Australia Capital Territory Brumbies coach Stephen Larkham has apologized after an “embarrassing” Super Rugby playoff capitulation to the Wellington Hurricanes, admitting the team let down their fans.
The Canberra-based side had high hopes of upsetting the rampant Hurricanes in Wellington on Friday evening and securing a spot in the semi-finals.
But it turned into a massacre, with the hosts scoring five tries before the break to quickly slam the door on any hope Larkham’s men had.
They eventually won 66-12 to inflict the biggest finals defeat on an Australian team in competition history.
“It’s embarrassing, it was frustrating and disappointing and all the adjectives you’d like to use,” Larkham said. “It seemed like the harder we tried, the worse things got out there. For our fans back in Australia, we appreciate your support, particularly the ones that follow us no matter what. We had an up-and-down season, and you rode it with us, and you know we managed to get through the finals, and there was probably some hope there. And we’ve let you down, and we’re sorry for that. And there’s a lot of frustration internally as well.”
The Brumbies started the season well but the wheels fell off, capped by defeat to bottom-dwellers Moana Pasifika in their final regular season game.
It pushed the Brumbies down to sixth on the ladder and a date with the table-topping Hurricanes.
“It’s been an inconsistent season for us, to say the least,” Larkham said. “It’s a younger group, but there’s no excuses.”
With All Blacks No.10 contender Ruben Love pulling the strings, the Hurricanes raced to a 31-0 lead, with Cam Roigard crossing twice, while Billy Proctor, Warner Dearns and Caleb Delany also dotted down.
Replacement Ngane Punivai bagged a second-half hat-trick with Dearns collecting a second to complete the rout.
Love was in the zone with the boot, kicking all nine conversions and adding a penalty.
“If you’d offered me that scoreline yesterday when I was looking out my window, I would have bitten your hand off,” assistant Hurricanes coach Bryn Evans said. “The boys trusted the game that has been serving us so well this season. The boys really believe in the way we play.”
They go on to meet the highest-ranked loser of the two remaining qualifying matches, between the Canterbury Crusaders and Auckland Blues, and Waikato Chiefs and Queensland Reds.
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