SYDNEY: The race has tightened for this year’s Super 15 rugby championship with four points separating the top five teams after this weekend’s 13th round of matches.
Australia’s ACT Brumbies, who banked four competition points from a bye, lead the southern hemisphere provincial series by one point from defending champions Waikato Chiefs of New Zealand.
The Brumbies are also one point ahead of the Queensland Reds in the Australian conference.
South Africa’s Northern Bulls are third overall and trailing the Brumbies by four points after their weekend bye, with the leaders of each conference automatically filling the top three places in the championship standings.
The Chiefs survived a second-half fightback to edge Australia’s Western Force 22-21 to keep the pressure on the front-running Brumbies. A dazzling four-try opening half set up the 2011 Super Rugby winning Reds for a 32-17 victory over South Africa’s Coastal Sharks in Brisbane.
The Auckland Blues survived a second-half fightback by the Melbourne Rebels to force their way back into the top six with a 36-32 win in an 11-try thriller at Eden Park.
Brumbies hold Super 15 lead
