The ACT Brumbies were left to rue a night of missed opportunities as Moana Pasifika claimed a dramatic 21-19 victory at GIO Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Kitted out in the 2026 Indigenous jersey and with an afternoon that promised a celebration of culture and rugby, the Brumbies took on Moana in the final regular season fixture, before setting their sights on a finals campaign.
Following a stirring Welcome to Country and a fierce Moana Pasifika Tua Moana war cry, the Brumbies struck instantly from the kick off. Flanker Rory Scott crashed over on the two minute mark, with skipper Ryan Lonergan converting for an early 7-0 lead.
Moana thought they had hit back immediately through Solomon Alaimalo, but the effort was pulled back for a forward pass. Disallowed tries proving to be the common storyline of the night.
The hosts made them pay. Tom Wright finished beautifully in the corner, carrying two players over the line. Another superb Lonergan conversion pushed the lead to 14-0.
Then, the script flipped. Veteran James Slipper was yellow-carded, and the visitors smelled blood. Playmaker Patrick Pellegrini first sniped over from the base of a ruck, and minutes later, latched onto a sneaky Augustine Pulu pass to secure his brace. Converting both of his own tries, Pellegrini pulled Moana Pasifika level at 14-14 just as Slipper returned.
Discipline troubles then swung to the visitors; with Faletoi Peni sent to the sin bin for a no-arms tackle. Yet, despite the numerical advantage, the Brumbies' execution let them down, sending both teams to the sheds locked at 14 all.
Looking to break the halftime deadlock, the Brumbies rung the changes at the break, introducing Nick Frost, Tane Edmed, and Lachlan Lonergan into the fray. The tactical shift sparked an immediate assault, but after grinding through ten phases just five metres out, a pass to Andy Muirhead was ruled forward, wasting a golden try-scoring opportunity.
Charlie Cale ended a successful injury return to swap with Luke Reimer, while a blood injury to Lonergan forced Billy Pollard back into the front row. Reimer made an instant impact, executing a crucial breakdown steal on his own five-metre line to relieve intense Moana pressure. The injection of debutant Jarrah McLeod added fresh energy, and the Brumbies finally broke the stalemate. A slick, wide shift from Wright put Reimer over the line, claiming a 19-14 lead.
With Klayton Thorn, Blake Schoupp, and Rhys van Nek injected off the bench, the hosts' advantage looked secure when Moana’s Faletoi Peni was red-carded for head-on-head contact. The Brumbies thought they had sealed it when Thorn sniped over, but the TMO chalked it off, keeping the gap at five points.
Playing with 14 men, Moana Pasifika produced a sensational sequence of hot-potato passing out of nowhere, releasing Melani Matavao under the posts. Patrick Pellegrini converted to snatch a 21-19 lead with less than 10 to run on the clock.
The Brumbies fought desperately for one final opportunity, but Moana Pasifika remained composed in the closing moments, holding possession through the final phases to secure a memorable 21-19 victory in Canberra.
The ACT Brumbies now shift their focus to a blockbuster qualifying final against the table-topping Hurricanes in Wellington on Friday 5 June, kick-off at 5.05pm AEST.
Stay tuned to the Brumbies website and social channels for ways to support the team throughout the finals series, including watch parties, supporter events and fan engagement opportunities across Canberra.
