Andy Muirhead of the Brumbies celebrates with team mates after scoring a try during the Super Rugby Pacific quarter-final win over the Highlanders in Canberra. Photo: photosport
The Highlanders fell short of completing a clean sweep for New Zealand teams in the Super Rugby Pacific quarter-finals, beaten 32-16 by the Brumbies in Canberra.
The Brumbies scored four tries to one to book a semi-final against the Blues in Auckland on Friday night, where they will seek to end their decade-long winless streak at Eden Park.
The only non-New Zealand side in the final four, Stephen Larkham's team have once again proven to be the standout Australian team in Super Rugby and showed greater precision than the Highlanders to complete an unbeaten season on home soil.
A lone Highlanders try to winger Jona Nareki put them 16-10 ahead late in the first half but the sixth-ranked New Zealand side conceded a try just before the interval to trail by a point.
They were shut out of the contest in the second spell as the Brumbies clincically took advantage of errors and crossed for two more unanswered tries.
Sam Gilbert of the Highlanders is tackled during the Super Rugby Pacific quarter-final loss to the Brumbies in Canberra. Photo: photosport
Hooker Billy Pollard and winger Andy Muirhead both crossed twice while Highlanders first-five Cameron Millar landed 11 points with the boot for the visitors, who haven't reached the semi-finals of a full Super Rugby campaign since 2016.
Highlanders captain Billy Harmon told Sky Sport his team couldn't maintain their intensity for the full 80 minutes.
"That first half, we were really clinical and we showed our game can work," he said.
"In the second half, we gave their outsides a chance and we know how dangerous they can be.
"They really punished us right from the start of that second half and we struggled to get back into it from there. Bit of a bummer, but that's just the game."
