Scone’s defence denied Tamworth their first win, with the Brumbies holding out a late charge from the Magpies to sneak home 37-34 at Tamworth Rugby Park on Saturday.
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Willed on by a home crowd sensing the game was there for them to win, the Magpies threw everything at the Brumbies in the last five-ten minutes but to no avail.
They had a chance to snatch the points, or at least a share of them, after the bell, after dismantling the Scone scrum to earn a penalty.
About 30m out, they elected to take their chances and go for the win rather than take the shot.
They got a clean win from the lineout but after spreading the ball wide it spewed out of the ruck, and – much to the Brumbies relief and Magpies’ disappointment - it was game over.
The home side didn’t finish empty handed though, picking up a bonus point for finishing within seven points and scoring four tries or more.
They struck first blood, number eight Jack Barker picking and driving his way over for the first of his two tries. After an unsuccessful penalty attempt a couple of minutes earlier, Cooper Thompson added the extras to give the Magpies a 7-nil lead after only five minutes.
The Brumbies answered through the boot of Brian Fitzpatrick, but Dylan Cross extended the Magpies lead with a brilliant finish.
In a game where both sides enjoyed shorts bursts of momentum, but neither was able to really assert any sustained dominance, the Brumbies cut the Magpies’ advantage back to four.
Not long after they hit the front, Ben Clarke steaming onto a chip kick from fullback Tim Maddocks that sat up perfectly for him, after the Brumbies had tied up the ball and forced a turnover around half-way.
Thompson drew the Magpies level with just over six minutes to go in the first half, but the Brumbies hit straight back, captain Toby Twigg picking and driving his way over.
Fitzpatrick added the extras to make it a seven-point game.
The Magpies had the chance to have the final say of the half, with a lineout about 35m out, but messed it up.
The Brumbies went further ahead early in the second half, with a strong drive off the lineout earning Twigg his second.
From there the two sides continued to trade blows.
With a nice step inside the winger, Barker crossed for his second to bring the Magpies back within a converted try but their illdiscipline cost them as Fitzpatrick landed his second penalty to push the Brumbies’ lead out to 10.
Blake Clout then superbly closed the gap further.
With a penalty advantage up his sides sleeve, Magpies five-eighth Adam Penman chipped for Clout, who steaming through tapped the ball down one-handed and regathered.
Any momentum they’d garnered though was quickly quashed with barely a minute later Maddocks splintering the defence, and running away 60m to score.
It was a flashback to Pirates and the horror show that was the previous week, but the Magpies dug in and when Brumbies half-back Richard Thew was sent to the bin, they swooped, Nick Lyons storming his way to the line.
The replacement second rower left a trail of Brumbies defenders in his wake on his 40m run, to, with the conversion, close the gap to just three points and rejuvenate the Magpies hopes.
They had penalties and lineouts only metres out, but the Brumbies rallied and repelled them to notch their first away win of the season.
