Sunday Mail | May 10, 2009

STIRLING Mortlock became Super Rugby's leading pointscorer as the Brumbies scored a crucial 37-15 win over the Blues in Canberra last night.

The Brumbies overcame a lacklustre start to the match to score five second-half tries and earn a bonus point, keeping their Super 14 semi-finals hopes alive.

Both sides went into the match needing a win to have any chance of making the finals and it was the Blues who made the most of their opportunities in the first half.

The visitors took an early three-point lead after five-eighth Jimmy Gopperth slotted a penalty goal in the second minute before Brumbies flyhalf Matt Toomua landed a drop goal to level the scores 15 minutes later.

The Brumbies were often beaten at the breakdown and lacked any real penetration in attack, while the Blues tried to play a more expansive game, beating the home side out wide on numerous occasions and earning a 10-6 lead at the break.

However, it was a different Brumbies side in the second half with Mortlock stepping up to lead the charge.

The Wallabies captain crashed over four minutes into the second half to kick-start the Brumbies' revival, before converting his own try and eclipsing former Crusaders five-eighth Andrew Mehrtens' Super points scoring record in the process.

Three tries in the next 15 minutes then put the game out of the Blues' reach.

Mortlock added the extras for two of those tries to take his points tally in the match to 12 and his scoring record to 994 -- four ahead of Mehrtens -- before he was taken off after a head knock.

The Blues hit back with a try in the 62nd minute to get back to 32-15 but the match was all but over and the Brumbies went further ahead with a fifth try to Sitaleki Timani five minutes from fulltime.