The past month has been a rough ride for the Brumbies. They’ve been up and they’ve been down. But they’ll hope an 11-point win in Dunedin will be the turning point for their season. They temporarily sit on top of the overall Super Rugby ladder and will lead the Australian conference going into their blockbuster clash with the Queensland Reds next week. Had they lost to the Highlanders – another game they were expected to win – it would have had massive repercussions for their finals hopes. It would have destroyed all the confidence gained early in the season and the Brumbies would have been fighting to get any momentum. Instead, they’re somewhat back on track and a win against the Queensland Reds will put them in a perfect position for a guaranteed finals berth. All the attention will be on who runs away as winners at Suncorp Stadium next week.

Just like previous weeks the Brumbies failed to take complete control of the game and while the Highlanders had limited chances, they were still in the contest. The momentum of the match would have changed completely had TMO Keith Brown awarded a try to Highlanders winger Hosea Gear just minutes before the break. Gear got in some space down the right wing and ran over the top of Christian Lealiifano. Joseph Tomane tried to strip the ball, but Gear appeared to get it down before losing control. The Highlanders all walked back to their own half thinking it would be a try, but Brown said the ball was lost forward. Instead of stealing momentum, the Highlanders trailed 17-12 after the first half. Conversely, the Brumbies had a contentious try awarded to Joseph Tomane in the second half.

The Highlanders are now winless after their first seven games – the worst start to a season in the club’s history. They boast huge potential in their line up with All Blacks Ma’a Nonu, Ben Smith, Hosea Gear, Andrew Hore and Brad Thorn. But something’s not right on the south island of New Zealand and they’re battling to turn it around. They had their chances against the Brumbies, but when you’re down everything seems to go against you and that was the way it seemed for the Highlanders. Coach Jamie Joseph tried to spark his team into action by axing All Blacks halves combination of Aaron Smith and Colin Slade. It didn’t work. And it doesn’t get any easier from the boys from Dunedin, next week they’ve got competition powerhouses the Canterbury Crusaders.

Wallabies coach Robbie Deans named 11 Brumbies in a 30-man squad to attend a training camp in Sydney in preparation for the British and Irish Lions series. All deserve their selection, but Henry Speight has been one of the form wingers in Super Rugby this season. The only problem is he's still not eligible for Wallabies selection because of his Fijian heritage. Speight scored an outstanding try after just three minutes and he looks dangerous whenever he touches the ball. He's got speed to burn and can sniff out the try line from anywhere. When he eventually is eligible in November, Deans might be straight on the phone to him.

It was hard not to feel sorry for Brumbies centre Andrew Smith when he limped from the field with a hamstring injury after just three minutes. It was his first appearance in the starting XV since the Brumbies beat the NSW Waratahs more than a month ago. He missed the South African tour as he overcame a head knock and had to bide his time on the bench behind Tevita Kuridrani. Then three minutes after pulling on the No.13 jersey, he left the field clutching at his hamstring. Smith will have scans back in Canberra and it's unlikely he'll play against the Queensland Reds at Suncorp Stadium.