ACT Brumbies beat Western Force in Super Rugby AU season opener

The scary thing for the ACT Brumbies' Super Rugby AU rivals? The seeds have been planted for two of the code's most promising 22-year-olds to take their game to a new level.

The Brumbies ruined the Western Force's long-awaited homecoming with a hard-fought 27-11 win at Perth Oval on Friday night.

The clash doubled as the first game broadcast exclusively on Stan Sport as part of a new broadcast deal rugby supremos hope will help to reignite the code across Australia.

More than 10,000 fans streamed through the gates for the Force's first Super Rugby home game in almost four years while thousands more stayed up to hear the final whistle on the stroke of midnight.

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But those dreaming of an upset from a resurgent underdog against the reigning champions already installed as title favourites would be denied.

Instead they saw the Brumbies' new outside centre Len Ikitau beating the man he replaced in Tevita Kuridrani to put Irae Simone over the line. It was a touch of class which showed why the 22-year-old was drafted into Wallabies camp ahead of Kuridrani last year.

They saw Wallabies halves Nic White and Noah Lolesio combining to leave Force defenders clutching at thin air, and elusive Issak Fines-Leleiwasa trading scrumhalf duties to score on the wing. They saw Pete Samu and Rob Valetini at their devastating best.

"We've had a lot of confidence in Lenny for a long time," McKellar said.

"He's a point of difference, he's got that footwork and fend and offload in his game. He can create something out of nothing, so he'll take a lot of confidence out of tonight.

"The whole pack were good. Robbie's line speed at critical times there and his physicality, he has come back to pre-season a different player to be honest with his professionalism and his attitude which is pleasing. He's looking at a big year.

"Pistol was solid, he'll be much better for the run. It was good for him to get through 80 minutes after coming off in the trial game with a sore shoulder. He'll build on that performance."

Frustrated Force captain Ian Prior told Stan Sport his side was guilty of "cutting corners" after a raft of opportunities came to no avail.

Seven lineouts inside the opposition's 22m zone resulted in zero points, and they failed to take advantage of an undermanned opposition when Brumbies prop James Slipper was sin-binned after he started a maul defence before a Force lineout jumper hit the turf.

Prior's boot is all that could muster points for the Force for the majority of the contest, though a late Tomas Cubelli try stripped a bonus point from the grasp of the Brumbies, meaning the Queensland Reds finish the opening round on top after they thrashed NSW 41-7.

"It would have been nice to have picked up five [points], but it is what it is. We get on with it," McKellar said.

"We worked really hard there in defence for long periods and they certainly tested us around our goal-line. To concede off the back of an error there was disappointing, but we won't dwell on it.

"An enormous effort by our boys. If you had have said before the game, '27-11, Dan and Al, would you take that?' We both would have said 'yep'."

AT A GLANCE

Super Rugby AU round one: ACT BRUMBIES 27 (Noah Lolesio, Irae Simone, Issak Fines-Leleiwasa tries; Lolesio 3 conversions; Lolesio 2 penalties) bt WESTERN FORCE 11 (Tomas Cubelli try; Ian Prior 2 penalties) at Perth Oval.