ACT Brumbies sweat on Noah Lolesio after thrilling Super Rugby AU win over NSW Waratahs

A potential stint on the sideline would be a cruel blow for Lolesio and the Brumbies, who rose above the odds to secure a thrilling last-ditch 24-23 win over the the NSW Waratahs at Sydney Olympic Park on Saturday.

The Brumbies were out on their feet and seemed as though they would finish on the canvas before back-up scrumhalf Issak Fines found a gap in the Waratahs' defence with three minutes remaining to steal what seemed an unlikely victory.

The 20-year-old flyhalf slapped the ground in agony before being helped to his feet and limping to a seat at the 30-minute mark of the interstate showdown.

Behind him sat dazed Brumbies prop James Slipper after he failed a head injury assessment 15 minutes prior, and to their left was Andy Muirhead, whose yellow card which came after a spate of penalties had already proven costly.

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Lolesio is likely to undergo scans to assess the extent of the damage, with the Brumbies hoping he will be fit to face the Western Force at Leichhardt Oval next week.

His absence could see coach Dan McKellar hand Bayley Kuenzle a start in the No. 10 jersey, given he filled the void against the Waratahs in Lolesio's absence.

"I don't know how bad it is, what sort of grading it is, he'll get a scan and we'll see where he's at," McKellar said.

"BK, Bailey Kuenzle, did a really good job, and we're fortunate that we've got two world class props, you lose Slips and you bring on Scotty. Scotty stood up, as did all of our leaders in that last 10 minutes.

"It was great to see Issak Fines, he made his debut in round one and didn't get a lot of time, but he took his opportunity tonight."

But they struggled for a spark in attack despite striking first via Tom Cusack, soon falling 15 points in arrears with sharpshooter Will Harrison making the visitors pay for a spate of penalties.

It seemed as though the tide was turning when the Brumbies scored successive tries to slice the margin to three points heading into the half-time break.

But the Waratahs enjoyed the lion's share of possession in the second stanza to grind the Brumbies down but the visitors found a way to secure a fifth consecutive win over their cross-border rivals.

The NSW line-out was dominant throughout but it came to no avail when Fines found a gap from close range to score the victory, leaving Waratahs captain Rob Simmons frustrated with any pats on the back, adding "they don't sit well with me".

"We've just got to find a way," Simmons said.

"We've got six days. We've got to find a way. It's not going to be easy. We've shown we're a growing team, we're on that trajectory, but we've got to win.

"We can't just keep saying that when we lost the game."

Brumbies captain Allan Alaalatoa said: "Stoked, you've got to take your hat off to Finesy there at the end. I'm proud of the boys. It took the full 80 minutes to get the result but we got there in the end. They really put pressure on us in the line-out."

AT A GLANCE

Super Rugby AU round three: ACT BRUMBIES 24 (Tom Cusack, Folau Faingaa, Rob Valetini, Issak Fines tries, Bayley Kuenzle 2 conversions) bt NSW WARATAHS 23 (Tom Horton, James Ramm tries; Will Harrison 2 conversions; Harrison 3 penalties) at Sydney Olympic Park.