The Highlanders have been beaten by the Brumbies this season

The Highlanders’ season came to an end last night as they lost 32-16 to the Brumbies in the Super Rugby quarter-final in Canberra.

They didn’t lose face and were in a strong position at halftime, but their momentum faded as the game wore on.

The Highlanders looked rather frustrating for the Brumbies in the first half.

Captain Billy Harmon, defensive back Fabian Holland and prop Ethan de Groot made great contributions to the team.

The Highlanders thoroughly outplayed the home team on several scrums and took advantage of the home team’s poor discipline.

But when the Brumbies started to power through, they were the better team, scoring in both the first and second half and taking control of the game.

They built momentum with the powerful attacks of star forward Rob Valetini, while outside backs Tom Wright and Andy Muirhead also showed consistent threats.

The first half was a tight affair, with the lead swapping six times, more free throws and turnovers, fewer highlights, but still a compelling game.

While the Brumbies played good rugby and opened the scoring with some nice, crisp passes to find winger Moorhead, they also found themselves regularly penalised by referee Angus Gardner’s whistle.

While the Highlanders didn’t seem to tear the home team apart very often, they were excellent defensively and dominated the scrum.

The Highlanders also showed admirable composure, absorbing every attack the Brumbies threw at them before moving quickly upfield and into scoring positions.

That scoring was largely thanks to super-scorer Cameron Miller — who hit all three first-half sacks — but the Highlanders got a touchdown on a brilliant drive.

Seven minutes before halftime, the ball was quickly passed to the left from the touchline, and winger Jona Nareki showed his strength by breaking through two defenders and crossing the goal line.

That made the score 16-10, which would have boosted the Highlanders’ confidence going into the half.

Famous last words.

When the whistle sounded, the Brumbies entered the red zone and hooker Billy Pollard rushed in to try to score.

These hookers can be greedy guys and Pollard scored a double straight after the break.

You get the feeling that the outcome of this game will depend largely on the next 10 minutes.

So when the Brumbies scored, either by accident or very well, there was frustration.

Noah Lolesio leaped high to kick a crosscourt pass, and Muirhead displayed the receiving skills of an elite football player, pushing the ball forward twice before crossing the goal line.

The Highlanders looked devastated after leading by six points and suddenly trailing by 13.

Nareki refused to go for the fake and pushed Brumbies defender Wright into the byline, saving a sure goal.

That play and the defense in the next few minutes gave the Highlanders a big boost.

But they needed to score, and quickly.

Instead, Lolesio gave the Brumbies a 16-point lead, and Wright won 50-22, with time running out on the Highlanders’ season.

The Blues will host the Brumbies in one Super Rugby final, while the Hurricanes and Chiefs will play the other final in Wellington.

score

Brumbies 32 points (Billy Pollard 2 points, Andy Moorhead 2 tries; Noah Lolesio 3 successes, 2 penalties), Highlanders 16 points (Jonah Narecky 3 tries; Cameron Miller success, 3 penalties). Half-time score: Brumbies 17-16.