heroic Queensland team provided the highlights as Australia enjoyed its first unbeaten round of the Super 14 rugby era.
For the first time since the competition expanded to 14 teams in 2006, all the Australian teams in action won, though the winless and bottom-of-the table Western Force had a bye.
While no Australian team has to yet crack the rarefied air of the top four, the Brumbies, Reds and NSW Waratahs all remained in touch after important wins.
With the Chiefs and Hurricanes both losing, the defending champion Bulls (15), who had a bye, are the only unbeaten team after four rounds.
Of the Australian contingent, the Brumbies (12 points, 6th) lead the way following a 24-13 win over the Lions (two, 13th) in their first home game of the season.
The injury-hit Reds provided the Australian highlight of the competition to date, and the boilover of the season, with a stirring come-from-behind 23-18 win over the Chiefs (15, 2nd).
The Waratahs (nine, 10th) snapped their losing streak at two with a hard-fought 25-21 victory over the winless Sharks (three, 12th).
While the Reds recovered magnificently from an early 15-0 deficit to record a victory described by coach Ewen McKenzie as "a pretty incredible win in Queensland rugby history", the Brumbies and Waratahs both produced patchy performances.
The failure to pick up bonus points has cost the Brumbies dear in previous seasons and is looming as a factor again this year.
The points-less Force apart, the Brumbies are the only other team in the competition yet to record a bonus point.
They had over 20 minutes to find a fourth try against the Lions, but were let down by some poor execution.
"As a side, we've got to be hard on ourselves," Brumbies five-eighth Matt Giteau said.
"It was a good win, but we've got to start getting bonus-point wins."
The Waratahs also finished one try shy of a bonus point, but were happy just to win after a controversial climax to their SFS clash with the Sharks.
The visitors were adamant they should have been awarded a match-winning penalty try inside the last three minutes when NSW replacement back Kurtley Beale knocked on a pass which could have allowed Sharks No.8 Ryan Kankowski a passage to the Waratahs line.
"That was a cynical decision right at the end there. It should have been a penalty try," Sharks coach John Plumtree said.
His Waratahs counterpart Chris Hickey said on first viewing he thought Beale had tried to knock the ball up not down.
"I thought Kurtley had actually gone for the intercept rather than knocking the ball down," Hickey said.
The Brumbies and Waratahs reported no major injuries, while Queensland were hoping a couple of their outside backs would return for next Sunday's derby against the Force in Brisbane.
Digby Ioane is expected to return, while Reds officials are optimistic Peter Hynes will also be available.
In other round four fixtures, the Crusaders (14, 5th) scored a 33-20 home win over the Blues (nine, 10th) in Christchurch, the Cheetahs (nine, 8th) notched a 28-12 upset victory over the Hurricanes (14, 4th) in Bloemfontein and the Stormers (14, 3rd) inflicted a 33-0 drubbing on the Highlanders (five, 11th) in Cape Town.
http://news.brisbanetimes.com.au/bre...0307-pqcw.html
