It was another miserable weekend for Australian rugby with the country's only victory coming in another derby match, this time the Brumbies over the Force in Canberra on Friday night.

Elsewhere in Super Rugby Round 3, there were wins for the Chiefs, Highlanders, Crusaders, Stormers, Cheetahs, Sharks and Jaguares.

AUSSIE STRUGGLES CONTINUE AMID SANZAAR NEGOTIATIONS

Australian franchises still have only the one win against cross-conference opposition after the Reds and Waratahs fell to conflicting defeats in Round 3.

In Brisbane, two first-half tries helped the Reds build a handy lead over the Crusaders. But unable to find the killer blow after the break, the Crusaders stole the four points following a superb comeback that saw replacement scrum-half Bryn Hall score two tries.

In the end though, it was a post-siren penalty from Crusaders fly-half Mitch Hunt that proved the difference - the No.10 holding his nerve to secure his side a second straight win on the road.

Meanwhile in Durban, the Waratahs turned in an insipid performance in which they conceded 23 turnovers, 11 penalties and missed 33 tackles.

The visitors enjoyed the greater share of territory and possession but twice conceded tries from handling errors as they again missed the controlling hand of Bernard Foley at fly-half.

Foley has been cleared of any abnormalities following a head knock in the Waratahs' final trial match more than three weeks ago, and is in line for a return in Round 4 against the Brumbies.

Waratahs coach Daryl Gibson has also indicated he will make changes following the winless two-week tour of South Africa.

Mitch Hunt (C) Chris Hyde/Getty Images

A TOUCH OF GOOD NEWS THEN?

While there are few Australian performances to excite Michael Cheika, the continued rise of Reds centre Samu Kerevi at least inspires some positivity ahead of the Test season later this year.

And perhaps even more exciting, is the thought of Kerevi combining with Kurtley Beale in the Wallabies' midfield after the 60-Test veteran confirmed his stay at English club Wasps would last just one season.

It was on Friday revealed Beale had signed a two-year deal with the Australian Rugby Union and the Waratahs, which could see him run out in the green and gold as early as June.

Rumoured to have been promised the No.12 jersey, rather than the bench role he filled at Rugby World Cup 2015, a Beale-Kerevi midfield seems an almost automatic selection given Beale's playmaking nous and Kerevi's raw power and ability to break the defensive line.

Against the Crusaders, Kerevi scored one try and laid on another for winger Eto Nabuli before finishing the match with 13 runs for 77 metres, three clean breaks and three tackle busts.

Providing Bernard Foley can get back on the park, the Wallabies could boast their best 10-12-13 combination from the last decade. It's a rare spark of positivity amid a horribly dark period for Australian rugby.

BLUES-HIGHLANDERS RARE KIWI STINKER

It is certainly the exception rather than the rule, but the Blues and Highlanders turned in a nomination for worst game of the year with an absolute howler in Auckland on Saturday night.

While the big wet that struck New Zealand's north island was partly to blame, only short periods of light rain fell during the actual match. But you could had been forgiven for thinking it was being played in torrential rain such was the rate of mistakes, and the woeful Blues lineout.

Twenty-four hours earlier the Hurricanes and Chiefs defied horrible conditions to turn on a thrilling encounter in Hamilton and maintain the high standard of New Zealand derby fans of Super Rugby have relied on the past few years.

But there was no hiding from the absolute stinker the Blues and Highlanders turned on; the game getting a fitting finale when the hosts were awarded a penalty close to the line after the final siren. Needing a try to claim victory, the Blues opted for a quick tap only to drop the ball from the first carry. To be honest, it was a relief the 80 minutes were finally over.

Patrick Tuipulotu Dave Rowland/Getty Images

TOUGH WEEKEND FOR HANSEN

Super Rugby was always going to throw up injury concerns for the All Blacks ahead of the Lions series, but it was particularly painful viewing for coach Steve Hansen in Round 3.

In little more than three hours on Saturday night, Hansen saw Lima Sopoaga, Waisake Naholo, Israel Dagg and Seta Tamanivalu all limp off with a variety of ailments while Nehe Milner-Skudder picked up a leg injury in the Hurricanes' loss to the Chiefs on Friday night.

It was Sopoaga who appeared the be in the most discomfort after the Highlanders fly-half chased down George Moala, producing a classic cover tackle that denied the Blues a potentially match-turning play.

Sopoaga immediately reached for his hamstring after making the tackle and soon exited the field behind the posts in what could be a huge loss for the Highlanders, while taking a little of the gloss off Hansen's embarrassment of riches in the All Blacks' playmaking stocks.

Dagg, meanwhile, will undergo scans on a knee injury on Monday. While he is not expected to miss more than only a few weeks, Dagg's injury comes on the back of Ben Smith's concussion problem -- the Highlanders full-back still sidelined after an aerial collision in Round 1.

JAGUARES' BEST PERFORMANCE YET

The great disappointments from 2016, the Jaguares finally look like a side that resembles the virtual Test quality roster they have at their disposal.

The Jaguares closed out Round 3 with a commanding win over the Lions in Buenos Aires, the Argentines triumphing 36-24 in what was arguably their most complete performance of their Super Rugby tenure to date.

While they were unable to avoid yet another yellow card, the Jaguares' played some fine attacking rugby with few of the handling errors that have been such a problem since they joined the competition. They did however continue to push the pass, only this time an impressive 15 offloads went to hand.

Pumas fly-half Nicolas Sanchez finished the match with a personal 21-point haul from four penalties, three conversions and a try; but he faces a nervous wait after a post-match citing.

Sanchez was penalised for a grass-cutter tackle early in the second-half for which, at the time, referee Nick Briant deemed a penalty sufficient. But Sanchez must now front a hearing on Monday, and he looks to be in grave danger of missing the Jaguares' Round 4 match against the Cheetahs at the very least.

Sam Cane Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images

WHAT THEY SAID

"This was our best week of training and the first time we really stuck to our game plan. We saw that in patches. But the way the referees referee, they're looking for a penalty in that situation when you're trying to burn the clock and we overplayed our hand." Reds coach Nick Stiles on the penalty that cost his side victory.

"We had more ball in those time(s) and we looked after it a lot better. Piers has been wanting to play 10 and he got an opportunity and he played well. There's going to be some hard decisions for us selection wise." Blues coach Tana Umaga on his options at No.10.

"We're not going to take anything from that. We didn't get the points at the end of the day so it's disappointing." Michael Hooper on the Waratahs' awful showing in Durban.

Santiago Cordero Daniel Jayo/LatinContent/Getty Images

PLAYER OF THE WEEK

While Sharks replacement Curwin Bosch did an outstanding job as an early replacement for Patrick Lambie, it was hard to go past Sam Cane following his workmanlike effort in the wet against the Hurricanes.

In what was a timely return given Ardie Savea's presence, Cane topped both the run [18] and tackle charts [15] - the Chiefs co-captain making six more tackles than any other player on the paddock.

While Savea is blessed with the kind of skills that can turn a match, it's Cane who looms as the All Blacks' first-choice No.7 to face the Lions with a game Taylor-made for Test rugby.