Super Rugby: Waratahs impress without Israel Folau

The Waratahs' first Super Rugby match without suspended full-back Israel Folau turned into an impressive victory.

They overcame a 20-7 half-time deficit and held the Rebels scoreless over the final 40 minutes to register a 23-20 win in their eighth game in this season's competition, moving them within four points of the first-place Rebels in the Australian conference.

Folau was suspended last week and is awaiting a code of conduct hearing which will decide his future. Rugby Australia has said it intends to sever its contract with the 30-year-old Test veteran over his anti-gay social media comments.

Fly-half Bernard Foley scored a try and kicked two conversions and three penalties to account for all 16 of the Waratahs' points in the second half.

Kurtley Beale, who replaced Folau at full-back, had a strong kicking game, while Foley outplayed his opposite No 10 Quade Cooper.

"We knew if we stuck to our game plan and sharpened up in our penalties we were a real shot," said Waratahs captain Michael Hooper, who played his 100th match for the team.

"That bloke has so much ticker," Hooper said of Foley. "He rises to the challenge when he gets put under the pump. He had a great game and led us so well."

Earlier on Saturday, a second-half penalty try helped lift the Highlanders to a 24-12 win over the Blues in a New Zealand derby.

The Blues' 33-26 victory over the Highlanders in round six was, and remains, their first and only win over a New Zealand opponent in three years. Their subsequent match in the New Zealand conference resulted in a narrow loss to the Hamilton-based Chiefs.

Buoyed by wins over the Waratahs and South Africa's Stormers, the Blues entered the match as favourites but the Highlanders' strong second half called into question their touted revival.

A huge scrum surge in the 50th minute brought the Highlanders a penalty try which made their lead comfortable and it became decisive with a 40-metre intercept touchdown by Matt Faddes six minutes later.

In Saturday's final Super rugby clash, No 8 Peter Samu and lock Rory Arnold scored early tries as the Brumbies claimed a deserved victory over an error-prone Stormers at Newlands.

The pair crossed the line inside the opening 10 minutes to seize the initiative and then weathered a period of sustained pressure from the home side, who saw plenty of the ball but lacked the execution to turn it into points.

The Stormers were awarded a penalty try after the halftime whistle as wing Toni Pulu's high tackle on scrum-half Hershel Jantjies on the tryline was at first not spotted by referee Nick Briant but was later awarded on review, with the Brumbies players having to be recalled from the tunnel as they trundled off to their dressing room.

The Stormers took the lead when prop Wilco Louw barged his way over soon after the break but the Brumbies pushed in front again just before the hour-mark as full-back Thomas Banks crossed for a try, with Christian Lealiifano's conversion being the last points in the game.