ACT Brumbies

The Drua, boasting just one man in five-eighth Baden Kerr with Super Rugby experience, lost 40-10 to the NSW Waratahs in Friday’s opening round.

Byrne’s side scored the game’s last try though and had their moments early, handling errors scuppering their progress before the Tahs got into stride.

There was no love lost between the sides in a niggling scrum battle, while the Drua learnt quickly how teams might plan to wreck plans of an up-tempo offence.

The Highlanders' bonus-point win at Canberra Stadium put them top of the table on 23 points, two points ahead of the second-placed Hurricanes, but both teams need results to go their way on Saturday.

The third-placed Blues (19 points) can claim the top spot and the right to host the final with victory at home to the Western Force but the equation is tougher for the fourth-placed Crusaders (18).

The March 6 match was scheduled to be a home game for the Rebels but restrictions mean that having been in Melbourne, the team would not have been able to travel on to Perth to play a fixture against Western Force the next week.

Western Australia imposed travel restrictions on people who have been to the Rebels' home state of Victoria two weeks ago after a small outbreak in Melbourne of the variant of COVID-19 associated with Britain.