Brumbies fans brave ice-cold temperatures to witness big victory

The biggest crowd of the year, 11,112, turned up to watch the ACT Brumbies beat the Durban Sharks in a Super Rugby quarter-final, with a final score of 38 - 13.

It means the Brumbies are just one win away from booking a ticket to the grand final, but first they have to fly to Argentina on Sunday morning for a daunting South American mission.

The ACT government is keen to build a state of the art stadium in Civic and wants to put a roof on the top to protect spectators from brutal nights like the one fans endured this weekend.

The temperature dipped below one degree in the first half. But it's lucky there isn't a roof because it would have been blown off by the noise when the Brumbies scored their first try after just 56 seconds.

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It was a sign of things to come and the Brumbies kept their fans entertained in a free-flowing battle against their South African opponents.

Ed from Farrer said the secret to staying warm was wearing four layers and using a sleeping bag.

"We've got a couple of rums that won't go astray and wearing a bit of down feather."

While Canberra-born Sydneysider Matt believes pocket-warmers are key to staying warm.

"Warm is in the pockets," Matt said. "But you don't get cold when there's enjoyable rugby in front of you."

The win was a fitting way to farewell some of the club's most loyal servants in what was the last home game for Christian Lealiifano, Henry Speight and Sam Carter among others.

The star trio are moving on when the season finishes after decades of service, so they won't be around to see when, or if, Canberra gets a new rectangular venue.

The Brumbies have struggled to attract big crowds to the ageing stadium at Bruce this season, despite finishing at the top of the Australian conference and earning a shot at the play-offs.

The club was in danger of recording the lowest average crowd numbers in its Super Rugby history before a spike in interest over the past two weeks.

They weren't alone. The average attendance for Australia's four teams dropped to 10,450 this year as rugby union struggled to gain momentum in another turbulent season off the field, which included sacking Israel Folau after homophobic posts on social media.

But it was really bad in Canberra. The Brumbies were in danger of losing $100,000 or more by hosting a final if the disappointing fan turnout continued.

It is hoped a new stadium will help put an end to dismal crowd figures and the Brumbies and Raiders are working with the government to kickstart the project, which could cost $400 million.

Luckily the on-field form has created more interest in the team and given the Brumbies a glimmer of hope for future years.

The challenge will be maintaining a high standard of performance in 2020 after losing the likes of Lealiifano, Speight, Carter, Rory Arnold, David Pocock and Josh Mann-Rea.

It's a massive chunk of the team's experience and best players who won't be a part of the coming campaigns.

Lealiifano is one of the most inspirational stories in all Australian sport in recent years. He was diagnosed with leukaemia in 2016 and was told he may never play rugby again.

He went through chemotherapy and had a bone-marrow transplant with sister Sally before making his Super Rugby comeback less than 12 months after his life-changing diagnosis.

The 31-year-old has recaptured his best form this year, making it even harder to say goodbye to one of the Brumbies' favourite sons.