The ACT Brumbies produced a dramatic late comeback to defeat the Chiefs 33–24 at GIO Stadium on Friday, turning James Slipper’s historic night into a memorable victory.
Slipper etched his name into Super Rugby history, becoming the competition’s most-capped player with 203 appearances, surpassing former All Black Wyatt Crockett (202). The veteran prop, who debuted for the Queensland Reds in 2010 and earned 151 caps for the Wallabies before retiring from international rugby last year, marked the milestone with a solid shift—five tackles and 12 metres in 52 minutes—while wearing a commemorative gold No.1 jersey.
The occasion, however, looked set to be spoiled by Chiefs playmaker Damian McKenzie. The All Black orchestrated a dominant spell for the visitors, contributing a try, 24 passes, and 70 metres as the Chiefs surged to a 17-point lead with just 24 minutes remaining.
But the Brumbies flipped the script in emphatic fashion.
Sparked by captain Ryan Lonergan, who pounced on a loose ball to score, the hosts ignited a stunning resurgence. Charlie Cale soon followed with another try, and within just over 10 minutes, the Brumbies had closed the gap dramatically.
With the game hanging in the balance, McKenzie missed a crucial penalty that could have restored the Chiefs’ lead late on. That miss proved costly.
Moments later, Corey Toole delivered the decisive blow—scooping up a loose ball and sprinting the length of the field in the 78th minute to seal a remarkable comeback victory.
Earlier, the Brumbies had started brightly, with Hudson Creighton crossing in the fourth minute after Slipper received a guard of honour from both teams. The Chiefs responded through winger Liam Coombes-Fabling, who grabbed a first-half double to help his side to a 17–7 halftime lead.
McKenzie extended that advantage early in the second half, finishing off slick backline play to push the margin to 17 points. But from there, momentum swung decisively.
The win offers a measure of revenge for the Brumbies, who were knocked out by the Chiefs in last year’s semi-finals, and provides a timely boost for coach Stephen Larkham after consecutive losses had cost his side top spot on the Super Rugby Pacific ladder.
ACT Brumbies 33 (Tries: Creighton, Lonergan, Cale, Meredith, Toole; Cons: Lonergan 4) def Chiefs 24 (Tries: Coombes-Fabling 2, McKenzie; Cons: McKenzie 3; Pens: McKenzie)
Teams
Brumbies: 15 Andy Muirhead, 14 Kye Oates, 13 Kadin Pritchard, 12 Hudson Creighton, 11 Corey Toole, 10 Declan Meredith, 9 Ryan Lonergan (captain), 8 Charlie Cale, 7 Rory Scott, 6 Rob Valetini, 5 Cadeyrn Neville, 4 Nick Frost, 3 Darcy Breen, 2 Billy Pollard, 1 James Slipper
Replacements: 16 Liam Bowron, 17 Blake Schoupp, 18 Tevita Alatini, 19 Toby Macpherson, 20 Luke Reimer, 21 Klayton Thorn, 22 Tane Edmed, 23 Austin Anderson
Chiefs: 15 Liam Coombes-Fabling, 14 Leroy Carter, 13 Daniel Rona, 12 Quinn Tupaea, 11 Etene Nanai-Seturo, 10 Damian McKenzie, 9 Cortez Ratima, 8 Luke Jacobson (captain), 7 Jahrome Brown, 6 Simon Parker, 5 Tupou Vaa’i, 4 Josh Lord, 3 Reuben O’Neill, 2 Samisoni Taukei’aho, 1 Jared Profitt
Replacements: 16 Tyrone Thompson, 17 Ollie Norris, 18 George Dyer, 19 Seuseu Naitoa Ah Kuoi, 20 Samipeni Finau, 21 Xavier Roe, 22 Josh Jacomb, 23 Lalakai Foketi
Referee: Nic Berry
Assistant Referees: Reuben Keane, Louis Trisley
TMO: Brett Cronan
English