A strong start and finish has guided the Brumbies to a hard-fought 24-15 win over the Western Force on the opening night of the Super 14 competition at ME Bank Stadium in Perth.
The Brumbies got the game's only three tries with two of them coming in the first 20 minutes to Josh Valentine and Stephen Moore, and then another in the 73rd minute to replacement hooker Huia Edmonds to seal the nine-point victory.
Stirling Mortlock also converted all three tries and added another penalty goal to become the first player to reach 1000 Super Rugby points.
Force full-back James O'Connor was superb all night as the team's main playmaker and goalkicker. He kicked five penalty goals and the 19-year-old showed that he is set for a big season for the Force.
With the highly-fancied Brumbies coming to town and the new-look Force out to impress in their first match at the new rectangular ground after four years at Subiaco Oval, the build-up was always going to be big but nobody expected the string of stars that pulled out.
Brumbies star duo Matt Giteau and Rocky Elsom were fighting to be fit all week so it was no great surprise when they pulled out through quadriceps and hamstring problems respectively.
The Force had already lost South African flyhalf Andre Pretorius for the season with a torn hamstring, but lost his replacement at No.10 Mark Bartholomeusz on Friday afternoon with a sore neck and then winger Cameron Shepherd hurt a quad in the warm-up.
Sam Harris moved from inside centre to flyhalf to cover Bartholomeusz in his first game for the Force, Josh Tatupu moved to No. 12 and then Haig Sare came in on to the wing to replace Shepherd. Debutant teenager Stefano Hunt took the No. 22 jumper on the bench.
The Brumbies started well and in the 12th minute after a big break from prop Ben Alexander, he dished off to George Smith who got it to Valentine who had no trouble getting it to the try line.
The next try came from another good effort from a Brumbies prop, this time Moore. He made a break and dished to Valentine who got it off to Adam Ashley-Cooper. After a strong run, he fed it back to a clear Moore who cruised to the line for his third career try.
When Mortlock converted the Brumbies led 14-3.
With the Force earning more ball and territory, and doing well at the breakdown, they earned three more penalties before half-time after O'Connor already converted one.
He kicked strong penalty goals at the 25th, 28th and 32nd minutes to bring the Force right back into the contest and cut the Brumbies' lead to 14-12 at half-time.
Mortlock and O'Connor traded penalty conversions in the first 15 minutes of the second half as the Brumbies were winning plenty of possession but struggling for creative options.
Matt Toomua had a dismal attempt at a field goal and Justin Harrison dropped the ball near the try line as he made a good run, but the Force kept the pressure on and forced a penalty.
The Force then suffered another blow when No.8 Richard Brown hurt his shoulder and also went off.
The Brumbies then scored the match-winning try in the 73rd minute. Chapman and Alexander did well to get the ball out to Mortlock in plenty of space, who set up reserve hooker Edmonds to run through O'Connor and score.
When Mortlock converted the score was 24-15 with just six minutes to go. The Force had one last crack when O'Connor made a dashing break and dished off to Sare who had just Mortlock to beat, but he held him back and the Brumbies held on.
The Force travel to Wellington to play the Hurricanes next week and the Brumbies remain on the road to start the season by heading to South Africa to play the Bulls in Pretoria then Stormers in Cape Town.
Brumbies 24
Tries: Valentine, Moore, Edmonds
Conversions: Mortlock 3
Penalties: Mortlock 1
Force 15
Penalties: O'Connor 5
@ ME Bank Stadium, 12/02/10.