Wallabies great Tim Horan has called for SANZAR to adopt elements of the NRL's video review system after two controversial foul play incidents this weekend which have hurt the Waratahs and Reds' Super Rugby prospects.

With their finals hopes already in danger, NSW were left seething after replacement lock Pat O'Connor was wrongly sent off at a critical stage of their 23-17 loss to the Bulls in Pretoria.

Assistant referee Pro Legoete reported O'Connor for an alleged 67th-minute headbutt - an automatic red-card punishment - when he was merely cleaning out rivals at a ruck.

Legoete initially disagreed with referee Craig Joubert that it was a send-off offence before changing his mind in an embarrassing on-field exchange between the officials.

The injury-hit Waratahs battled on gamely with 14-men, but were unable to score a late try to stay in the top six, dropping to seventh on the standings - two points behind the Bulls (49).

O'Connor was later exonerated in a SANZAR judicial hearing, which Horan saw as a bitter pill for NSW to swallow.

The 80-Test centre said Super Rugby referees should have the power to penalise or sin-bin players for foul play and also put them on report like in the National Rugby League.

"Especially incidents like what happened to O'Connor in Pretoria where his send-off really affected the team," Horan told AAP. "When it's a red card, it has a major affect on the game.

"I think if it's deemed bad enough and blatant then, yes, a red card is deserved but, otherwise, you can give a yellow card and still put it on report if you're not sure."

Horan also felt there was merit in giving power to television match officials to immediately review high tackles like video referees can in the NRL to award penalties.

Reds winger Digby Ioane was knocked out cold by a reckless high shot from Brumbies No.8 Ita Vaea, who was not penalised but subsequently cited and suspended for one match.

Queensland players were unhappy referee Garratt Williamson took no action despite the incident being shown numerous times on the big screen at Suncorp Stadium.

The Reds not only lost Ioane for at least a week on the sidelines, the competition frontrunners might be without their best backline defenders Anthony Faingaa (hamstring) and Ben Lucas (knee) for the rest of the season.

The battling Brumbies ended a six-week drought with a 22-14 boilover in their best performance of the year, which sliced the Reds (58) competition lead to one point after South Africa's in-form Stormers thrashed the Melbourne Rebels 40-3.

Rubbing salt into Queensland's wounds was Matt Giteau's decision to kick a post-hooter penalty goal to deny the Reds a bonus point.

Brumbies hooker Stephen Moore was forced to make a post-match apology to Giteau for disputing the captain's choice - the pair's second heated last-minute exchange in three weeks.

The Western Force did the Waratahs (47) a favour by upsetting the eighth-placed Highlanders (45) in Dunedin, while the Cheetahs threatened to do the same in Bloemfontein before the fifth-placed Sharks (51) muscled up in the second half to win 23-18.

Helping Queensland's hopes of a top-two finish and a week off at the start of the playoffs, New Zealand's top side, the Blues, fell to their third straight loss with a 16-11 defeat to the Chiefs.

The Blues (55) face the fourth-placed Crusaders (53) in a crunch clash in next weekend's second last round for top spot in the Kiwi conference.

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