brumbies after centre Tevita Kuridrani burst through three tackles to score. It was the only try of the match, with Jess Mogg landing three penalties for the Brumbies and Stuart Hogg and Owen Farrell each kicking two penalties for the Lions.
The combined team from England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales hasn't lost to an Australian provincial team since a shocking defeat to Queensland in 1971, and hasn't lost to any provincial team since the tour to South Africa in 1997.
The Lions have only a few days to regroup before Saturday's first Test against Australia in Brisbane, where they'll feature an entirely different starting XV.
The second-string lineup struggled for cohesion with four new backs drafted in to face the Brumbies, who relied on some heavy defence and a Jake White-designed game plan to unsettle them. The Lions lineout was also constantly under attack.
"They showed so much ticker at the end there. There's a lot to be proud of," said White, who guided South Africa to the 2007 World Cup title. "The way we closed the game off is obviously very pleasing."
"I've been lucky enough to win a junior and senior World Cup. But to beat the Lions - It's as high as it gets."
The defeat will hurt a Lions squad which had aimed to get through its 10-match tour undefeated. Now they're 5-1, with three test matches and one more tour match to come.
"Today was a setback but it'll give us a bit of a reality check and we'll come back strongly from that," Lions lock Richie Gray said.
Fullback Mogg was central to the Brumbies' success, kicking consistently well in general play and setting up the try with an extra-long cut-out pass to spark the fruitful counterattack in the early stages.
His long ball found Andrew Smith, who straightened up the attack, dummied inside and then unloaded outside to Kiridrani, who beat three tacklers on an angled run to the tryline.
Mogg missed the conversion but kicked another penalty to give the Brumbies an 8-0 lead before Hogg cut the margin to five points at the break with a penalty deep in first-half stoppage time.
Two more Mogg penalties in the second half gave the Brumbies a 14-3 lead, but the Lions steadily eroded the margin with three more penalty goals leading to a frantic finish.
The Canberra-based Brumbies also ran the Lions all the way on the 2001 tour before losing 30-28. The Lions won the first test against Australia in that series but lost the next two tests and now haven't won a series since the 1997 trip to South Africa.
Lions coach Warren Gatland said the game was decided in the breakdown.
"A bit frustrating. All credit to the Brumbies in terms of the way they played and the pressure they put us under," Gatland said. "We conceded a soft try pretty early on and after that it was a bit of a dog fight."
Ireland hooker Rory Best, who was leading the midweek Lions team, said the tourists lost confidence and lacked composure at the breakdown.
"We got physically beaten up front, they put a lot of pressure on the set-piece and we got a bit nervy, and all credit to the Brumbies they were hungrier than us right across the board," Best said. "We let our standards drop tonight and it'll be up to the 15 and 23 guys picked this weekend to raise those again.
"We didn't want to lose the momentum that we've gained on the tour, but we've done that and now we have to dust ourselves down and see where we go from here."
Brumbies 14 (Tevita Kuridrani try; Jess Mogg 3 penalties), British and Irish Lions 12 (Stuart Hogg 2, Owen Farrell 2 penalties). HT: 8-3.
AP
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