Brumbies return to the winner's circle with vocal home crowd behind them

They might have been small in number, but Brumbies fans filled the stadium with raucous and rowdy support as the Brumbies returned to the winner’s circle with a 24-17 win over the Durban Sharks on Saturday night (17th March).

Tries from Lausii Taliauli and crowd favourite Henry Speight and a stunning performance from the boot of Wharenui Hawera led the Brumbies to a seven-point win over the South African franchise in front of 8,122 ecstatic fans at GIO Stadium.

Brumbies coach Dan McKellar was “sick of” missed opportunities with the Brumbies languishing in fourth in the Australian conference, so he turned to Hawera to guide the Brumbies to a vital win.

The Brumbies’ goal kicking had been dreadful this season with a 27 per cent strike rate, but Hawera nailed five from six with two coming from the halfway line and beyond.

It wasn’t a perfect match but the Brumbies put in a gritty performance to stay within touching distance of the leading pack in the Australian conference.

Local photographer Ben Appleton from Photox was at the game to capture all the action on and off the field.