Corey Toole’s sensational 100-metre intercept try in the final minute capped a stunning Brumbies comeback as they rallied from 17 points down to defeat the Chiefs 33–24 and celebrate James Slipper’s record-breaking night in style at GIO Stadium.
Key moments
6′ – TRY BRUMBIES: A fantastic start with a brilliant scrum saw the Brumbies strike early. Hudson Creighton finished in the corner after the Chiefs ran out of numbers on the wing following a sharp move off the set piece. Ryan Lonergan converts. (Brumbies 7–0 Chiefs)
18′ – TRY CHIEFS: A wonderful passing move off the scrum saw Etene Nanai-Seturo find Liam Coombes-Fabling, who charged through the gap and powered over the line. Damian McKenzie converts. (Brumbies 7–7 Chiefs)
22′ – TRY CHIEFS: End-to-end rugby resulted in a double for the Chiefs fullback. Josh Lord made a brilliant break down the right before Cortez Ratima found Coombes-Fabling on the short ball, and he crossed for his second. McKenzie converts. (Brumbies 7–14 Chiefs)
40+1′ – PENALTY CHIEFS: McKenzie slots from 15m out after the Brumbies were penalised for not rolling away at the ruck. (Brumbies 7–17 Chiefs)
Half-time: Brumbies 7–17 Chiefs. The Chiefs weathered an early Brumbies storm and took control through clinical finishing. Liam Coombes-Fabling crossed twice as the visitors punished errors, while Damian McKenzie’s composure helped them build momentum. The Brumbies had territory and chances but were held up over the line on multiple occasions, costly misses that left them trailing by ten at the break.
56′ – TRY CHIEFS: Excellent from the Chiefs as Quinn Tupaea burst into the 22 before finding Josh Jacomb, who drew his man and sent McKenzie through on a lovely support line. McKenzie converts his own try. (Brumbies 7–24 Chiefs)
60′ – TRY BRUMBIES: The Brumbies hit straight back! Lonergan went down the short side and found Declan Meredith, who managed to fire a ball back infield to Lonergan despite nearly being taken into touch. After a TMO check confirmed Meredith stayed in the field of play, the try stands. Lonergan misses the conversion. (Brumbies 12–24 Chiefs)
64′ – TRY BRUMBIES: Of course it’s Cale! Rob Valetini had a dart from the base and was stopped 5m short before Charlie Cale picked from the back of the ruck and barged over for his eighth try of the season. Lonergan converts. (Brumbies 19–24 Chiefs)
71′ – TRY BRUMBIES: Meredith in the corner! Luke Reimer carried hard near the 22 as the Brumbies went through the middle. Kye Oates broke into the 22 before Reimer got a lovely offload away to Meredith, who strolled over in the corner. Lonergan nails the sideline conversion to give the Brumbies the lead! (Brumbies 26–24 Chiefs)
77′ – PENALTY MISSED CHIEFS: McKenzie pushes a critical penalty attempt to the right from 37m out. The Brumbies survive.
79′ – TRY BRUMBIES: Toole delivers at the death! The Chiefs attacked hard inside the Brumbies’ 5m line in the final minute, but Simon Parker’s pass was read perfectly by Corey Toole, who intercepted and streaked 100m to score under the posts. Lonergan converts. (Brumbies 33–24 Chiefs)
Full-time: Brumbies 33–24 Chiefs
Match report
It was James Slipper’s night in Canberra, and his Brumbies teammates obliged with a dramatic comeback victory for the ages to get their Super Rugby Pacific campaign well and truly back on track.
On the evening that the veteran prop broke the record for the most appearances in Super Rugby history, surpassing Crusaders legend Wyatt Crockett — present at the game — by winning his 203rd cap, the men from the Australian Capital Territory dug deep to nail the result the occasion deserved.
In a moment that will live long in Super Rugby history, Slipper became the competition’s most-capped player, running out for his 203rd game. Both teams formed a guard of honour before Slipper walked through holding his two young daughters. An emotional scene that brought the stadium to its feet and, for many, tears to their eyes. With fans embracing the “Slippers for Slipper” campaign, the stands were filled with supporters proudly wearing slippers in tribute.
The emotion quickly gave way to intensity. The Brumbies struck early with Hudson Creighton flying over in the opening six minutes after a sharp set-piece move, setting the tone for a side clearly determined to rise to the occasion. The crowd was loud, relentless, and firmly behind their team.
But it was the typically inspirational Damian McKenzie who threatened to overshadow the 36-year-old’s night as he led his team to a 17-point advantage with 24 minutes remaining. The Chiefs absorbed that early blow and rattled off 17 straight points to take a 17–7 lead into the sheds at the break.
Something had to give, and it eventually did when fullback Liam Coombes-Fabling struck with a brilliant try double either side of the first-quarter mark. The first was a slick move off scrum as Coombes-Fabling did well to finish in the tackle, and the second finished a surging move sparked by Etene Nanai-Seturo’s break and a nice piece of speed and skill by Josh Lord out wide.
When the second half opened, the Chiefs looked ready to put it beyond doubt. McKenzie finished off a lovely support-line try, Quinn Tupaea was immense in the midfield battle, and the visitors kept forcing the Brumbies into mistakes. For long periods, it felt like the Chiefs had the game exactly where they wanted it.
But just when it seemed like the game was slipping away, the Brumbies found another gear. Ryan Lonergan sparked the fightback with a crucial try in the 60th minute, diving over after Declan Meredith managed to fire a ball back infield despite nearly being taken into touch. Charlie Cale crashed over not long after for his eighth try of the season, and suddenly the crowd at GIO Stadium came alive again.
In the 52nd minute, Slipper left the field to a standing ovation, the crowd rising in appreciation of a remarkable career and a historic milestone. Wearing a new jersey with a golden No.1 on his back, Slipper registered five tackles and 12 metres in his 52 minutes on the park. His side responded in fitting fashion, lifting the intensity and turning pressure into belief.
Meredith gave the Brumbies the lead with a sharp finish in the corner after Luke Reimer’s lovely offload, before the Chiefs came again and looked certain to snatch it late as they charged deep into attacking territory. McKenzie had a 77th-minute penalty from 37 metres out that would have put the visitors back in front with less than five minutes remaining. But he pushed it wide.
The visitors had one more shot as McKenzie, Simon Parker and Luke Jacobson took them surging onto attack in search of the winning score. That looked an inevitability until Parker bobbled ball at a ruck on the line, popped it up just a beat too late, and Toole jumped on it to dash clear and kick the celebrations into gear.
The finish was pure chaos, and pure drama. Reading the pass perfectly, Toole shot out of the line, intercepted, and tore away the length of the field to send the stadium into disbelief. It was a stunning way to complete the comeback, and on Slipper’s record-breaking night, it gave the Brumbies a result packed with heart, resilience and a little bit of magic.
Victory is a modicum of revenge after the Brumbies were dumped out of last year’s semi-finals by the Chiefs 37–17. It will also be a welcome relief for coach Stephen Larkham, having lost their past two clashes and sacrificed top spot on the Super Rugby Pacific ladder.
The Chiefs did a lot well. Tupaea was outstanding once again, making some big plays over the ball at the breakdown, carrying hard with 65 metres and seven defenders beaten, reinforcing his status as one of the premier midfielders in the New Zealand game. Coombes-Fabling was quality at fullback with his try double, McKenzie was destructive on the run throughout, and Nanai-Seturo had his share of bright moments on the wing. Lock Lord was fabulous in a busy pack, striding out to showcase his athleticism and running ability.
There was a lot to like about the Brumbies’ effort as they snapped a two-game losing streak to improve to 4–2 and 19 competition points. The Chiefs drop to 3–2 and remain on 13 points. Wings Toole and Kye Oates ran for a combined 181 metres, Andy Muirhead was tireless at the back, and halves Lonergan and Meredith were instrumental in the victory.
Slipper was officially commemorated post-match with a special on-field ceremony, capping off a truly memorable night. A tribute video featuring messages from some of his closest teammates and friends played to the crowd before Slipper himself took to the stage. In a speech marked by humility and poise, he thanked those who had supported him throughout his journey. Fittingly, fans remained in the stands to witness the occasion, bringing a perfect close to an unforgettable night.
The Brumbies stay at home to face the Waratahs next Friday night, while the Chiefs head to Perth to take on the Force as they look to bounce back.
Teams
Brumbies: 15 Andy Muirhead, 14 Kye Oates, 13 Kadin Pritchard, 12 Hudson Creighton, 11 Corey Toole, 10 Declan Meredith, 9 Ryan Lonergan (c), 8 Charlie Cale, 7 Rory Scott, 6 Rob Valetini, 5 Cadeyrn Neville, 4 Nick Frost, 3 Darcy Breen, 2 Billy Pollard, 1 James Slipper.
Replacements: 16 Liam Bowron, 17 Blake Schoupp, 18 Tevita Alatini, 19 Toby Macpherson, 20 Luke Reimer, 21 Klayton Thorn, 22 Tane Edmed, 23 Austin Anderson.
Chiefs: 15 Liam Coombes-Fabling, 14 Leroy Carter, 13 Daniel Rona, 12 Quinn Tupaea, 11 Etene Nanai-Seturo, 10 Damian McKenzie, 9 Cortez Ratima, 8 Luke Jacobson (c), 7 Jahrome Brown, 6 Simon Parker, 5 Tupou Vaa’i, 4 Josh Lord, 3 Reuben O’Neill, 2 Samisomi Taukei’aho, 1 Jared Proffit.
Replacements: 16 Tyrone Thompson, 17 Ollie Norris, 18 George Dyer, 19 Seuseu Naitoa Ah Kuoi, 20 Samipeni Finau, 21 Xavier Roe, 22 Josh Jacomb, 23 Lalakai Foketi.
Match details
Brumbies 33 (Tries: Creighton, Lonergan, Cale, Meredith, Toole; Conversions: Lonergan 4/5)
Chiefs 24 (Tries: Coombes-Fabling 2, McKenzie; Conversions: McKenzie 3/3; Penalties: McKenzie 1/1)
Half-time: 7–17
Venue: GIO Stadium, Canberra
Referee: Nic Berry (Australia)
Assistant Referees: Reuben Keane, Louis Trisley
TMO: Brett Cronan
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