Brumbies coach Dan McKellar questions last-second referee blunder in loss to Queensland Reds

Trailing 24-22 with two seconds on the clock, McKellar's side were attacking 12m from the Reds line when referee Nic Berry appeared to signal a penalty against the Reds for hands in the ruck, which would've given the Brumbies a shot at goal to steal a last-gasp win.

But Berry's hand snapped back to his side in a split second as the Reds won back possession and the moment was lost.

It was not unlike Ben Cummins waving a phantom six again for the Raiders in the 2019 NRL grand final, only to change his mind in a decision many Canberra fans still believe cost their side a premiership.

McKellar and his coaching staff will now issue a stern 'Please explain' to the league in the wake of the incident which means the Brumbies' will need to win a Super Rugby AU final in Brisbane if they are to retain their crown.

"As you can see by the vision, Nic put his hand out to play an advantage," McKellar said.

"It shows there are hands in the ruck and for whatever reason the whistle wasn't blown. I'm not sure why that is, I need to ask Nic Berry and [Referees head coach] Mitchell Chapman.

"Last week against the Waratahs there was what was considered cynical play and they went back and check and Tom Cusack was yellow carded. For some reason that wasn't an option last night."

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The on-field referee opted for a third-match-official review in the dying stages of last weekend's nail-biting win over NSW, and Tom Cusack was found to have raked the ball from Waratahs hooker Dave Porecki in the ruck.

Cusack received his second yellow card as a result of the review, and the Waratahs received a penalty.

Berry didn't engage the TMO on Saturday in the dying stages of the Brumbies-Reds clash when Cadeyrn Neville was tackled, and the ball spilled messily out the back.

Brumbies assistant coach Laurie Fisher was equally as bemused, and took to Twitter in the aftermath saying: "I always thought arm out meant advantage. Maybe he's shooing a fly."

A successful penalty goal would've stolen a one-point win for the Brumbies, and drawn them level at the top of the Super Rugby AU ladder with the Reds.

Instead they've fallen seven points behind last year's runner-up and will now host a preliminary final at Canberra Stadium in three weeks to earn a rematch against Queensland at Lang Park.

"Now the chance of hosting a grand final in Canberra is not a possibility and that's a loss for our community, commercial ramifications and that sort of thing," McKellar said.

"We've just got to park it now, review it, get some answers out of a few people and move onto the Rebels, and then host a preliminary final and earn the right to have another crack at Suncorp.

"We don't want to get too far ahead of ourselves but that's something that'd certainly excite us."

The Reds have prevailed by two points in two regular-season clashes with the Brumbies this season, coming back on both occasions to hit the front in the dying stages.

"We've played 160 minutes of football and led for 157 of them, yet still managed to lose two games," McKellar said.

"It's disappointing. We're confident that we can beat anyone, anywhere on our day.

"We can't be worrying about Queensland now, we've just got to move on to Melbourne next Sunday and we'll find out over the next couple of weeks who we'll be playing in Canberra around May first which is a good opportunity for Canberra and the ACT rugby community to get out and get behind the team."