The Brumbies kicked away to a five-point break on the overall standings with a crushing six-try 41-7 win over Western Force at home on Saturday, retrieving the Australian conference lead from the Queensland Reds.
The match also the Brumbies’ Fijian winger Henry Speight scored a double to take over as the tournament’s leading tryscorer, with seven touchdowns.
The Reds temporarily grabbed the conference lead after their titanic 12-11 victory over the Auckland Blues the previous night in Brisbane.
The Chiefs rallied from back-to-back defeats to win a re-run of last year’s Super Rugby final with a 37-29 victory over South Africa’s Sharks in Hamilton to hold down second place overall.
The Northern Bulls cling on to the South African conference lead and are third overall following their 30-19 win over the New South Wales Waratahs in Pretoria.
The three-time Super Rugby champions are one point clear of the Central Cheetahs in their conference after the Cheetahs downed fellow South Africans Southern Kings 26-12 in Bloemfontein.
The Wellington Hurricanes dropped out of the top-six playoff frame after losing 18-16 to South Africa’s Western Stormers in Palmerston North, while seven-time champions Canterbury Crusaders fought off Australia’s Melbourne Rebels to win 30-26 in Christchurch on Sunday.