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Following the Brumbies’ impressive 21-20 comeback triumph over the Blues in their Super Rugby Pacific clash at Eden Park in Auckland on Friday, Planet Rugby picks out five takeaways from the thrilling action.
The top line
Like most Super Rugby Pacific encounters in 2025, there was plenty of thrilling action throughout and this was very much a game of two halves with the match up for grabs until its dying moments.
The Blues were fastest out of the blocks and with Beauden Barrett starting his first match at fly-half, Super Rugby Pacific’s defending champions held the upper hand during the first half.
After trading early penalties with Brumbies counterpart Declan Meredith, Barrett crossed for a well-taken try before the visitors struck back with a five-pointer of their own from Allan Alaalatoa, which meant the sides were level at 10-10 midway through the half.
The Blues finished the half stronger though and held a 20-10 lead at the interval after Angus Ta’avao and Rieko Ioane also crossed the whitewash.
It was a different story after the half-time though as the Blues came out minus Barrett, who had sustained a hand injury, with Harry Plummer taking over as their fly-half.
The Brumbies took control of proceedings as Meredith added another penalty early on before crossing the whitewash in the 49th minute, although he could not slot the conversion which meant the Blues held a slender 20-18 lead with 30 minutes left to play.
The closing half-hour was a war of attrition as both sides went in search of victory but the Brumbies sealed their first win at Eden Park since 2013 when replacement scrum-half Ryan Lonergan held his nerve to slot the match-winning penalty in the game’s dying moments.
Beauden Barrett’s absence keenly felt
After starting at full-back in the Blues’ first three Super Rugby Pacific matches, the experienced playmaker was finally starting at fly-half and made an excellent opening to this match.
Although he missed a couple of conversion kicks, it felt like the All Blacks star was finding some sparkling form, as he was heavily involved in the Blues’ attacking play and gave them direction with excellent game management.
Playing at fly-half meant the 33-year-old was closer to the action and he left his stamp on the match when he glided through a gap in the Brumbies defence before crossing for a deserved try.
He continued to be influential on attack as the Blues ran in two further tries ahead of the break but they had to do without his services in the second half due to that hamstring injury.
Unfortunately, the champions looked a pale shadow of themselves without Barrett pulling the strings on attack and the All Blacks playmaker’s injury will be a big concern for Vern Cotter.
Brumbies pack pave the way to victory
Although losing the services of Barrett was a major setback for the Blues, the Brumbies deserve plenty of credit for clinching this victory especially their forwards, who took the fight to their opponents for the full 80 minutes.
During the opening half, Barrett was running the show but the Brumbies managed to stay in touch with their hosts, with their forwards gaining parity up front and they were still in the match despite trailing by 10 points on the scoreboard.
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The visitors’ pack kept the ball at close quarters in the opening half and were rewarded with a try from Wallabies front-row Alaalatoa, and after the interval they stepped up their forward onslaught.
The Brumbies put plenty of pressure on the Blues in the lineouts while they also dominated at scrum time which resulted in them winning some penalties at the set-piece.
From there they dominated the territorial and possession stakes and with the Blues conceding several defensive penalties, it set up points-scoring opportunities for the Brumbies.
Meredith’s try in the 49th minute was a good example of this as the visitors put the ball into touch, from a penalty close to the Blues’ try-line, and after taking the ball through the phases with the forwards, the visitors struck out wide with Tom Wright offloading to Meredith, who dotted down.
Blues’ weaknesses exposed again
After winning their first full Super Rugby title in 21 years last year, Blues supporters were hoping they would build on that success in 2025.
Unfortunately, that has not been the case as they have now lost three out of four matches this year after previous reversals against the Chiefs and Highlanders and last weekend’s maiden victory of the campaign against the Hurricanes.
While losing Barrett was a definite setback for Cotter’s troops, like the Chiefs and Highlanders, the Brumbies took the fight to the Blues in the tight exchanges and the home side were found wanting.
With the likes of Dalton Papali’i and Sam Darry currently injured and fellow All Black Hoskins Sotutu currently suspended, they were not at full strength, and although captain Patrick Tuipulotu put up a brave fight, he did not receive much support from his fellow forwards.
Meanwhile, backline stars like All Blacks trio Rieko Ioane, Caleb Clarke and Mark Tele’a showed plenty of promise during the first half but became less influential as the match progressed and they can’t put that down to Barrett’s absence after half-time.
With their next match being away against the high-riding Chiefs in Hamilton next week, the champions will have to find their mojo quickly or another defeat awaits.
Declan Meredith shows his class
Meredith had big boots to fill when he was named as Noah Lolesio’s replacement after the Wallabies playmaker sustained a concussion in their victory over the Fijian Drua in their tournament opener.
The rookie fly-half has shown glimpses of his ability in the Brumbies’ previous matches against the Force and Brumbies but although the men from Canberra lost both those matches, head coach Stephen Larkham has persisted with him.
And the 25-year-old had to be at his best as he was facing a real superstar in Barrett as his direct opponent. And although Barrett was winning that direct battle while he was on the field, Meredith showed some deft touches on attack while he kicking out of hand was also of a high standard.
Meredith rose to the occasion after the interval as he continued to look dangerous on attack and was rewarded with a try during the second half’s early stages.
Although the rest of the half was a closely fought battle, Meredith continued to ask questions of the Blues defence and ultimately helped them achieve their goal of beating the champions.
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