The Brumbies will start the Super Rugby season on a positive after winning their final trial in emphatic fashion over an ACT XV on Thursday.
An under-strength Brumbies outfit started slowly at Canberra’s Greenway Oval, but managed to extend a 24-0 halftime lead to finish up comprehensive 66-0 victors.
But more important than the scoreline for coach Jake White will be the fact that his squad emerged relatively unscathed after 80 minutes of play.
That’s a welcome relief from last week’s trial against the Queensland Reds when Wallabies front-rowers Stephen Moore and Ben Alexander were early casualties.
With Moore potentially out of action for the Brumbies’ round one clash against the Western Force next Friday, White again trialled Anthony Hegarty at hooker.
He was the man that got the Brumbies rolling after a sloppy start that included misjudged kicks and a wealth of fudged passes.
Hegarty got a handle on the slippery ball after 25 minutes to score the first try, opening the way for more five-pointers from Jesse Mogge and Nic White to give the Brumbies a 24-0 buffer at the break.
White gave his second-tier side a workout in the final 40 minutes, but the scoreboard wasn’t the worse for it, with the Brumbies piling on another six tries before the final whistle.