ACL concerns ... Star Brumbies and Wallabies flanker David Pocock is helped from the field. Source: LUKAS COCH / AAP
A possible season-ending knee injury to champion Wallabies flanker David Pocock took some of the gloss off the Brumbies' clinical 35-6 drubbing of old foes the NSW Waratahs on Saturday night.
| 4 Tries 0 |
|---|
| Ben Mowen 25' | |
| Christian Lealiifano 33' | |
| Henry Speight 72' | |
| Robbie Coleman 78' | |
| 3 Conversions 0 |
|---|
| Christian Lealiifano 34' | |
| Christian Lealiifano 74' | |
| Ian Prior 80' | |
| 3 Penalties 2 |
|---|
| Christian Lealiifano 3' | Brendan McKibbin 15' |
| Christian Lealiifano 7' | Brendan McKibbin 40' |
| Christian Lealiifano 10' | |
Returning Wallabies great George Smith was called from the bench sooner than expected to make his comeback for the Brumbies when Pocock went down in the 13th minute and was assisted from the Canberra Stadium field.
If scans confirm the suspected ACL tear to Pocock's left knee, he will likely be ruled out for at least six months, missing the high-profile three-Test series against the British and Irish Lions, The Rugby Championship and the rest of the Super Rugby season.
| Australia Conference | W | L | D | PD | BP | Pts |
|---|
| 1 | Brumbies | 3 | 0 | 0 | 64 | 2 | 18 |
| 2 | Reds | 3 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 12 |
| 3 | Waratahs | 1 | 2 | 0 | -32 | 0 | 8 |
| 4 | Melbourne Rebels | 1 | 3 | 0 | -25 | 1 | 5 |
| 5 | Western Force | 0 | 3 | 0 | -29 | 1 | 5 |
| New Zealand Conference | W | L | D | PD | BP | Pts |
|---|
| 1 | Chiefs | 2 | 0 | 0 | 56 | 2 | 10 |
| 2 | Blues | 2 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 2 | 10 |
| 3 | Crusaders | 0 | 2 | 0 | -20 | 2 | 6 |
| 4 | Hurricanes | 1 | 2 | 0 | -19 | 1 | 5 |
| 5 | Highlanders | 0 | 2 | 0 | -31 | 0 | 4 |
| South Africa Conference | W | L | D | PD | BP | Pts |
|---|
| 1 | Bulls | 2 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 1 | 9 |
| 2 | Sharks | 2 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 8 |
| 3 | Southern Kings | 1 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 8 |
| 4 | Cheetahs | 1 | 2 | 0 | -32 | 1 | 5 |
| 5 | Stormers | 0 | 2 | 0 | -14 | 1 | 1 |
Brumbies coach Jake White said it was too early to predict whether or not Pocock's season was over but he was not denying how fortunate it was the Brumbies had signed Smith recently to play most of the Super tournament in the off-season for his Japanese club.
"He (Pocock) is going in for a scan. These sort of players that play at this level understand when their body tells them something and he just feels it's not 100 per cent," White said.
"It shows you how fate plays out. It's just fantastic how things have worked out now that George has arrived."
Flying fullback Jesse Mogg was the standout for the home side as he continued to put himself in the frame for a Wallabies debut.
Christian Lealiifano got the home team off to a great start, nailing three penalty shots within the first 10 minutes in front of a crowd of 20,027.
Captain Ben Mowen was then personally rewarded with a try in the 25th minute after opting for a five-metre lineout instead of taking the three points from a penalty.
Lealiifano showed why many consider him also to be a Wallaby-in-waiting, pouncing on a Mogg grubber in the 34th minute to score in the corner and put the Brumbies in a comfortable position going into the break.
Re-live the action from the Brumbies' emphatic triumph over the Waratahs in our Super Rugby Match Centre, featuring video highlights.
The Waratahs looked more promising early in the second half but failed to capitalise on numerous opportunities, before Brumbies winger Henry Speight crossed to put any hopes of a comeback to bed.
Mogg then set up replacement Robbie Coleman for a length of the field five-pointer in what will be a contender for try of the year and delivered the Brumbies a four try bonus point win.
It was the Brumbies' first four-try bonus point against the Waratahs since 2007.
White said the win over the Waratahs was one of the most complete performances the team had produced as a group.
"We're not going to get ahead of ourselves, but at the same time it's a massive game and that's the benchmark we've set," he said.
Despite remaining tryless, Waratahs coach Michael Cheika said it was part of the growing pains of their new attacking style.
"The big thing for me was our work off the ball," Cheika said.
"We actually were playing our attacking game but our shape wasn't set up right because guys weren't getting into position quick enough.
"That's why we didn't get a chance to make many breaks."
Hooker Tatafu Polota-Nau was the only injury for the Waratahs with a hamstring concern.
