ACT Brumbies hooker Lachlan Lonergan loses jumper in bizarre moment

In bizarre scenes, the ACT Brumbies hooker lost his jumper as he attempted to detach from a maul. As he looked to offload, the ball got stuck in the jersey so he tucked it under his wing and took off.

For a brief moment, it looked like Lonergan could go all the way until referee James Doleman decided to put an end to the fun.

Apparently you can't play footy topless. Who knew?

"Guys, we can't play on with a player with a top off," Doleman told the players as he called half-time.

Brumbies coach Stephen Larkham was frustrated with the decision, believing play should have continued.

"Play shouldn't have been stopped," Larkham said post-game. "It if was going to be stopped, we should've been given a scrum."

The moment had players in stitches and left the commentators bemused.

"I've never seen it before," Sean Maloney said.

At half-time, Stephen Hoiles, a Waratahs, Brumbies and Wallabies veteran, said it was a first for him as well.

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"He looks like a guy who hates fanfare," Hoiles said.

"I've never seen a hooker get the ball stuck in a jersey, dummy it, not get it out, then have a 30-metre run down the sideline."

Unsurprisingly, social media was just as confused. This wasn't regular programming for a Sunday afternoon game of footy, but it was captivating, as never before had Australian rugby fans seen something so bizarre.

While Lonergan was quick to put his top back on, skipper Allan Alaalatoa said he enjoyed the moment.

"He looked good," Alaalatoa said. "He's been working on his upper body, he was pretty pleased with himself."

The moment came as the Brumbies held on to claim a tense 33-26 victory over the Rebels in Melbourne.

Noah Lolesio set the platform for victory before the forwards made a number of crucial defensive plays to deny a late Rebels comeback.

The Brumbies were happy to exploit a recent rule change on Sunday but Larkham has called for the held up rule to return to its original form.

The side held up three Rebels players over the try line throughout the match, including a crucial tackle on Cabous Eloff with less than 60 seconds on the clock.

Prior to 2020, play resumed with a 5m scrum to the attacking changed. That all changed after COVID struck as Rugby Australia introduced a raft of experimental laws to speed up the game and increase the amount of open, attacking rugby.

Play now resumes with a goal-line drop out and the trial has been expanded to the international game.

A goal-line drop out is a major win for defensive teams an Alaalatoa said his team has refined the skill of holding players up.

"It's definitely something we train throughout the week," Alaalatoa said.

'"We understand if we hold them up, we get to go to a goal-line dropout.

"It's something we've implemented at training through the week and it's good to see that come off in the game scenario."

The rule change has triggered mixed opinions, respected former referee Nigel Owens recently expressing his dislike for line drop outs.

Larkham agrees and hopes to see a return of the 5m scrum.

"I think it needs to be changed," Larkham said. "I'll try and work on that in the off-season.

"All the effort goes into getting over the line. We're only going to see it be exploited more and more. We did tonight.

"It's a fine line defensively. You're right on the line, if you go too high thinking you can hold them up, they can get under you. There's a bit of work to do. I think we should be rewarding attacking teams."

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