A try to Taqele Naiyaravoro could not help his Waratahs side as the Crusaders made it six victories from six so far in Super Rugby winning 41‑22 last night.
Two tries from Tim Bateman, George Bridge, David Havili, Bryn Hall and Ben Funnell saw the New Zealanders get five points.
In reply the Waratahs' scorers were Michael Hooper, Jake Gordon and Naiyaravoro as they missed the chance to go top of the Australian Conference.
This was also their fourth loss from six games so far in 2017.
In other matches, the Lions moved five points clear at the Africa 2 conference after they won a thrilling clash with the Sharks 34‑29 at Ellis Park.
Looking at the weekend’s results, the Highlanders thrashed the Rebels 51-12, the Blues beat the Force 24-15, the Chiefs beat the Bulls 28-12, the Hurricanes outclassed the Reds 34-15 while the Stormers thrashed the Cheetahs 52-10.
The Crusaders extend their lead in the overall standings with 26 points, the Lions are in second place with 23 points, the Stormers are third with 22 points while the Brumbies are sitting in fourth place with 11 points.
This week, the feature clash will be between the Highlanders and the Blues at 7.35pm Saturday.
On Friday, the Hurricanes will host the Waratahs at 7.35pm.
