A first loss for Gats as the Brumbies end drought and Reds thrash the Sunwolves

Australian Conference rivals the Brumbies and the Reds enjoyed big wins on Saturday, the leaders recovering from an outbreak of mumps. The Brumbies stretched their early lead at the top of Super Rugby's Australian Conference after handing the Chiefs their first defeat of the campaign.

 

 

The Canberra outfit had been edged out by the Highlanders last week but bounced back to beat the Chiefs 26-14 at FMG Stadium Waikato. But, it was a first win in New Zealand since 2014 that concioded with Warren Gatland's first loss as Chiefs head coach as a blistering opening 40 minutes for the Brumbies saw them to victory despite a mumps outbreak in the lead up to the game.

Tom Banks, Solomone Kata and Pete Samu all crossed before the break for the visitors without reply. And Samu's second try two minutes after the restart, along with Noah Lolesio's third successful conversion, made it 26-0.

Aaron Cruden and Anton Lienert-Brown went through to restore Chiefs hopes, but their run of three straight wins to start the season was ended.

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The Reds are now second to the Brumbies in their conference, six points back, after getting their first victory in dominant fashion.

Tate McDermott scored twice in a stunning 10-try 64-5 success against the Sunwolves, leapfrogging their opponents.

Like the Brumbies, the Sharks bounced back from a first loss of the season in Saturday's early game, beating the Rebels 36-24 in Melbourne.

Makazole Mapimpi contributed a pair of tries, while Curwin Bosch had 16 points in all, including a 72nd-minute score.