CANBERRA, Australia — The ACT Brumbies increased their lead in the Australia conference and remained in second place overall in Super Rugby with a 30-23 win over the Hurricanes Friday. The Brumbies led by four at halftime and by 16 midway through the second half before the Hurricanes staged a comeback attempt. The Wellington, New Zealand-based side dominated play for much of the final 10 minutes and had a try disallowed that would have pulled them within two of the lead. The Brumbies have a nine-point lead over second-place Queensland ahead of the Reds' match against Melbourne on Saturday. The ACT's 54 points leave the side two points behind the tournament-leading Chiefs from Hamilton, New Zealand, who had a weekend bye. Crusaders edge Waratahs In Christchurch, the New South Wales Waratahs' chances of reaching Super Rugby's playoffs died meekly Friday when replacement flyhalf Berrick Barnes missed a last-minute penalty, giving the Crusaders a 23-22 win which kept their fragile playoffs hopes alive. — AP
