Super Rugby AU Wrap Up - Round 6

Revenge was sweet in Round 6 as the Rebels and Waratahs enjoyed strong wins over the Brumbies and Reds respectively after suffering losses in Round 1 of Super Rugby AU.

Rebels v Brumbies:

The Brumbies suffered their first defeat of Super Rugby AU when they went down 30-12 to a determined and impressive Rebels outfit.

Reece Hodge was on top form, running in two tries in the first half as the Rebels charged to a dominant lead (27-7) lead at half-time.

The second half was a long-scoring affair but the Rebels never looked out of charge of a team which toppled them 31-23 in Round 1.

"I thought tonight the conditions really helped us in the sense that we didn't overthink it," said Rebels captain Matt Toomua.

"We thought about territory, we thought about physicality... I was really happy, it was a clinical performance."

The Rebels now find themselves four points behind the table-topping Brumbies on the overall standings and, if their form on the weekend is anything to go by, have established themselves as real contenders for the title.

Brumbies captain Allan Alaatoa was quick to point out the areas on which his team needs to work going forward:

"It was a tough game, I think we needed to kick better. They stayed on top of us well, they kept putting balls in the corner and keeping us in our end. We need to really have a look at ourselves."

Scorers:

Rebels

Tries: Reece Hodge (2), Brad Wilkin, Jordan Uelese
Conversions: Matt Toomua (2)
Penalties: Toomua (2)

Brumbies

Tries: Joe Powell, Will Miller
Conversion: Bayley Kuenzle

Waratahs v Reds:

The second feature of Round 6 produced a somewhat surprising result as the Waratahs thumped the Reds 45-12 in Sydney.

Under the leadership of Michael Hooper, the ‘Tahs hit the ground running with a vibrant start and never looked back.

The Reds appeared shocked at the relentless waves of clinical attack which crashed over their brittle defence again and again.

"Very happy with that. We got off to a hot start and kept the foot on the throat. The set-piece was good, our ball movement was good, so really pleased," said Hooper.

"Our defence has improved out of sight in the past couple of weeks. It was a full squad effort to get that result."

Reds captain Liam Wright was humble in defeat:

"Credit to NSW, they came out all guns blazing. We didn't come out with that energy and intensity that we promised and you can't chase down that many points. They probably wanted it more, to be honest," he said.

Scorers:

Waratahs 45 (38)

Tries: Jake Gordon (3), Jack Maddocks, Alex Newsome, Tom Horton

Conversions: Will Harrison (5), Ben Donaldson

Penalty: Harrison

Reds 12 (0)

Tries: Jack Hardy, James O' Connor

Conversion: O ' Connor