Brumbies edge Kings in Super Rugby

May 21, 2017 - 12:19 AM The Brumbies moved a step closer to clinching the Australian conference with a 19-10 Super Rugby comeback win over the Kings in Port Elizabeth.

Second-half tries from winger Aidan Toua and fullback Tom Banks ended the Kings' winning run, with the South African side losing for the first time in four matches.

The victory by the Canberra-based Brumbies was the first by an Australian team this season in South Africa.

Banks scored the match winner with nine minutes remaining after the visitors trailed 10-5 at halftime.

Seven minutes before Banks scored, Toua crashed over after a nice kick from halfback Joe Powell to lock things up at 10-10.

"It is a great achievement to be the first Australian winners in South Africa this year," said Brumbies skipper Sam Carter.

The win lifts the Brumbies to 23 points with four rounds remaining, seven clear of the Queensland Reds and a gap of nine to the NSW Waratahs who host the Melbourne Rebels in Sydney on Sunday.

"We travelled from Canberra with a winning mindset and let us hope it continues in Argentina next weekend against the Jaguares," Carter said.

"In recent matches we secured lots of possession without translating it into points, so tonight marked a nice change for us.

"I wondered early in the second half if we were going to fail again as the Kings kept repelling our attacks, but all the pressure finally paid off."

The Kings made a great start when they were awarded a penalty try inside the opening 10 minutes which led to Banks being handed a yellow card for tackling a player without the ball.

The hosts kicked out to a 10-0 lead inside 20 minutes thanks to a penalty from five-eighth and captain Lionel Cronje.

Stephen Larkham's side hit back minutes later when hooker Josh Mann-Rea scored from a rolling maul after Kings prop Ross Geldenhuys was given a yellow card.

The visitors took control late in the game and the resilient Kings finally cracked.

"We were working off scraps of possession and were unable to keep the Brumbies at bay in the closing stages," Cronje said.

Source: AAP