THE BRUMBIES benefitted from a controversial red card to Toni Pulu to pull away from the Force and book their place in the Super Rugby AU final, winning 21-9 in Canberra.
The reigning champions will battle the Reds next weekend after the Force were reduced to 14 men on the brink of half-time.
It was a decision by referee Nic Berry which former Australia coach Michael Cheika, observing the game as a TV pundit, believed was far beyond what was warranted, suggesting a yellow card would have been a better judgement for Pulu, who made contact with the face of Irae Simone as a third tackler.
“The fact that the two players in front of Pulu made the contact brings Simone's head forward,” said Cheika.
“I really think intent is an important thing in these decisions. Toni Pulu's thinking the two guys are in front, if they're going to make the hit, I'm going to wrap around him and hold him up or try to swing him around.
“Then all of a sudden, there's the late contact, the head goes down and he can't do much. He doesn't know he's done anything there. A yellow card by all means, but a red card is difficult for me.”
Seconds after Pulu was shown red, reducing the Force to 14 men for 20 minutes under new trial laws, it got worse for the Force as full-back Tom Banks added to Tom Wright's earlier score.
A big carry by flanker Rob Valetini up to the fivemetre line sucked in enough defenders for space to be created out wide for Len Ikitau to feed Banks to score in the corner.
The Force barely fired a shot going forward, as the Brumbies scored three penalty kicks to Domingo Miotti's three for the visitors.
