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April 04, 2008 THE in-form Chiefs boosted their finals chances and put a major dent in the Brumbies' playoff hopes with an emphatic 42-28 victory in a 10-try Super 14 spectacle at Canberra Stadium.
Four first-half tries and two more after the break were more than enough for the Chiefs to grab their third straight win, as well as a priceless bonus point, and consign the Brumbies to one of their heaviest home defeats.
While the Chiefs surged to third place on the table, the Brumbies remained ninth after eight rounds, probably needing to win at least five of their last six games to make the finals for the first time under coach Laurie Fisher, who will now find himself under increasing pressure to retain the job beyond this season.
The Brumbies' first home loss to the Chiefs in a decade also spoiled skipper Stirling Mortlock's 100th game for the Brumbies.
And in truth, despite losing by only 14 points in the end, the Brumbies were never in it despite Mortlock making a successful return from a shoulder injury and fellow Wallabies George Smith and Adam Ashley-Cooper also producing fine individual performances.
The writing was on the wall after a double to five-eighth Stephen Donald in the space of eight minutes and earlier strikes to winger Sitiveni Sivivatu and centre Callum Bruce - all converted by Donald - gave the Chiefs a commanding 28-7 halftime lead.
Sivivatu gathered his own kick through in the seventh minute to open the scoring before he steamed onto a short ball from halfback Brendon Leonard five minutes later to set up Bruce.
Smith briefly put the Brumbies back in the contest when he stepped through some flimsy Chiefs defence to set up a try for his brother, centre Tyrone Smith, in the 18th minute.
Mortlock's conversion closed the deficit to seven points.
But two solo efforts from Donald in the 25th and 33rd minutes put the Chiefs back in firm control.
A long-range try against the run of play in the 45th minute to replacement back Vilame Waqaseduadua, who stripped the ball off Brumbies half Josh Holmes, effectively put the game beyond reach of the home side.
Holmes atoned in the 60th minute when he dove over from close-range and a five-pointer to winger Peter Playford three minutes later reduced the deficit to 14 points.
But Jamie Nutbrown sealed the deal with the Chiefs' sixth try 10 minutes from time before Holmes scored another consolation try on the bell.
Holmes' second try earned Fisher's men a bonus point, but the 42 points conceded was the second most in 13 years on home territory.
Fisher accepted the Brumbies were simply outclassed on the night.
"It's been a fortress for us against the Chiefs for years (but) they came here with real intensity and they beat us at the breakdown, they took some ball off us in the tackle and they countered superbly off it and that's where the game was won and lost," Fisher said.
"If you turn over any ball, it doesn't matter where it is on the park, you're under extreme pressure.
"We've just got to get better."
http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,...-23217,00.html
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same with nathan sharpe poor bloke!!
