'One I won't forget': James Slipper stunner has the ACT Brumbies flying in Super Rugby Pacific

Instead of "absolutely getting towelled up", the 117 kilogram prop was in open pasture with nothing standing between him and the try line. So even if he thought play was about to be pulled up, the ACT Brumbies veteran was stopping for nobody.

"It's a good moment, because normally when I run those lines I'm absolutely getting towelled up," Slipper said.

"It was just one of those nights when I was in the right spot at the right time. It was a great night, one I won't forget."

The moment Slipper went over untouched marked a turning point in the Brumbies' thrilling win over the NSW Waratahs on Saturday night, leaving the ACT second on the ladder and consigning their rivals to 10^th with a 1-5 record.

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Glance through the competition's top seven and the Brumbies are the only Australian-based team in the mix. Five New Zealand franchises - the unbeaten Chiefs, the Hurricanes, Crusaders, Blues, and Highlanders fill out the top six, with the Fijian Drua in seventh.

Despite a pre-season filled with top four predictions from the Waratahs, right now the Brumbies are flying solo when it comes to Australian teams in the title hunt.

Their attention now turns to another interstate rival struggling to build momentum this season with a trip to Brisbane to face the Queensland Reds awaiting Stephen Larkham's team on Friday night.

Brumbies chairman Matt Nobbs launched a grenade in Sydney when he said "Tah week" had lost its lustre, that the rivalry was dead thanks to the ACT's reign of dominance.

This past weekend showed there is life in the storied rivalry - and now the Reds have a chance to show there is still a pulse in one of their own.

The Brumbies and Reds carried Australian rugby through the COVID-19 pandemic, their run of thrilling encounters and domestic grand finals giving fans a reason to get excited.

Queensland could hardly need any more motivation to pull themselves out of a rut against a Brumbies side Slipper believes still has plenty of room to improve.

"I thought in the first half, we put them under a lot of pressure but we just didn't convert anything. On the flipside, they rolled to the end of our half and scored straight away," Slipper said.

"We just had to stay composed and be a bit more accurate with what we were trying to do. We got the win and it was an entertaining game.

"Squad depth is so important in this competition. The guys coming off the bench were great, not only did they go on there and individually play well, but they were cool, calm and collected and got the win.

"I think we left a few tries out there in the mauls, one got disallowed. We can always improve, but that's our bread and butter here. We enjoy the tough work. It's going to be a big contest next week against the Reds."

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