Australia’s inconsistent Super Rugby sides are hardly sending waves of concern coursing through their overseas rivals, with defending champion Queensland struggling more than most.
All three Australian teams up against overseas opposition in the latest round tasted defeat.
Australia’s teams have lost all six of their games overseas.
The only local winner in round six was Western Force (12 points) and their 45-19 victory came at the expense of the battling Reds (13), who crashed to a third straight loss for the first time since 2009.
The Brumbies (18), who lost 29-26 at home to the Sharks (17) are the only Australian team in the top half of the ladder and the only one not to have lost at least three games.
However, only one of their five fixtures so far have been outside Canberra.
The bonus point they got for their narrow loss to the Sharks moved them one point further ahead at the top of the Australian conference of both the Reds and Waratahs (13), who lost 30-13 to the Chiefs (22) in Hamilton.
If the ladder was compiled the old fashioned way, the Brumbies would only be running sixth.
However, under the system introduced last year, the national conference leader with the lowest points tally can’t be ranked any lower than third.
Despite their early season struggles, the Reds, Waratahs and Force are all still within range of the Brumbies, as they each have a four-point bye to come.
A grim round for the Australian teams started with the Melbourne Rebels (10) losing 43-12 to the Highlanders (22) in Invercargill.
The loss combined with wins for the Force and Cheetahs (12), and a bye for the Blues (10), sent the Rebels to the bottom of the ladder.
A common lament among the losing Australian teams was their failure to take opportunities.
The poor fitness run for Australian five-eights continued, with Brumbies’ pivot Matt Toomua ruled out for the remainder of the season with a knee injury and Force flyhalf James Stannard likely to miss a week with an ankle problem.
Another negative for the Australian teams was a rash of citings for lifting tackles.
Rebels’ winger Cooper Vuna was suspended for two weeks for a lifting tackle on the Highlanders’ Kade Poki.
Vuna’s teammate Lloyd Johansson got both a yellow and white card for a separate lifting tackle in the same game, though no further action was deemed necessary, while Force player Phoenix Battye was cited on Sunday for a lifting tackle on Reds’ halfback Will Genia.
The unbeaten Stormers (24) remain top of the ladder following a 20-17 win over the Bulls (20) in Cape Town.
In Wellington, the Cheetahs scored their first Super win ever in New Zealand, overturning a 21-point deficit to register a 47-38 victory over the Hurricanes (16).
The Crusaders (18) scored 13 unanswered second half points to come from behind and record a 23-13 win over the Lions (10) in Johannesburg.
