ACT Brumbies coach Stephen Larkham believes they "found some balance" between pushing for the try and taking the points on offer as they snapped a two-game losing streak to go top of the Australian Super Rugby conference.
They completely dominated the Pretoria Bulls to win 23-6  at Canberra Stadium on Friday night and if it wasn't for a stuttering kicking game the crowd of 10,024 could've seen a bigger margin.
With the Melbourne Rebels having a bye, the Brumbies go two points, although the NSW Waratahs could change that against the Free State Cheetahs on Saturday.
In the past, the Brumbies have almost religiously kicked to the corner and looked for the rolling maul, but Larkham happy with the way co-captain Stephen Moore adjusted his tactics to use fellow co-captain Christian Lealiifano's accurate goal kicking.
"We've probably lost the balance a bit in the last couple of weeks ... and I think [Moore] found some balance there tonight," Larkham said.
"Christian's obviously a great goal kicker so we've got to be able to find balance between kicking to the corner and just taking the points and building a bit of a lead."
​The Brumbies' scrum struggled early, with prop Scott Sio heavily penalised for not being square.
It led to the Bulls opening the scoring with flyhalf Francois Brummer converting a shot after just four minutes.
While their scrum struggled, the Brumbies were able to get on top and dominate possession.
They were patient in attack and switched between the powerful carries of Moore and his forwards, shifting the ball wide to give their backs some room to play.
Brumbies scrumhalf Tomas Cubelli was brilliant, with darting runs from the set piece and the ruck.Â
Initially, they kicked to the corner to implement their rolling maul, but they messed up the lineout and then switched to taking the points.
Lealiifano's accurate season continued and he converted the first of three penalties in quick succession to put the home side in control of the scoreboard.
Moore so his decision to take the points was based in part around respect for the Bulls.
"I just felt early on it was one of those games where we needed to put points on the scoreboard and most of those penalties are within Christian's range," he said.
"That's the call we made. I'll always ask him out there oif he can hit it and he'll let me know.
"The Bulls are a good side and we respect them so early in the game we just wanted to build the scoreboard a bit."
The Brumbies looked to exploit room behind the Bulls' defensive line, with both Lealiifano and Aidan Toua chipping kicks over the top.
It was a tactic Bulls captain Adriaan Strauss felt was effective.
"They kept us under pressure, even playing from their own half with those little chips over the top, I think they were in control especially in the second half," Strauss said.
"Credit to them they were very good. The half opportunities we did get, we gave them the ball right back."
While the home side eliminated last week's handling errors, they made them with the boot instead.
Toua failed to find touch on two occasions, the first of which would've given them a lineout in perfect position just 5m out.
On both occasions it swung the moment the Bulls way, although they weren't able to create anything overly threatening.
It remained a six-point game until the break.
The second half started the same way as the first, with Brummer converting an early penalty.
It sparked the Brumbies into action and they turned a lineout variation into the first try.
Lealiifano put winger Nigel Ah Wong through a massive whole and he charged 25m almost untouched.
But their kicking woes continued and they received the Bronx cheer when they managed to find touch.
The Bulls couldn't capitalise on a golden opportunity to force their way back into the game when Rory Arnold fumbled as the Brumbies threatened.
It led to a massive break, but Toua's pace allowed him to get back and put enough pressure on several Bulls runners to force the turnover.
Cubelli then produced a couple of pieces of brilliance to breach the Bulls' line again.
He took a quick tap and was pulled down just metres out and then dove over from a ruck a few seconds later.
​The Brumbies showed they were able to cover the absence of inside centre Matt Toomua, with Robbie Coleman proving to be an able deputy.
Toomua will be out for 4-6 weeks after undergoing minor knee surgery.Â
The Brumbies now have their potentially season-defining trip to face the Melbourne Rebels next Friday, while the Bulls face the NSW Waratahs in Sydney.​
AT A GLANCE
ACT Brumbies 23 (Nigel Ah Wong, Tomas Cubelli tries; Christian Lealiifano 3 pens, 2 goals) bt Pretoria Bulls 6 (Francois Brummer 2 pens) at Canberra Stadium on Friday night. Referee: Ben O'Keeffe. Crowd: 10,024.
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