There were length-of-the-field tries, counter attack tries, sweeping back-line moves and equally as impressive defence as the Brumbies romped to a win against the Japan Sunwolves.

The 33-0 bonus-point triumph lifts the Brumbies to second on the overall standings and puts them one point ahead of the Melbourne Rebels in the battle for Australia's guaranteed play-off berth.

The only thing missing from the Brumbies fifth consecutive home win and their fourth victory from the past five games this year was a big crowd at Canberra Stadium.

The Brumbies turned into entertainers for the 7698 faithful at a chilly afternoon fixture, which has given the ACT side a chance to return to the finals.

It also silenced those who criticised the Brumbies in recent weeks for their use of the rolling maul as an attacking weapon.

The Brumbies didn't actively turn away from the maul, but they had a complete game plan to use the set piece as the cornerstone for a superb win.

"It was very pleasing," said Brumbies coach Dan McKellar. "I thought our effort all night was very good, in particular the last 10 minutes in defence there [to keep them scoreless].

"It's pleasing [to be at the top of the Australian conference], but nothing changes. We're not too obsessed with the ladder ... you just keep accumulating points and winning and the outcome will look after itself."

Henry Speight scored a first-half double while Joe Powell, Tom Banks and Pete Samu all got across the line in one of the side's most complete performances of the year.

The Brumbies have a bye this week, which means the Rebels have a chance to wrestle back the conference lead before the final four games of the regular season.

The Brumbies will play the Pretoria Bulls, the Sunwolves again, the NSW Waratahs and the Queensland Reds in the closing rounds of the year.

If they win all four of those, they will almost certainly play in the finals. And while they showed attacking flair against the Sunwolves, their defence also fired a warning shot to the rest of the competition.

The Brumbies showed desperation to protect their line, keeping a side scoreless for the first time in four years.

Brumbies captain Christian Lealiifano said: "I thought it was a brave performance. Our defence was there in the first minute and the last minute, I was impressed with that.

"It's come off the back of a six-week block where we've driven our standards and we backed each other to play, which is good.

"It comes from the team's belief in what we're doing ... we're playing to keep trusting our system and not just conceding a try. I could see that in guys' eyes." Speight was outstanding, playing one of his best games of the season while Tevita Kuridrani set up the first two tries of the game and continues his push to earn a Wallabies recall.

"It's nice to be talking about our outside backs," Lealiifano grinned. "Henry and Tev have been dangerous their whole careers and it's nice to see them in space.

"We know what we get from them and to see them produce that consistently is nice for us."

The Brumbies will return to Canberra Stadium to play against the Bulls on May 24.

AT A GLANCE

ACT BRUMBIES 33 (Henry Speight 2, Joe Powell, Tom Banks, Pete Samu tries; Christian Lealiifano 4 conversions) bt JAPAN SUNWOLVES 0 at Canberra Stadium on Sunday. Referee: Damon Murphy. Crowd: 7698.