The Brumbies are hopeful this weekend's bye is all the rest Matt Toomua needs to get back on the field after re-injuring his ankle in Johannesburg.

Toomua's injury was the only blemish in a tough 30-20 bonus-point win over the much-improved Lions at Ellis Park that lifted the Brumbies back to the top of the Australian conference. Returning at inside centre after five weeks on the sidelines, Toomua limped off after just 24 minutes with a recurrence of the same high-ankle injury he suffered against the Blues last month.

The Wallabies playmaker will likely have scans on the sidelines when the Brumbies return to Canberra early this week, but team management are optimistic that Toomua - following a week's rest for the bye - will be fit to face the Bulls at home the following round. Toomua's availability will be crucial over the final three rounds against the Bulls, Western Force and Crusaders, with the Waratahs set to leap the Brumbies on the table if they beat the Crusaders in Sydney on Saturday night.

Brumbies coach Stephen Larkham was thrilled with the turnaround in performance after a disappointing loss to the Stormers in Cape Town.

"Yeah, a thousand time better than last week," Larkham said. "I thought the boys played really well in the first half. Our defence was solid, we created a few turnovers there, and we capitalised on those turnovers in the first half. We did a lot of defending and the altitude hit us in the second half, but the boys pushed through really well.

"The last 14 minutes was a blur for most of the boys. We tried to slow the game down as much as possible, but they really pushed hard. The effort this week, the preparation from the boys was fantastic, and they got the result they deserved."