Full Time: Bumbies 12 18 Blues
Game Wrap: The Blues always looked to have the game in hand - a poor error rate from the Brumbies meant they could ever build pressure - not vintage by any means from the Blues but a fairly professional display and a 3 tries to none win. Highlights will be up shortly.
81mins: Brumbies making good gains here - inside the 22 on the 7th phase. Oh no - Sam Carter knocks the ball on - and that sums up the Brumbies day. referee calls time and the Blues have a crucial bonus point win.
79mins: Still holding the ball the Blues..17 phases, Luatua has been immense in this period of play - makes a mini break. 30 seconds left and the referee says penalty Brumbies - touch finder gets the hosts to the Blues 40m line..here we go!
77mins: Blues trying to shut the game down with phase play and have worked theor way up into Brumbies territory. 12 phases..90 seconds left on the clock.
75mins: Intricate play from the Blues forwards - Luatua at the centre of it and Nanai is almost away again - good tackle from Banks, grubber from Guyton but it's just a touch too long. 22m drop out for the hosts.
73mins: Nice little play from Pulu - milking a penalty at the ruck and the Blues will have a lineout on the Brumbies 22. Luatua has been impressive tonight - 100m made off 16 carries.
72mins: Blues almost in again but a floating bass by Gatland is ruled forward as Nanai was away down the touchline - fair call from the touchy and that will be Gatland's last involvement in the game..Billy Guyton on at first-five.
70mins: Nice exit play from the Blues - Pulu puts up a huge box kick which is knocked on by the Number 8, Lolo Fakaosilea...Attacking scrum for the Blues 30m out.
68mins: TRY BLUES - Malani Nanai. Wide pass from Pulu at the scrum - Duffie takes it well and the inside ball to Nanai produces a crucial Blues try - Bonus point at this stage - Gatland misses again which has kept the Brumbies in the game.
67mins: Penalty at scrum time and Pulu says we will have one more please referee and we will take two - another penalty here and it could be the Brumbies under a team warning.
66mins: Another penalty for the Blues right in front but Pulu turns down the easy three points - Scrum centre firld 5m out for the visitiors.
65mins: Outstanding work from Blake Gibson at the ruck and he earns his team a penalty - touch is found and the Blues have a 5m lineout.
63mins: Malanai Nanai with an electric break right through the defence but he throws a sloppy pass with the line open for Moala - The Blues manage to tidy up the loose ball and shift it wide but SBW throws the ball into touch and the Brumbies survive.
61mins: PENALTY GOAL BRUMBIES: Hawera throws it over and we have a 1-point ball game. Blues on a warning remember.
60mins: Brumbies keeping the ball well here - 9 phases and they have a penalty advantage - Blues offside again. Brumbies get the penalty and stand in captain Augustine Pulu is given a team warning by Briant. Carter decides the Brumbies will take the three.
57mins: Moala knocks the ball on aboit 30m out and Nanai picks it up in an offside position - Brumbies with the touch finder and they go on attack through a lineout. The shift the ball out-wide and SBW makes a cracking tackle in the midfield....ball is knocked on in the tackle by Andrew Smith and the Blues will have a defensive scrum.
55mins: TRY BLUES: Akira Ioane - Great play from the Blues - they marched down the field with ease and almost scored through Moala - the ball came off a Brumbies player and went into touch - Ioane grabs the lineout and is driven over from 5m out and referee says try - Gatland can't add the extras.
51mins: PENALTY GOAL BRUMBIES: The hosts hit the lead, Hawera makes no mistake this time...Charlie Faumuina off - Ofa Tu'ungafasi on.
50mins: Brumbies on attack through a turnover just inside halfway..great work from Sam Carter..they string together 5 phases and Ioane is eventually penalised for being offside at the ruck. Hawera with the shot from right in front.
47mins: Blues with 11 phases of play inside the Brumbies half but a turnover at the breakdown and they look to shift it immediately, nice run again from Banks..Brumbies at 7 phases now and the referee says scrum Brumbies as the ball is unplayable. Right on halfway here...parson looks to have suffered a knee injury.
44mins: Blues earn a penalty - great work from Ioane at the ruck - Dargaville penalised for holding on....Blues lineout 10m out - James Parsons off, Matt Moulds on and he fluffs the throw - Free-kick Brumbies.
42mins: PENALTY GOAL BRUMBIES: Brumbies lose their advantage but immediatley are awarded another penalty - this time in front..Scott Scrafton with an infringement at ruck time. Hawera bangs it over from in front.
41mins: Messy clearing kick from the Blues and the impressive Banks breaks away from inside is own-half..eventually dragged down by Collins but the tackle was high - Brumbies playing with an advantage here.
2nd-Half - Hawera gets us back underway....Blues in a good position but game far from won.
Halftime: Great defence in the last 5mins their from the Blues, they repelled the Brumbies attack with some bruising tackles....The Blues defended that last shot lineout from the hosts very well and the referee awards the visitors the turnover...halftime....be back shortly.
39mins: Great goaline defence from the Blues - shutting down wave after wave..Brumbies have an advantage - Tom Banks drops the ball with the line open but the home side have the penalty, but the Brumbies elect to go for the lineout...interesting....
38mins: Mistake from Gatland - great clearing kick but the ball was passed back by Pulu from just outside the 22. Attacking lineout to the Brumbies.
37mins: Tom Banks opens up the Blues defence like it's paper - but he blows a try-scoring cahnce with a wayward pass to Speights who would have run in under the posts but he can't handle the ball at hos feet....lucky escape for the visitors.
35mins: Free-Kick Brumbies - Blues infringe at scrum time, Pulu doesn't get the ball in.... so the Brumbies will have the feed now.
33mins: Brumbies continuing to throw the ball around and again make an awful mistake just on halfway. Blues with the scrum. Brumbies need to go to Plan B on the offensive playbook.
30mins: TRY BLUES: Blues playing with an advantage 10m out from the line, Moala again creating havoc, superb offload and this time Duffie gets the ball down. Nice build up play and good execution. Gatland can't add the extras. Blues needed that - they have had 60% of the ball and possesion.
27mins: Blues go on the attack again - Moala bumps off three defenders like they are ten pins. Brumbies knock the ball on attepmting a turnover..Scott Fardy is furious with himself.
26mins: Blues attack with intent - starting to get a roll-on but i just jinxed it....SBW knocks the ball on in contact looking for an offload and the Brumbies survive - that was good attack from the Blues..went 40m upfield with consumate ease but the Williams error releases the pressure valve.
24mins: Could be a try for the Blues here - Collins with a beautiful pass to put Duffie away - spectacular dive for the line...referee sends it upstairs and unluckily the ball just clipped the deadball line and tryline almost at the same time - No try - 22m drp out for the hosts.
23mins: Blues working the ball out nicely, finally making metres with ease - Brumbies turn the ball over but it's rule illegal and the Blues kick for touch - lineout 10m out for the visitors.
21mins: Gatland is ruled offside by referee Briant right in front of the posts, Brumbies skipper says three-please, but Hawera with a dreadful attempt from 30m out and the Blues escape.
19mins: Mistake from Pulu at the scrum base - the Brumbies hoof the ball down field, Collins is there again but is clearing kick is out on the full and the Brumbies have an attacking lineout 30m out.
17mins: Solid defenive work from the Blues - the Canberra side happy to shift the ball from side-to-side but don't nake too much of an impact - eventually the mistake comes from Henry Speight and the Blues have a scrum 25m out.
15mins: PENALTY GOAL BRUMBIES: Akira Ioane infringes at the ruck - can't support his own body weight and referee Nick Briant has no choice but to award the penalty. Hawera knocks it over from 20m out and 10m in from touch. All tied up after 16 minutes.
12mins: Brumbies finally with possesion inside Blues territory but Tom Banks is tackled over the touch line and the visitors have a a lineout. Gatland with the midfield bomb, collected by Duffie - Brumbies with the turnover, Collins cleans up the chip through but the hosts have an attacking lineout.
10mins: PENALTY GOAL BLUES: Blues earn themselves a penalty - Brumbies offside at the ruck...Nice ball retention from the Auckland based side, 9 phases in that period of play. Gatland makes no mistake from right in front.
8mins: Blues win the lineout against the throw - ball goes out-wide and a Brumbies defender knocks the ball on going for the intercept - Scrum Blues 15m out.
6mins: Blues with all the ball but making zero impact on the Brumbies defence. Gatland with a kick from halfway and it's brilliant - Rolls into touch 5m out from the Brumbies line.
5mins: Brumbies clear their 22 with a nice touch finder by five-eight Wharenui Hawera - Blues with the lineout just inside the Brumbies half.
3mins: Blues just trying to smash through the Brumbies - 12 phases so far..mostly one-off stuff but eventually George Moala lost the ball in the tackle and the Brumbies have a defensive scrum. Great defence from the home-side...the Blues though didn't offer too much on attack. Moal looks hurt - down with a knee injury.
1min: Nick Mayhew with a horrid error as the Brumbies tried to fling the ball around inside their 22. Blues will have a scrum 18m out.
Kick-Off: Gatland gets the game underway in the Canberra sunshine.
6.03pm: If the Blues played in the Australian conference they would be second behind the Brumbies on points differential.
6.01pm: Hey folks, welcome to the coverage....Bryn Gatland will start at five-eight, Pier Francis was injured in training yetserday.
Hello and welcome to live updates of the Brumbies hosting the Blues at GIO Stadium in Canberra.
We bring you live streaming written commentary, video highlights (be sure to refresh your browser) and all the action. VIDEO will be available as soon as the final whistle goes.
Commentary will start from around 6:00pm (NZT).
Lineups
Brumbies
1. Nic Mayhew, 2. Josh Mann-Rea, 3. Allan Alaalatoa, 4. Rory Arnold, 5. Sam Carter (C), 6. Scott Fardy, 7. Chris Alcock, 8. Lolo Fakaosilea, 9. Joe Powell, 10. Wharenui Hawera, 11. James Dargaville, 12. Andrew Smith, 13. Tevita Kuridrani, 14. Henry Speight, 15. Tom Banks
Reserves - 16. Robbie Abel, 17. Ben Alexander, 18. Leslie Leulua’iali’i-Makin, 19. Blake Enever, 20. Jarrad Butler, 21. De Wet Roos, 22. Jordan Jackson-Hope, 23. Aidan Toua
Blues
1. Pauliasi Manu, 2. James Parsons (c), 3. Charlie Faumuina, 4. Gerard Cowley-Tuioti, 5. Scott Scrafton, 6. Steven Luatua, 7. Blake Gibson, 8. Akira Ioane, 9. Augustine Pulu, 10. Bryn Gatland, 11. Rieko Ioane, 12. Sonny Bill Williams 13. George Moala, 14. Matt Duffie 15. Michael Collins
Reserves - 16. Matt Moulds, 17. Ofa Tu’ungafasi, 18. Sione Mafileo, 19, Leighton Price, 20, Murphy Taramai, 21, Billy Guyton, 22, Sam Knock, 23, Melani Nanai
Match facts and stats
Referee: Nick Briant (NZL)
Assistants: Ed Martin (AUS), James Leckie (AUS)
TMO: George Ayoub (AUS)
The Brumbies have won four of their last six home games against the Blues, including a 26-9 win against them when they last met in the ACT in Round 8, 2014.
The side from the Australian capital have lost their last four home games against New Zealand opposition, though; the last and only time they lost more such fixtures was a five-game drought from 1998 to 2000.
The Blues have won just four of their last 34 games away from home (D1, L29), though three of those four wins came in Australia.
The Brumbies are the most effective tackling team in the competition this season, boasting a tackle success rate of 87%.
Rieko Ioane scored a hat-trick, gained 144m, and laid on a try assist in his last visit to Australia (Rd 1, 2017 v Rebels).
Past meetings
Head to head: Played 22, Brumbies 9, Blues 13, draws 0
In Australia: Played 9, Brumbies 5, Blues 0, draws 1
Last time played: Blues 40 def Brumbies 15, July 8, 2016
Last time in Australia: Brumbies 26 def Blues 9, April 4, 2014
Head-to-head: Brumbies - $2.45 Blues- $1.45
Pre-match banter - Opinion: Are the All Blacks on the verge of a back-row crisis? - Matt Tewhatu
OPINION: The announcement that Jerome Kaino was to undergo knee surgery this week was a surprising one.
With just six weeks until the international break, his injury layoff means he won't likely play another match until the All Blacks' first Lions Test on June 24.
Considering what's at stake and the current condition of New Zealand's back-row options, that's a huge risk to take.
Thanks to the country's ability to produce fine open sides, the black number seven shirt is well served with Sam Cane, Matt Todd and Ardie Savea all capable of walking into any other international team in the world.
However, when you examine the depth of players able to play six and eight, international quality stock are surprisingly few and far between.
Liam Squire and Elliot Dixon have been groomed to be able to play both in the six and eight roles at an international level. But currently, they're far from All Black starting players not to mention the injury troubles suffered by both this season.
Even if they were fit and ready to go, with the Lions boasting a typically sizable pack, there's no way you could expect either player to slot in to start should Kaino's injury recovery take longer than expected.
Considering this, Kaino's prolonged absence would place huge pressure on captain Kieran Read. The All Blacks have never really lacked depth in any position, but should Kaino's injury layoff stretch into the Lions series, they're one more injury away from a crisis.
Other options that could possibly be on the table should the worst happen includes slotting Savea into six or eight, as he has done for the Hurricanes this season.
But the All Blacks' selectors have previously demonstrated an unwillingness to start with essentially two sevens in the back-row. And against a bulky and ball-running Lions pack, the All Blacks will lack significant size.
With Super Rugby form players being the next option, there's every chance the likes of Brad Shields, Jordan Taufua or Luke Whitelock could get a call up.
But throwing Test rookies into a Lions series comes with infinitely more risk.
If a selection had to be made to fill Kaino or Read's spot, judging by current form and experience, the next loose forward in line should be Steven Luatua. He's performed well since coming back for the Blues and while he hasn't set the field alight for the All Blacks before, the selectors know he's capable of doing a job.
The likelihood of the All Blacks' selectors getting caught with their pants down in the back row is low. There's every chance that they sat down with the Blues coaching team and Kaino and planned every aspect of his recovery and return to get him back at peak fitness as soon as possible.
However, surgery is surgery and there's always risk. If Kaino's not fit come June 24, the All Blacks selectors will be throwing the dice regardless of their replacement. That's when the real games start.
