The ACT Brumbies have secured a 24-19 win over the Western Force in Perth.
The Brumbies started fast to take a 17-7 lead at the break, with their place on the ladder secured after earlier wins to the Blues and Hurricanes.
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Fullback Tom Wright scored at the hour mark to secure the win after another strong night for the star Brumby.
The Force refused to die despite the game getting out of their grasp, scoring twice in the final three minutes.
But it was too little, too late as the Brumbies take on the Highlanders next week in Canberra.
Captain Allan Alaalatoa opened the scoring with a try in the sixth minute, before speedster Connor Toole doubled the lead with his eighth try of the season, outpacing his opposite number to run on to a perfectly placed Tom Wright kick.
The Force heaped pressure on the Brumbies for long passages of the game, but were all too often the architects of their own demise.
The visitors were solid in defence, but the Force were guilty of making simple errors in attacking positions to let their opponents off the hook.
They were let back into the game when Brumbies halfback Ryan Longeran was shown a soft yellow card shortly after the half-hour for interfering in a ruck. The Force immediately capitalised with a try through flanker Carlo Tizzano.
Force fullback Kurtley Beale looked to have clawed back another try for his side right on the stroke of halftime, but was disallowed after the sideline referee spotted a forward pass in the build-up.
The Brumbies continued to defend solidly in the second half and were more clinical in attack when given the opportunity to break forward.
Back-rower Luke Reimer impressed again off the bench, forcing key turnovers with his intensity in the ruck when the Force threatened the Brumbies' tryline.
Toole's pace once again came to the fore, sprinting back to make a try-saving tackle on Issak Fines-Leleiwasa when he had only green grass in front of him a few yards out from the line.
After a turnover from a Force lineout in their own 22m zone, Toole then broke clear and drew two defenders to put fullback Wright through for a try of his own.
The Brumbies took the heat out of the game in the final quarter of the match.
The Force scored consolation tries through Fines-Leleiwasa and George Poolman in the final minutes, but by that point both teams were no longer competing with all their heart.
Tries: Alaalatoa, Toole, Wright
Cons: Lolesio 2/2, Debreczeni 1/1
Pens: Lolesio 1/1
Tries: Tizzano, Fines-Leleiwasa, Poolman
Cons: Kuenzle 2/2, Wells 0/1
FORCE (1-15): Ryan Coxon, Tom Horton, Santiago Medrano, Sam Carter, Izack Rodda, Jeremy Williams (c), Carlo Tizzano, Reed Prinsep, Nic White, Max Burey, Ronan Leahy, Hamish Stewart, Bayley Kuenzle, George Poolman, Kurtley Beale
RESERVES: Ben Funnell, Marley Pearce, Tiaan Tauakipulu, Lopeti Faifua, Will Harris, Michael Wells, Issak Fines-Leleiwasa, Sam Spink
BRUMBIES (1-15): Blake Schoupp, Billy Pollard, Allan Alaalatoa (c), Darcy Swain, Nick Frost, Tom Hooper, Rory Scott, Rob Valetini, Ryan Lonergan, Noah Lolesio, Corey Toole, Tamati Tua, Len Ikitau, Andy Muirhead, Tom Wright
RESERVES: Connal McInerney, Harry Vella, Sosefo Kautai, Cadeyrn Neville, Luke Reimer, Harrison Goddard, Jack Debreczeni, Ollie Sapsford
Referee: Jordan Way
Assistant Referees: Damon Murphy, Jordan Kaminski
