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We won't get ahead of ourselves: Brumbies

Coach Stephen Larkham says the Brumbies aren't getting ahead of themselves despite beating the NSW Waratahs for win two of the Super Rugby season.

ACT Brumbies coach Stephen Larkham
Brumbies coach Stephen Larkham says any discussion of a merger with the Rebels is disappointing. (AAP)

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Source: AAP


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Back-to-back wins to open the season isn't enough for coach Stephen Larkham to get too excited about the Brumbies' prospects of a breakthrough Super Rugby title.

The Canberra-based outfit followed their bonus-point demolition of the Hurricanes at GIO Stadium in round one with a gutsy 32-15 victory over rivals the NSW Waratahs also at home on Friday.

The scoreline, blown out by a last-minute try to Nigel Ah Wong, didn't reflect just how tight and tough the match was - having been locked up at 8-8 at half-time.

But the Brumbies' tenacity impressed Larkham, as did their dominance in the scrum.

"I wouldn't call it comprehensive - it was a real battle out there," he said.

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"The challenge in the line-out was a lot greater this week than it was last week, and this is what you're going to find throughout the season; there's going to be various strengths of opposition teams.

"We're certainly not getting ahead of ourselves.

"We know we've had a really good pre-season, the boys put in a lot of work over Christmas - including the Wallabies players - and we've rolled into the season pretty well.

"But there's a lot of work to be done still."

The win - in front of more than 20,000 fans, their biggest home crowd in over a decade - snapped a four-game losing streak against the Waratahs, who have dominated the local derby in recent years.

It also sets them up well for a run of three away games - first against the Western Force in Perth, then trips to Cape Town and Bloemfontein to face the Stormers and Cheetahs.

While the Waratahs walked away from what was an old-fashioned arm wrestle with a longer list of casualties, the Brumbies didn't emerge unscathed.

Inside centre Matt Toomua was left bloodied after being hit in the nose by Tolu Latu - later cited for the incident - in an all-in melee, while lock Blake Enever suffered a serious shoulder injury.

It's likely Enever, who was given a start following an injury to Rory Arnold last week, will be sidelined for weeks.

"It was pretty ferocious," departing co-captain Stephen Moore said of the match, which included two yellow cards to the Waratahs in the first-half.

Moore and his Wallabies teammates from both sides will put their differences aside on Saturday morning for a catch-up with national coach Michael Cheika, who watched the derby from the stands with a smile.


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