• UPDATED

Melbourne Rebels coach Tony McGahan will depart the Super Rugby club at the end of the season.

It wasn't too long ago that Joe Powell was an apprentice for Brumbies youngster Ryan Lonergan's dad.

ACT Brumbies have re-signed props Nic Mayhew and Les Leulua'iali'i-Makin for 2018 Super Rugby season

Tom Cusack is staying put at the ACT Brumbies but will bid farewell to his mate Tom Staniforth.

• COMMENT

The Lions face eight more hakas in 28 days. Warren Gatland's men will see more tongues than the average dentist, but we can only pray that the throat-slitting desists.

Ask Wallabies bolter Lukhan Tui who his favourite footballer is and he reels off NSW Origin star Andrew Fifita, Storm enforcer Jesse Bromwich or winger Manu Vatuvei from his beloved Warriors.

Baden Stephenson says the Rebels are here to stay and are fighting to regain respect and local support heading into next season.

Melbourne Rebels star Reece Hodge hopes to get his chance to earn a place in the centres for the Wallabies against Fiji on Saturday.

The Melbourne Rebels have signed former England international and British and Irish Lions second-row forward Geoff Parling for the 2018 Super Rugby season.

The NSW Waratahs have emerged as a potential lifeline for Rob Simmons after the Australian and Queensland forward was shown the door by the Reds for next season.

Four second-half tries gave the NSW Waratahs a chance to produce a miracle win, but it wasn't enough as the Chiefs ran away 46-31 winners in Hamilton on Saturday.

Reserve Mitchell Hunt has slotted one of the great Super Rugby field goals to sink the Highlanders and extend the Crusaders' unbeaten season.

Nick Phipps will miss the Waratahs' match on the weekend against the Chiefs but NSW coach Daryl Gibson believes "he'll be fine" for the Wallabies' first Test against Fiji in Melbourne.

Sonny Bill Williams will sit out the Auckland Blues Super Rugby clash with the Queensland Reds in Samoa on Friday to give the All Blacks centre more time to recover from a knee injury ahead of clashes against the British and Irish Lions.

• UPDATED

The Australian Rugby Union (ARU) has lifted its moratorium on Super Rugby player contracts and promised to honour deals for those who sign with a team which is subsequently axed.

Flanker Uzair Cassiem has grabbed two tries for South Africa's Cheetahs who have put the Sunwolves to the sword 47-7 on Saturday in Tokyo to record their third win of the Super Rugby season.

Wallabies and NSW Waratahs forward Dean Mumm has announced he will retire from rugby at the end of the 2017 season.

The Queensland Reds have named a settled side for Friday night's must-win Super Rugby clash against the Western Force.

NSW Waratahs centre David Horwitz has dismissed talk that the Brumbies have an inside run to the finals as the battle to top the Australian conference heats up.