Bond University managed a last-minute upset in round 11, scoring in the 80^th minute to break Souths’ hearts.

Wests dismantled Norths at home, while University of Queensland were too good for Easts.

And Brothers continued their unbeaten run to move more than two bonus-point wins clear at the top of the table.

Bond University 33-28 Souths 

With the clock in the red and Souths down to 14 men, the reigning champions broke a 28-all stalemate to secure a win at home and climb into third place.

The visitors started with plenty of flair, crossing first through Henry Hourigan down the right wing in the first phase after a scrum on halfway.

Bond hit back almost immediately with a try to hooker Nik Mitchell at the back of their maul, but that would be the only time they’d test Souths in the first half.

Two more tries to David Bryenton and Xavier Rubens seemed almost too easy for the Magpies, painting a worrying picture for the home crowd as they swapped ends.

But the second half pep talk clearly had an impact on the Bull Sharks, who came out firing and crossed twice inside the first 10 minutes to level the scores.

A second maul try gave Bond their bonus point and the lead for the first time, which they held until the final five minutes.

Building phase after phase of sustained pressure, Souths eventually broke the defensive line through Finn Mackay who converted his own try to make the score 28-all with a few minutes remaining.

And the game looked destined to finish in a draw before Souths lost one to the sin bin in the 80th minute.

The Magpies defended for their lives, but they couldn’t hold out the inevitable as the overlap eventually opened up on the right wing.

The result sees last year’s champions climb into third place, while Souths remain in seventh and still need to make up another bonus-point win to put themselves in the hunt for playoffs.

Wests 54-17 Norths 

Wests rocked Norths at home in round 11, running in eight tries to three and putting themselves in genuine contention for a finals appearance.

It was a tight first half at Hugh Courtney Oval, as Wests crossed the paint first through Alosio Bera in the opening minutes, quickly followed by Norths’ first try to Alex Flanagan Smith.

And the Eagles looked dangerous in attack for their second of the day, as Will McCulloch cut through the defensive line from a scrum 30 metres out to put Flanagan Smith in for his second.

But the Bulldogs took hold of momentum heading into the break, taking the lead with a try to Jiale Litidamu in the first phase at scrum time.

Down by just four points at half time, Norths had every opportunity to take control of the game early in the second half, but Wests blew them off the park with phase after phase of blistering attack, pouncing on every error the home side made and converting them into points.

Three tries inside the first 15 minutes of the half saw Norths drop their heads, before a red card to Sam Dickie added another challenge to an already tough day at the office for the Eagles.

Wests immediately mauled their way over the line from 20 metres out, then turned a Norths’ attacking opportunity into their own with an intercept to make it seven for Wests for the day.

Mosiah Christian added some light to an otherwise dull performance from the home side, pouncing on a chip over the top of the ruck and getting it down just before the dead ball line.

But a penalty try for Wests right as the final siren sounded accurately summed up the day for Norths, who will no doubt look to put this one out of the minds as quickly as possible.

The result sees Norths drop down into fourth place and means another loss could see them drop out of the top four, while the Bulldogs are now just two competition points behind in sixth place and are trending up to be genuine contenders.

University of Queensland 34-14 Easts

In the second major upset of the round, University of Queensland proved too good for Easts at David Wilson Field and kept the home side scoreless in the second half to lock in another vital win.

The Tigers drew first blood in less than a minute through Braiden Oates on the left wing after a break from Jake Pappin, before the visitors opened up their account with a powerful carry by hooker Zac Hough.

Another two quick scores for the Red Heavies shocked the home side, who found themselves down by ten with just 15 minutes played.

Easts managed a second try with some individual brilliance from flyhalf Lachlan Kirk, but those would be the last points scored by the home side as UQ started to take control.

A fumble at their own five-metre lineout costs Easts, as Flynn McDermott pounced on the ball over the line for the visitors’ bonus point try.

Then Angus Munn crossed from close range and the Tigers lost a man to the sin bin, adding another element of difficulty to Easts’ task ahead.

The Red Heavies continued their dominance in the second 40, keeping Easts scoreless and adding another two tries to push the margin out to 20 points in what proved to be a crucial result for their season.

UQ remain in fifth, but now sit just one point behind Norths after their lost to Wests – meaning a win next week could see the Red Heavies push themselves into a top four position.

Easts remain in second place with a four-point buffer ahead of Bond University, but are now more than two bonus-point wins away from top spot.

Brothers 40-26 GPS

Brothers continued their unbeaten streak in 2026 with another five-point win at Crosby Park extending their lead at the top of the ladder.

The home side looked formidable in the opening half, scoring four tries but missing out on another two as Dre Pakeho was cut down a metre short and GPS scrum half James Martens saved another by holding up the driving maul.

Tries to David Fusitu’a, Vaiuta Latu and Pakeho gave Brothers a strong lead early, while Garlen Peace and Troy Simkin kept their side in the hunt with their own five-pointers.

A brilliant solo effort from Finn Prass rounded out the half to give the Brethren a 16-point lead at the break, before a long-range maul from 20 metres out put the game out of reach 10 minutes after play resumed.

A yellow card to Latu in the 60th minute gave GPS the opportunity to exploit the overlap, then Martens snuck over for the Gallopers’ fourth and final try as the clock wound down to the ensure the visitors left with at least one point.

But a double for Manu Latu ensured the home side maintained a big enough lead to avoid handing GPS any further losing bonus.

The win sees Brothers cement themselves as firm favourites for the minor premiership, sitting at the top of the table 11 points clear of Easts. GPS are yet to find their groove this season and remain in eighth place.