Western Force coach John Mitchell has described his side's first Super 14 win on the east coast as a small victory in the besieged franchise's battle for respect.

The Force arrived at Canberra Stadium on Saturday with their attitude under intense scrutiny after their biggest name, Matt Giteau, had announced he would quit the troubled team at the end of the season.

They leave for a two-match trip to New Zealand with a bonus point victory, their second win in three starts, and fourth spot on the Super 14 table.

Giteau's decision and predictions of a player exodus had prompted Australian Rugby Union boss John O'Neill to promise the franchise would not be allowed to fail.

"Really at the end of the day we can't control any of that," Mitchell said after the 25-16 victory.

"It's our first east coast win in our small history so that's a nice milestone for us to tick off.

"But ultimately it's what we do and more importantly focusing on this campaign, so I guess the Force will always have to earn its respect on the footy field."

Despite a pre-season inquiry into complaints against Mitchell, the Force continue to insist it is business as usual and the coach was not buying into suggestions the win was crucial in setting the tone for the season.

"People talk about home and away and on the road and all this sort of stuff but this is a tough competition and wherever you can pick up points is crucial," he said.

"We've only hit three games into the comp, we got a good result and it's very pleasing but we can't ignore the fact that the resistance is going to become harder and people are going to see more of the way teams play and you've just constantly got to look to improve."

The Brumbies' first loss of the season was also only their second ever against an Australian Super rugby side in Canberra and plunged them to seventh on the table.

They will use next week's bye to address their own attitude issues and a dysfunctional backline.

"We've got a week off now to refresh and I don't think there'll be any problem with our energy levels against the Waratahs in two weeks' time," captain Stephen Hoiles said.

"We've got to be patient in attack. Defensively there's obviously some issues, they got three tries (going) around us."

The Waratahs' 34-16 win over the Highlanders on Friday night ensured they shared top spot with the Bulls after the South Africans scored a 16-9 derby win over the Lions.

NSW meet a fired-up Queensland in Sydney on Friday night after the Reds bombed a handful of tries but still overcame a disappointing Cheetahs outfit to win their first match of the season, 22-3, at Suncorp Stadium, lifting them from last to ninth on the table.

The Sharks are third after they beat the Chiefs 22-15 in Hamilton, while defending champions the Crusaders slumped to eighth with a 30-24 loss to the Hurricanes in Christchurch.

Auckland's Blues moved up to fifth with a 14-8 win over the Stormers in Cape Town.

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