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**dudeabides** · 03-05-2010, 04:49 AM

Wow, Chiefs v Reds:

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The Reds bounced back to winning ways in the Super 14 with a 23-18 upset of the previously unbeaten Chiefs in Hamilton on Friday.

After rattling off three thrilling tries in the opening quarter, the Chiefs spluttered and allowed their more dogged opponents to steal the game and end a run of six straight wins at Waikato Stadium. The Reds, who have been ravaged by injury, only scored one try in each half but they stuck to the basics to pick up a second win while the hosts self-destructed with handling errors and weak tackling.

Importanly, Reds fly-half Quade Cooper was a clear winner in the goalkicking battle with opposite number Stephen Donald. Cooper slotted five from six while Donald managed one from five. The Chiefs had a chance to steal a late win but a botched lineout on the Reds tryline summed up their evening.

The result undid much of the good work the Chiefs achieved with three wins on the road last month, only giving their vaunted back three limited opportunities as the match wore on. That wasn't the case in the opening exchanges, with wingers Sitiveni Sivivatu and Lelia Masaga crossing in opposite corners inside the first nine minutes.

It appeared a rout could unfold when prop Sona Taumalolo barged over in the 20th minute to take the score to 15-0. Winger Will Chambers responded for the hosts after some slick hands from Cooper but Donald landed his only kick of the night soon afterwards, a penalty for a lifting tackle by Brando Va'aulo on opposite Sivivatu which saw the Reds winger sent to the sinbin.

Being reduced to 14 men seemed to lift the Reds, with Cooper slotting two long-range penalties to have his team trailing 18-13 at the break. The bumbling hosts were kept scoreless in the second half while the Reds surged clear via a third Cooper penalty and decisive try to 19-year-old fullback Luke Morahan, who chased a hacked kick 75m and beat Masaga in a race to the tryline. Former sevens international Morahan was a late callup for the injured Peter Hynes and his desperation mirrored that of his team.

Flankers Daniel Braid and Scott Higginbotham were at the helm of a hard-working Reds pack, who were more efficient at the breakdown and defended doggedly. The Chiefs were slick at lineout time, with lock Romana Graham outstanding, and they offloaded superbly in the first half but that sort of play eventually translated into errors and they will need to be significantly better when they host the Crusaders on Friday next week. The Reds return home next weekend to play the Western Force.

Chiefs and 'Canes eye top spot | Rugby Union | Super 14 2010 | Rugby News | Scrum.com

**dudeabides** · 03-05-2010, 02:49 PM

Brumbies v Lions:

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The Brumbies eased past the Lions 24-13 in Canberra in a Super14 match that was very stop-start affair which, with the weather, prevented the game from flowing.

The Lions got on the wrong side of referee Steve Walsh with their scrum and constant infringements led to the Lions conceding a penalty try which are rarely awarded in Super Rugby.

The Brumbies failed to score the fourth try which would have secured a bonus point but still outscored their South African opponents by three tries to one.
The Lions have still yet to win a match after four rounds.

The Brumbies led 10-3 at the break and never really looked like losing apart from a very brief spell after the Lions scored their only try. Even then the Brumbies hit back with a try by Stephen Moore.

The Brumbies other try was scored by Christian Lealiifano (pictured).

Yet again the Johannesburg-based team left the Australian capital without a win, after nine attempts, but yet again the Brumbies rued a missed opportunity to push their way further up the standings.

It was the Brumbies' third win in four outings this season, but it was a frustrating night in the rain in their first home match of the campaign as they were unable to score their fourth try to claim an elusive bonus point.

The Brumbies scored their third try in the 56th minute through Wallaby hooker Stephen Moore, but they could not snare a fourth try in the final 24 minutes.

"It was disappointing in the last 10 minutes that we couldn't get the bonus point, but otherwise we did well in difficult conditions," Brumbies' captain Stephen Hoiles said.

The Brumbies have now won 33 of 35 games against South African teams at home, with the Coastal Sharks of 1998 and Northern Bulls of 2007 the only teams from the Republic to have avoided defeat there.

Both teams traded penalty goals in the opening 16 minutes before the Lions lost prop Kevin Buys to the sin bin in the 28th minute after repeated scrum infringements deep inside the Lions' quarter.

Referee Steve Walsh lost patience with the Lions' spoiling tactics and awarded a penalty try after 37 minutes against scrumhalf JP Joubert when he rushed out from behind the scrum to grab the ball off Brumbies' counterpart Josh Valentine.

Matt Giteau's conversion lifted the home side to lead 10-3 at halftime.
Burton Francis reduced the deficit with his second penalty shortly after the resumption, but the Brumbies claimed their second try through inside-centre Christian Lealiifano in the 48th minute.

Hoiles made the break and drew the last line to send Lealiifano over for Giteau to convert for a 17-6 lead.

The Lions hit back through replacement hooker Hannes Franklin in the 52nd minute, swan-diving over the pack from a ruck right under the Brumbies' posts.

Moore's burrowing try four minutes later looked to have the Brumbies in prime position to go on and claim a bonus point, but the chance was lost when winger Pat McCabe failed to ground the ball in Wandie Mjekevu's splendid tackle six minutes from the end.

The Brumbies threw everything at the Lions' defence in stoppage time but missed their chance when Giteau opted to kick across field rather than keep the ball in hand and the opportunity was lost.

The Brumbies are at home to the Sharks next week, while the Lions travel to Sydney to take on the Waratahs.

Final Score Brumbies 24 Lions 13

Brumbies ease past Lions in stop-start affair | Super 14 Rugby News, Super14 Fixtures,Results

**dudeabides** · 03-06-2010, 04:11 AM

Crusaders v Blues:

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The Crusaders recorded their third victory of the Super 14 campaign with a 33-20 victory over the Blues in Christchurch.

Tries from George Whitelock, Ryan Crotty and Robbie Fruean and 18 points from the boot of Dan Carter carried the eight-time champions to victory in an error-strew game at the AMI Stadium dominated by agressive defence. Former Crusaders No.10 Stephen Brett kept the Blues in touch with 15 first-half points but a second half try from scrum-half Alby Mathewson was no more than a consolation.

All Blacks skipper Richie McCaw made his first start for the Crusaders in the unfamiliar No.6 shirt with George Whitelock retaining the openside berth and Kieran Read shifting from blindside to No.8. All Black prop Tony Woodcock was restored to the Blues' starting front row at the expense of Charlie Faumuina while Viliami Ma'afu returned to No.8 for the injured Peter Saili.a

The Blues pack, led by flanker Jerome Kaino, barely took a backward step and they showed their intention in the first act of the game with a surging maul that put the hosts on the back foot. And they were rewarded for their endeavour with the opening points of the game from the boot of former Crusaders fly-half Brett.

An uncharacteristic error from the home side at the re-start meant the Blues were soon on the front foot again and their high tempo approach resulted in another turnover inside the Crusaders' 22. And Brett took the opportunity to double his side's lead with a neatly struck drop goal.

The Crusaders were handed the chance to get on the board moments later when Blues scrum-half Alby Mathewson was caught in possession inside his own 22 and Carter opened his account with the penalty. The Crusaders continued to battle their way back into the game and a high tackle from the Blues' Jerome Kaino allowed Carter to level things up on the quarter hour. But the hosts were penalised at the re-start with Wyatt Crockett guilty of obstruction and Brett restored his side's lead with his third successful kick.

The tit-for-tat exchanged continued thanks to a bit of magic from Carter who ghosted through the Blues' defence on the 22 before passing to Jared Payne who found George Whitelock for the simple try that the Crusaders' No.10 also converted.

A powerful run from Vili Ma'afu then had the Crusaders scampering back and when George Whitelock was penalised for going off his feet, Brett reduced the arrears to one point with the kick.

The Crusaders began to exert some more pressure and a clever kick ahead from scrum-half Andy Ellis was claimed by winger Zac Guildford in the 22 before he was wrapped up by the Blues defence. But the Crusaders turned the screw from the next scrum and when Brett drifted off-side, Carter was able to slot his third penalty.

A long range penalty from the Blues' No.10 closed the gap once more before the break but the Crusaders ended the game on the offensive with Sean Maitland narrowly failing to hold onto a cross kick from Ellis with the visitors' defence wide open.

The errors resurfaced at the start of the second half as both sides probed for an opening and both sides struggled to find a cohesive rhythm with a snatched drop goal effort from Brett summing up a poor passage of play.

The Crusaders eventually broke the deadlock and unsurprisingly it came from another error. Blues winger Rudi Wulf did well to tidy up a kick ahead from Ellis but his wild pass into midfield was picked off by Crotty who strolled over under the posts with Carter adding the conversion.

A poor lineout from the Blues then gifted possession back to the Crusaders on the 22 and some strong running from Brad Thorn and Ellis took the home side close. The Blues were penalised for slowing the ball down and Carter cemented his side's lead with his fourth penalty.

The Crusaders stretched their lead with a powerful break from Fruean carrying the centre through the tacke of Brett for his side's third try. Carted nailed an excellent conversion to put the game out of reach. The Blues rallied bravely with Mathewson grabbing his side's only try when the Crusaders' defence failed to hold him but they were unable to conjure a late turnaround.

The Crusaders' third victory out of four should confirm their place in the top four while the Blues' second loss will see them remain in the middle of the table. The Crusaders face the Chiefs in Hamilton on Friday next week while the Blues will cool their heels with a bye.

Crusaders edge Blues at the break | Rugby Union | Super 14 2010 | Rugby Match Pack | Scrum.com

**dudeabides** · 03-06-2010, 11:31 AM

Waratahs v Sharks:

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The Waratahs condemned the Sharks to their fourth straight loss of the current Super 14 campaign with a narrow 25-21 victory in their clash at the Sydney Football Stadium.

Tries from Daniel Halangahu, Tom Carter and Tatafu Polta-Nau and 10 points from the boot of Berrick Barnes saw the hosts bounce back from defeat at the hands of the league-leading Bulls last time out. The Sharks, who were reduced to 13 men in the first half with both Jannie du Plessis and Andy Goode shown yellow, produced a battling display with tries from Ryan Kankowski and Adi Jacobs but were unable to notch their first win of the season.

Barnes slotted a penalty in the first minute to give the Tahs the lead but they were pegged back by a long range drop goal from Goode and the two exchanged further penalties before Du Plessis was the first to be sin-binned, soon to be followed by Goode for his second yellow card in successive weeks. But the Sharks stunned the home crowd with a breakaway try from Kankowski and a penalty from Ruan Pienaar whilst two men down.

But they also leaked a try from Halangahu and another from Carter before the break. Polota-Nau burrowed over in the second half to give his side some breathing room but the Sharks struck back through Jacobs and were unlucky not to steal the win when Tahs replacement Kurtley Beale deliberately knocked a scoring pass from Stefan Terblanche to Kankowski.

Reds stun Chiefs in Hamilton | Rugby Union | Super 14 2010 | Rugby News | Scrum.com

**dudeabides** · 03-06-2010, 01:56 PM

Stormers v Highlanders:

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Bryan Habana bagged a last-gasp, bonus-point clinching try as the Stormers moved into the play-off places with a resounding 33-0 win over a hapless Highlanders side at Newlands later in the day.

In a desperately one-sided game, Jaque Fourie, Schalk Burger and Pieter Louw also touched down for the men from the Cape. Joe Pietersen contributed 11 points with the boot before being replaced late on, thus passing the goal-kicking duties on to Peter Grant, who converted Habana's crucial late score.

The Stormers made a stirring start to the game and Pietersen had already landed two penalties by the time the game's opening try arrived 13 minutes in, Fourie touching down after Naqelevuki had been held up just short following a sweeping, crossfield attack from the home side.

The Stormers managed just three more points before the break, courtesy of Pietersen's boot, but they came back to life in the final quarter - and to devastating effect. Burger crashed over on the hour after some excellent drive from the pack before more good work from the forwards resulted in a third try, this time for Louw.

The victory now assured, the final ten minutes was all about securing the bonus point and the vital fourth try arrived in the dying seconds, Habana diving over after winning the race to his own kick forward.

Cheetahs v Hurricanes:

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Meanwhile, the Hurricanes' perfect start to the new season was ended on Saturday evening, the Wellington outfit suffering a shock 28-12 by the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein.

The Kiwis, who went into game in search of a fourth successive win, had started brightly in the Free State, with David Smith pouncing for an early try. However, the deadly goal-kicking of Meyer Bosman and Naas Olivier, who between them contributed 21 points to the Cheetahs' cause, and a 48th-minute try from Kabamba Floor turned the game decisively in the home side's favour.

Indeed, while the Hurricanes managed a late try from Cory Jane it was not enough to prevent Colin Cooper's men from even salvaging a losing bonus point from their first defeat of the season.

The Hurricanes, ultimately, paid the price for their ill-discipline. It was evident in almost every aspect of their play from the off. Indeed, just eight minutes had elapsed when John Schwalger was pinged for binding illegally in the scrum, allowing Bosman to open the scoring with a booming, long-range kick.

The visitors initial response to falling behind was impressive, with Smith jinking through to score almost straight from the restart after some good work from Ma'a Nonu and Alapati Leiua. Weepu, who endured an awful night with the boot, failed to convert, though, and that enabled Olivier to edge the Cheetahs back in front midway through the first half with his first strike on goal.

Bosman then landed two more penalties from distance to extend the home side's advantage to seven points. The Hurricanes' frustration at being repeatedly penalised manifested itself in a reckless 'spear' tackle from Nonu on Juan Smith which saw the All Black sent to the sin bin in the 31st minute.

The Cheetahs failed to score whilst their opponents were down to 14 men but they effectively sealed their win when Floors barged his way through to score after collecting Jongi Nokwe's clever chip through.

Olivier and Bosman then took it in turns to kick the Cheetahs out of sight, with Jane's 70th-minute touchdown the one bright spot on what was an otherwise dismal second half for the Hurricanes.

Reds stun Chiefs in Hamilton | Rugby Union | Super 14 2010 | Rugby News | Scrum.com

**dudeabides** · 03-06-2010, 06:22 PM

After round 4, the top 5 in the table are as follows:

1. Bulls (3-0) 15 pts.
2. Chiefs (3-1) 15 pts.
3. Stormers (3-1) 14 pts.
4. Hurricanes (3-1) 14 pts.
5. Crusaders (3-1) 14 pts.