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Watch: Brumbies run full length of field for dramatic try
By Ned Lester
The Brumbies had already secured their status as Australia’s premier Super Rugby side before round 15’s victory over the Melbourne Rebels. The team sit fourth on the table having suffered just four losses throughout the 15 rounds of action in 2023.
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The potential of advancing to the playoffs with the advantage of a home quarter-final was on the line in Friday’s match. The team knew their likely opponents would be the Hurricanes, but they would have to win to ensure they would play the first of their postseason games in front of their own faithful fans at GIO Stadium in Canberra.
One man who understood the assignment and was determined to get his team on track after a tight first half was Wallabies fullback, Tom Wright.
The speedster was hovering out wide on defence when he spotted the ball come loose after a flat pass from Carter Gordon went astray. The ball bounced in Wright’s direction and he swooped it to initiate the counter-attack.
Wright’s pace saw him make 30 meters with the ball in hand before throwing a wild offload infield for Corey Toole to retrieve. A swift succession of offloads saw half the Brumbies’ backline touch the ball before Len Ikitau was dragged to ground just ten meters away from the try-line.
Ikitau fittingly found the man who had sparked the attack initially in Tom Wright and the fullback beat on final defender before scoring with a dive in the corner.
BRILLIANT @BrumbiesRugby 👏
Have we got ANOTHER try of the year contender?!#SuperRugbyPacific pic.twitter.com/NAGxErr4gq
— Super Rugby Pacific (@SuperRugby) June 2, 2023
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The try came just five minutes into the second half and set the tone for the following half hour. A halftime lead of 14-10 was extended to 33-17 by the time the full-time whistle blew.
The play wasn’t without its controversy though, a number of fans called out Wright’s offload as forward as Toole did catch it a good seven meters further upfield from where Wright released the ball. There was no inspection from the referees however and the try stood.
The loss sealed the Rebels’ fate, the Melbourne side are now sure to finish eleventh with just four wins to their name in a difficult 2023 season.
