Daryl Gibson has admitted the Waratahs are in a "real hole" following their loss to the Brumbies and third consecutive defeat of the Super Rugby season.

The Brumbies hammered the Waratahs in the second half to seal a crucial win in Sydney.

The Waratahs have fallen to the Brumbies for the third consecutive time in two seasons and surrendered the inaugural Dan Vickerman Cup, going down 28-12 on a wet evening in Sydney.

Super Rugby: ACT Brumbies v NSW Waratahs talking points

• Live

The NSW Waratahs return from South Africa desperate for points, while the ACT Brumbies will want to put questions over their future behind them as they look to build on some solid performances in recent weeks. Follow live here for all the action.

The Hurricanes blew away the Highlanders with a dominant second-half display as the defending Super Rugby champions got back to winning ways with a comprehensive 41-15 victory in Wellington on Saturday.

They may have lost three matches in a row to start the Super Rugby season, but Melbourne Rebels coach Tony McGahan has praised the effort of his players against the Chiefs amid the "deafening" silence about the club's future beyond this season.

From the rain-lashed streets of Dublin to the hills of Dunedin in New Zealand, all eyes in the rugby world will be trained on the Aviva Stadium on Saturday afternoon (Sunday ADT) to bear witness to triumph on a grand scale or to what England captain Dylan Hartley describes as the "dirty feeling" of losing a match yet still winning a title.

The Bulls beat the Sunwolves 34-21 in Super Rugby but made it hard for themselves against the strugglers from Japan when flanker Renaldo Bothma was sent off for a high tackle in the opening minute of the second half.

The shock proposed merger between Paris rivals Racing 92 and Stade Francais has resulted in Saturday's (Sunday ADT) Top 14 fixtures involving the clubs being postponed.

The move from Eastwood Rugby to put TG Millner Field up for sale to ensure the club's survival shouldn't come as too much of a shock – more sadness that it has to come to this point.

Brumbies prepare for sloppy slog against NSW Waratahs on Saturday night.

Brumbies administrator warns Canberra club rugby will "wither and die" if Super Rugby franchise axed.

The Brumbies will unleash a new beast when they throw Lolo Fakaosilea into battle against the Waratahs.

• COMMENT

The global season is a long-term gift to Australian rugby, but only if the ARU gets its short-term right. Bill Pulver, it's over to you.

Three days after the joy of making his Super Rugby debut, Andrew Kellaway arrived at Waratahs training adamant he would be booted back to Shute Shield on the weekend.

Eddie Jones has urged England to embrace their inner Sir Edmund Hillary as they contemplate scaling a significant peak in Dublin on Saturday, back-to-back Grand Slams that would be the Everest of their expectations.

• COMMENT

Cutting or moving the Brumbies would be a disastrous decision that says Australian rugby doesn't stand for anything any more.

If there was a week the Australian Rugby Union needed some good news – some non-fake news, even – it was this week. It came late but it came nevertheless, and it has the potential to make a big impact to rugby's bottom line in Australia.