Mowen: Brumbies still alive
The Brumbies have been humiliated by the Waratahs at the weekend, but captain Ben Mowen believes they are still firmly in the play-off hunt.
The Waratahs, the competition's new front-runners, claimed a bonus-point win, 39-8 in Sydney.
With 10 regulars ruled out through injury, it was never going to be easy for the Brumbies – who had beaten the Waratahs during their March encounter this year, but won just once in Sydney in the last decade.
It was the Waratahs biggest win over the Brumbies since the last round of the 2011 season and gave the Sydneysiders a leg-up to the Australian Champions trophy in 2014.
"This competition is incredibly close," Mowen said.
"Everyone's got to play everyone and while we don't get to play for points next week we know that we're still alive," the Brumbies skipper added.
"It was a tough match for us.
"They played incredibly well and we were probably just a bit off the pace, which I think is evident on the scoreboard."