The Jaguares proved they can't be under-estimated with a big win on the road, the Rebels rolled on in the Aussie conference and the Blues and Crusaders had yet more wins.
Here is the wrap from round seven.
JAGUARES 27 BULLS 12
Jaguares substitute Domingo Miotti made a dream Super Rugby debut on Saturday by scoring two late tries in a shock 22-20 victory over the 13-man Bulls in Pretoria.
The 22-year-old fly-half replaced Santiago Gonzalez Iglesias with the Buenos Aires outfit trailing by 10 points at Loftus Versfeld stadium.
He converted his 73rd-minute try to narrow the deficit to three points and scored again three minutes later although he failed to add the extra points.
It did not matter, though, as the Argentines held on for their first Super Rugby victory in Pretoria, which completed a double this season after a 27-12 triumph in Buenos Aires.
The Bulls were reduced to 13 men after two substitute forwards, flanker Tim Agaba and prop Conraad van Vuuren, were yellow carded during the final nine minutes.
Earlier, the Jaguares substitute prop Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro was sin-binned, but the Bulls were unable to take advantage as they scored and conceded three points during his absence.
Official man-of-the-match Pablo Matera, the Jaguares flanker and scorer of their first try, was thrilled by the upset victory.
"We did not start well, conceding a lot of penalties, and we soon found ourselves nine points behind," said the Argentina skipper.
"However, we kept going and did not lose faith in our ability to win this match, even when trailing by 10 points going into the closing stages.
"The last 10 minutes were fantastic as we gave everything and were rewarded with two tries from Domingo. What a wonderful first Super Rugby appearance for him.
"This result makes me and my team-mates really happy and now we turn our attention to the match against the Sharks in Durban next weekend.
SCORES
Bulls 20
Try: Stighling
Pens: Libbok 5
Jaguares 22
Tries: Matera, Miotti 2.
Cons: Gonzalez Iglesias, Miotti
Pen: Gonzalez Iglesias
REBELS 42 SUNWOLVES 15
Coach Dave Wessels has cautioned against getting carried away with the Rebels' early-season success, pointing to last year's dramatic collapse as reason for keeping a lid on the building excitement around a possible maiden Super Rugby finals campaign.
The Rebels opened a seven-point lead at the top of the Australian conference with fullback Reece Hodge scoring a hat-trick in their 42-15 bonus-point win over the Sunwolves.
The derby victory, as well as losses to the Brumbies and Waratahs on Saturday, puts the Rebels in a commanding position just short of the midpoint of their season.
But Wessels is not prepared to take anything for granted and while pleased with the result, saw plenty of opportunities for his team to improve.
"There were definitely little technical and tactical things we did tonight that we wouldn't be happy with but from an attitudinal point of view we were spot on," Wessels said.
"And I think that's the most pleasing thing.
"We're trying to build to be a championship team and it's good to see that we get up for every game and be competitive all the time."
SCORES
Rebels 42
Tries: Hodge 3, Meakes, Cooper, Genia
Cons: Cooper 6
Sunwolves 12
Tries: Masirewa 2
Con: Parker
Pen: Parker
BLUES 32 WARATAHS 29
Daryl Gibson says the Waratahs are not playing to their potential after dropping their fourth game of the season in Auckland.
The Tahs' defeat and the Rebels' victory over the Sunwolves saw the Melbourne side extend their conference lead to seven points.
But still clinging to eighth spot on the Super Rugby ladder, the NSW coach views the fact they still haven't rolled out their A-game as a silver lining.
The Waratahs paid dearly for a slow start against the Blues at Eden Park, fighting back from a 17-0 deficit in the first 17 minutes to lose 32-29 at the final hooter.
After what appeared a statement win against the Crusaders, it was the second consecutive loss for the Waratahs, following their defeat to the Sunwolves in Newcastle.
SCORES
Blues 32
Tries: Robinson, Clarke, Faiane, Nonu
Cons: Black 3
Pens: Black 2
Waratahs 29
Tries: Folau, Miller, Newsome, Gordon
Cons: Foley 3
Pen: Foley
CRUSADERS 36 BRUMBIES 14
A ruthless 36-point haul in the second-half has seen the Crusaders continue the Brumbies’ decade-long drought in Christchurch.
Despite missing David Pocock and three other Wallabies, the Brumbies had the better of a hectic first half and led the Kiwi powerhouses 7-0 at halftime.
But after picking up two yellow-cards for high tackles, the Brumbies had to play with 14 men for 20 minutes in the second half and the Crusaders made them pay dearly.
The defending Super Rugby champions scored five tries after oranges and shut the door on any potential upset.
The Brumbies rallied with a late try to Tevita Kuridrani but with depth already tested on their bench due to their missing Wallabies, they were left to a succession of high tackles in the second half.
The Crusaders scored one try when Toni Pulu was off and then another two when Sam Carter was binned midway through the second period.
"It’s hard enough to play them with 15, it’s disappointing, we just slipped up high and we have to be better at adapting when we were in those situations. We will learn from that,” Brumbies captain Christian Lealiifano said.
SCORES
Crusaders 36
Tries: Reece 2, Jordan 2, Taufua
Cons: Mo’unga 3, Cameron
Pen: Cameron
Brumbies 14
Tries: Lealiifano, Kuridrani
Cons: Lealiifano 2
SHARKS 42 LIONS 5
Sharks prop Tendai Mtawarira celebrated a record 157th Super Rugby appearance by a South African player by helping them trounce the Golden Lions 42-5 in Johannesburg on Friday.
The 33-year-old with 107 Springbok Test caps scrummed impressively and made several breaks before being substituted eight minutes into the second half at Ellis Park.
Mtawarira overtook retired national team captain and hooker Adriaan Strauss, whose 156 appearances came with the Cheetahs and Bulls.
"We dedicate this victory to the Beast," said Sharks scrum-half and skipper Louis Schreuder, referring to the nickname of the Zimbabwe-born forward, after the round 8 match.
"The team were sharper tonight than in some of our recent matches and we defended superbly. This performance has been a long time coming.
"Now we must become consistent. We have risen to second in the standings despite losing three of our seven matches this season, including two at home."
Lions skipper and hooker Malcolm Marx admitted they were outplayed in suffering a second heavy home loss this season after an 18-point drubbing by the Bulls.
"I think we got inside the Sharks' 22 twice in the whole match -- that is how bad it was. There are no excuses because we were outplayed from start to finish."
The result on a wet night in the South African financial capital could have been even more one-sided had Sharks fly-half Robert du Preez not missed three of five kicks at goal.
Sharks rose from sixth to second in the combined table, three points behind trophy holders the Canterbury Crusaders of New Zealand, who host the ACT Brumbies of Australia Saturday.
SCORES
Lions 5
Try: Mahuza
Sharks 42
Tries: Vermeulen, Mapimpi 2, Am, Du Toit, Fassi
Cons: R du Preez, Bosch 2
Pens: Du Preez, Bosch
REDS 24 STORMERS 12
A second-half revival helped the Reds to a crucial 24-12 win over the Stormers in a perfect fillip ahead of their South African tour.
After an error-riddled opening term led to the first scoreless half in Super Rugby in six years, the Reds bounced back to score three tries in the second term, including two in the opening 10 minutes while Stormers captain Siya Kolisi was in the sin bin.
While the Stormers bounced back to pose a threat, Reds scrumhalf Tate McDermott ensured the win when he darted over from 7m out after a penalty in the 66th minute, his decision showing his continuing evolution after sealing the no.9 jersey from Moses Sorovi.
Sorovi made a similarly big play five minutes later after coming on as a replacement when he rolled Kolisi over the tryline, just as the Stormers captain looked set to score and give his side a chance with 10 minutes remaining.
The Stormers did make it interesting when Damian de Allende scored in the 74th minute but when SP Marais missed the conversion from almost directly in front their night was over, with Bryce Hegarty sealing the victory with a 78th-minute penalty.
SCORES
Reds 24
Tries: Kerevi, Paenga-Amosa, McDermott
Cons: Hegarty 3
Pen: Hegarty
Stormers 12
Tries: Van Dyk, De Allende
Con: Du Plessis
