If the Super 14 is a sprint, the Australian sides fell at the sixth hurdle, the NSW Waratahs, Brumbies and Western Force all losing ground as the competition neared its halfway point.

And all three blamed the same problem - poor execution in attack - as they fell down the ladder after round six while Queensland enjoyed the weekend off with the bye.

The Waratahs slipped from second to third with their second straight loss, and first in Sydney in 11 matches, a 17-13 defeat to struggling defending champions the Crusaders.

NSW's first trip to ANZ Stadium drew 32,469 fans but came unstuck as they turned over ball cheaply and, when they did get it together in attack, were thwarted with some brilliant try-saving defence.

"It's frustrating because we seem to do a lot of the hard things really well and then just what would appear to be the simple things letting us down," coach Chris Hickey told AAP on Sunday.

"In the attacking half with the ball we turned it over and therefore you don't build pressure on teams and, because of that, you don't accumulate points."

Hickey hasn't ruled out changes, with inconsistent five-eighth Kurtley Beale expected to face another week of pressure to retain the No.10 jersey.

"Going into the game, he seemed pretty good," skipper Phil Waugh said of Beale's lead-up.

"In terms of his actual performance, (we'll) have to have a look at the video I guess."

Making matters worse for the Tahs was a recurrence of Al Baxter's calf muscle strain, which will sideline the record-breaking prop for a month, while Waugh will also be monitored this week after hurting his Achilles tendon.

Brumbies coach Andy Friend called it an "off night" as his side began a three-match tour of South Africa with a 25-17 loss to perennial strugglers the Lions.

"We just didn't finish them off," Friend said.

"We had plenty of opportunities. Our execution was poor and we didn't capitalise on our opportunities," Friend told AAP.

The Brumbies would have at least earned a bonus point had Lions fullback Louis Ludik not scored a last-minute try when he pounced on an error deep in the visitors' territory.

The Lions rebounded from a racism row which resulted in assistant coach Leon Boshoff's suspension, reportedly for a verbal spray aimed at the side's black players.

The Brumbies are now ninth as they head to Durban for a showdown with the second-placed Sharks, who finished their Australasian tour with a 22-10 win over the Force.

Force skipper Nathan Sharpe said his side's destiny was no longer in their own hands as their poor record at home continued and they slipped to 11th ahead of a bye next weekend.

"It's disappointing. You play a lot of football and unfortunately a couple of bust-out tries cost you," Sharpe said.

"Especially the first half, I felt it was only a matter of time until the scoreboard opened up on us and it didn't happen."

South Africa's Bulls remain the only unbeaten side following their 19-14 defeat of the Hurricanes in Wellington and sit outright first on 22 points.

The Chiefs round out the top four after a madcap 63-34 home win over the Blues.

Meanwhile, the competition's referees also came in for a hammering from disgruntled players, with Hurricanes centre Ma'a Nonu claiming Australian Matt Goddard cost his side victory after handing out one red and five yellow cards.

Waugh was also unhappy after Crusaders lock Isaac Ross was yellow-carded for a professional foul rather than the Waratahs being awarded a penalty try in the second half at the Olympic stadium.

"It's a lottery at the moment, isn't it?" he said. "One week it's a penalty try, the next it's a penalty. The next week it's play on."

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