champion Queensland Reds stayed within sight of a first-place finish in the Australian conference with a 13-12 win over the leading ACT Brumbies Saturday. Fullback Luke Morahan scored the only try of the match and flyhalf Michael Harris converted and added two penalties for the Reds. Zack Holmes provided all the ACT scoring with four penalties. The Brumbies have a five-point lead over the Reds. In Perth, Western Force earned just its third win by beating the hapless Lions 17-11 after a second-half comeback. In a matchup of two teams who are last in their respective conferences, Western Force overcame an 8-3 halftime deficit as captain David Pocock and Napolioni Nalaga both scored tries. Lions winger Michael Killian had scored a first-half try to put the visitors ahead. Ruan Combrinck scored a penalty kick late on to secure a bonus point for the Lions. Western Force now has three wins and 10 losses and remains last in the Australia conference, while the Lions have just one win and 10 losses in the South Africa conference. In Auckland, the Otago Highlanders broke a 10-year jinx as they held off a strongly finishing Auckland Blues to win 27-20. In 17 years of Super rugby, it was only the Highlanders second taste of success in the Blues fortress, to go with their 20-13 victory in 2002, the last year they made the knock-out rounds. It also kept them in the top-six this season with only four weeks before the play-offs. In Wellington, Wellington winger Julian Savea scored three tries and fullback Andre Taylor scored two as the Hurricanes thrashed the Melbourne Rebels 66-24 . Taylor's double gave him 10 tries for the season, making him the top tryscorer in the competition after 14 rounds, and winger Alapati Leiua also touched down twice as the Hurricanes ran nine tries through a porous Rebels defense. Flyhalf Beauden Barrett, like Savea also a new All Blacks squad member, kicked 10 goals from 10 attempts as the Hurricanes posted their highest score and largest winning margin in a Super rugby match, while keeping alive slim playoffs hopes.
