ACT Brumbies coach Stephen Larkham said a controversial no-try call would leave a bitter taste in the club's mouth for the next eight months after their Super Rugby title dreams were shattered in Canberra on Friday night.
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Super Rugby: Highlanders beat Brumbies
Highlanders break their Canberra hoodoo with a 15-9 win over the Brumbies on Friday night.
In a heartbreaking end to their campaign and farewell to a host of stars, the Brumbies were beaten by the Otago Highlanders 15-9 in the opening round of the play-offs.
But it was a television match official decision that finished the year on a sour note as Lausii Taliauli crashed over the line and appeared to score what could have been the match-winner.
Replacement winger Taliauli muscled his way across the line with just five minutes left and with the Brumbies trailing by six points before a swarm of players jumped on top of him.
Referee Angus Gardner was late getting into position and couldn't see whether the ball was on the ground, despite half of Taliauli's body being across the line.
Taliauli said after the match he was certain he scored the try.
Gardner also refused to reward a dominant Brumbies scrum in the last seconds of the game when they were just five metres out and hammering the Highlanders' forward pack.
"I wouldn't say it was a frustrating game ... the guys did everything right to win that game," Larkham said.
"It's hard for me not to comment on the refereeing, but I can't see how Lausii didn't score that try.
"There's no other possible answer to what happened and a couple of the scrums there, we had a dominant scrum the whole game and I don't think that changed at the end.
"I thought there should have been a penalty there at the end ... we got to a point where we deserved to win that game and it's incredibly frustrating to know we lost it that way."
The Brumbies fought for their season for most of the game, with the Highlanders dominating field position and possession.
They were fighting to stay alive in the title race and ensure some of their stars — Stephen Moore, Matt Toomua and David Pocock — didn't end their Brumbies tenures in front of a disappointing crowd of 8559.
The Highlanders scored the only two tries of the game and hit the front early in the second half when playmaker Lima Sopoaga intercepted a pass in the middle of the field to set up a try for Liam Squire.
The Brumbies were clinging on to faint hope but rallied late and somehow put themselves in a position to snatch the match.
Taliauli declared he "100 per cent got the ball down" as the devastated Brumbies sprawled out on Canberra Stadium knowing they missed an opportunity to break a 12-year championship drought.
"It's heartbreaking stuff, especially when you know you got the ball down and didn't get the call," Taliauli said.
"I definitely got it down, I was 100 per cent sure I got the ball down. There was no one's arms underneath the ball when I got up so I don't know what they were looking at there.
"It's devastating not to get the winning try for the boys and keep the season going. My whole body was across the line if you see the replay. I don't know what's happened there."
The TMO system is set to come under scrutiny given it played a major factor in the Brumbies' demise.
The TMO said there was no clear grounding and Gardner agreed and awarded the Brumbies a penalty and scrum.
The Brumbies couldn't capitalise despite clear dominance and Gardner put his whistle away in the last minutes despite penalising the Highlanders multiple times at the scrum and lineout during the game.
Brumbies playmaker Toomua was sent to the sin bin in the first half. The Brumbies gave away eight penalties compared to 13 from the Highlanders.
"It is a tough way to finish, disappointing obviously. We had our chances but couldn't get the ball over the line," Moore said.
"We defended well but we didn't take our chances. It was a tight game in tough conditions, but it comes down to small moments and they took advantage of that and we didn't.
"It's been a great journey, I've had a great time in Canberra ... I'll never forget it."
Those small moments came down to the Highlanders taking a midfield intercept that led to the only try of the second half and Taliauli's try being disallowed at the death.
The Brumbies bunkered down to try to muscle their way to a scrum try in the dying seconds but the Highlanders found another gear to hold on for just their third win in Canberra in Super Rugby history.
The Highlanders' win continued Australian rugby's miserable Super Rugby season, winning just three of 26 games against New Zealand opponents.
There's now no Australian team left in the competition and questions will be raised about the Wallabies' hopes of finally breaking their Bledisloe Cup hoodoo.
Moore will continue his Super Rugby career in Queensland. Toomua is joining English club Leicester and Pocock is taking a 12-month sabbatical.
Joseph Tomane, Michael Wells and Michael Dowsett are also leaving the Brumbies this year.
"I hadn't thought about [it being my last game], I was just focused on the game and it just hits you at the end that that's it," Moore said.
"Hopefully I've made a contribution in a positive way, I'm very proud to have been a part of this club and I'll miss the players, coaches and set up."