Summary The Cape Town-based Stormers went top of the standings with a 29-13 victory.
SYDNEY (AFP) - Western Stormers stretched their unbeaten run to four matches this season with a comfortable South African derby win, with the ACT Brumbies and Waikato Chiefs snapping at their heels after this weekend s round of Super 15 matches.
The Cape Town-based Stormers went top of the standings with a 29-13 victory over the Coastal Sharks to lead the Brumbies by one point on the overall standings.
The Brumbies chalked up a 10th-straight home victory with a bonus-point 27-15 win over Western Force in Canberra to lead the Australian Conference.
The Chiefs went down 20-17 to fellow New Zealanders Otago Highlanders at home, but are a further point away in third position and lead the New Zealand Conference.
The Wellington Hurricanes hold down fourth spot overall despite having a bye this weekend, but the Northern Bulls climbed to fifth after a 39-20 derby win over the Central Cheetahs in Bloemfontein.
Defending champions New South Wales Waratahs were untroubled in putting away the disjointed Queensland Reds 23-5 in Brisbane to rise to sixth.
South Africa s Golden Lions claimed their first win of the season when they edged out the Auckland Blues 13-10 at North Harbour Stadium.
Canterbury Crusaders and the Melbourne Rebels also had this weekend off with byes.
There was nothing between the Stormers and Sharks at Newlands stadium after a frenetic opening half, but the Sharks rarely got out of their half after the break.
The Sharks managed to add just three points and were sunk by a mid-second half penalty try.
The Brumbies consolidated their lead at the top of the Australian Conference with a four tries to two win over the Force, clinching a scoring bonus point early in the second half.
The win continues the Canberra-based side s strong start to the season with their third triumph in four outings, while the Force slipped to their third loss of the campaign.
The Brumbies were always in control of the Australian derby with a strong set-piece, which rewarded them with three tries.
The Chiefs went down to a last-minute penalty, conceded by their star centre Sonny Bill Williams.
The Chiefs dominated possession and territory but failed to make it count, sliding to their first defeat in four matches.
The Chiefs star-studded backline had an off-night and they succumbed to a sucker punch when Williams infringed on the ruck in the final minute, allowing rookie fly-half Marty Banks to kick the winning penalty as the siren sounded.
Springbok Handre Pollard contributed 29 points as the Bulls once again proved a bogey team for the Cheetahs.
The young fly-half scored a try, kicked three conversions and five penalties, and slotted a drop goal to raise his four-match tally this season to 72 points.
A try each from wing Bjorn Basson and centre Jan Serfontein completed the Bulls scoring as they won for the 13th time in 14 clashes with the Cheetahs.
The Waratahs carved out an error-strewn win over the Reds in Brisbane in a game that was hardly a good advertisement for the southern hemisphere provincial series.
Both sides committed a welter of passing and handling errors in a derby that never reached any great heights.
The Waratahs scored two tries to one and should have crossed for more only for the final pass to go to ground.
It was the Sydneysiders second win in three games, while the injury-hit Reds slipped to their third defeat in four outings and trail at the bottom of the Australian Conference.
Fly-half Bernard Foley finished with 18 points from a try, two conversions and three penalties.
In the battle to escape the bottom of the ladder, the Lions rare win in New Zealand left the under-achieving Blues suffering their fourth consecutive loss, the worst start to a season for the franchise.
