The ACT Brumbies edged out the Queensland Reds 6-3 in the lowest-scoring match in Super 14 history at the Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane on Saturday night.
Former Reds star Julian Huxley delivered what proved to be the killer blow with less than ten minutes of the game left after a horrible head-high tackle by Lloyd Johansson on Brumbies skipper Stirling Mortlock.
Mortlock, who quickly recovered from the blow, had put his side ahead in the first half with a penalty which was cancelled out by the Reds' Clinton Schicofske.
The Reds dominated proceedings in terms of territory and possession in a bruising first period, with Peter Hynes catching the eye, but they were unable to turn that advantage into points, spilling the ball at key moments attacking the Brumbies line.
For the visitors Huxley proved the key man on more than one occasion, putting boot to ball efficiently to relieve the pressure.
The fiery clash exploded on the quarter hour with a brawl following an innocuous passage of play. The Reds' Ben Tune was clearly seen throwing a series of punches but when the dust had settled only openside flankers George Smith and David Croft who were shown yellow cards for their contribution.
Reds winger Brando Va'alu was the only to touch down during the match but his first half effort was disallowed for a knock-on detected by the touch judge.
Reds coach Eddie Jones was fuming with the officials following the tense loss, telling ABC Radio, "That refereeing is just outrageous. I can't understand the referee [penalising the Reds] when our scrum was the dominant scrum.
"That poor refereeing is not up to the standard of Super 14 but having said that we take full responsibility. We lost too much ball in the second half."
After sealing the win Huxley added, "It was definitely not a pretty match to watch but we'll take it. It's the way the game's going, you just have to grind it out."
The result, the Brumbies 12th win in 13 Super rugby clashes with the Reds, saw the Canberra-based side keep pace with the leaders and heaps pressure on the Reds who have only one win from the opening three rounds of action.
However the under-performing Brumbies will be grateful to escape with four points from the clash following such a disappointing showing.
Meanwhile, Johansson must face the SANZAR judiciary on Sunday after being cited for his tackle on Mortlock.
Reds 3 (3)
Pen: Schicofske
Brumbies: 6 (3)
Pen: Mortlock, Huxley