Falling down:The Brumbies couldn't get off the ground against the Jaguares.Credit:Juan Ignacio Roncoroni
Travel aside,the Brumbies were confident they could cause an upset against the international-laden Jaguares after winning their previous seven games.
This game,however,couldn't have got off to a worse start. Three Brumbies players converged on a probing chip kick only to have the ball land between the three of them,hit someone's boot and bounce 20 metres towards their own try line.
Former Brumby Tomas Cubelli was the man to swoop and scored the opening try after just three minutes.
It triggered a relentless Jaguares wave and the home side,riding the momentum of 31,000 vocal fans,powered to a 20-0 lead after 20 minutes.
The game was almost out of the Brumbies hands by that point as their lineout capitulated and they struggled to hold on to the ball long enough to be a serious threat.
Hooker Folau Faingaa was put under intense pressure by the Jaguares and he missed five of his first seven lineout targets.
It was an uncharacteristic start and clearly shook the Brumbies,who were always playing catch-up after an early case of finals nerves.
Faingaa scored a try on the stroke of half-time,but the Jaguares onslaught continued after the break and they punished the Brumbies for every tiny error.
Tough to watch:Fans take in the Brumbies-Jaguares match in Canberra.Credit:Elesa Kurtz
In the end they ran in five tries and strangled the Brumbies out of the contest to book their place in the grand final for the first time.
The Brumbies were left to lick their wounds after their biggest loss of the season and their worst loss in a finals game.
It was a brutal way to come crashing back to earth,especially in Christian Lealiifano's 150th and final game for the club.
"Obviously a very sad time,"Lealiifano said."The Brumbies will always be in my heart forever,they've been a special club to me. Disappointing the way it goes down,but that's the way rugby is.
"It's special to have my brother here and my family supporting at home."It's going to be sad[to say goodbye],we'll take some time to soak it in . . . we're disappointed in that one. They were very good tonight,they put us under a lot of pressure,we just couldn't get back on top.
"I felt the game was toing and froing,we got into it late in the first half,but the Jaguares were very good tonight."
It seems almost unfair the campaign ended the way it did for the Brumbies because there was so much to like about a running rugby revival this season.
They set a record for the longest single-season winning streak in the club's history,scored some remarkable tries and started to generate new support.
Unfortunately the players will look back and wonder''what if''after failing to fire in the semi-final and never giving themselves a chance to win.
The Brumbies will now say farewell to Lealiifano (Japan),Henry Speight (Queensland),Sam Carter (Ireland) and Rory Arnold (France) among others.
It's a massive changing of the guard,with David Pocock also finishing his Brumbies tenure.
ARGENTINA JAGUARES 34(Matias Orlando 2,Tomas Cubelli,Tomas Lavanini,Emiliano Boffelli tries;Joaquin Diaz Bonilla 4 conversions,2 penalties) ACT BRUMBIES 7 (Folau Faingaa try;Christian Lealiifano conversion) at Jose Amalfitani Stadium,Buenos Aires on Saturday morning.Referee: Mike Fraser.Crowd: 31,000