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**dudeabides** · 05-07-2010, 03:03 PM

Hurricanes v Reds:

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A stunning second-half blitz gave the Hurricanes a 44-21 win that kept alive the Wellington outfit's Super 14 play-off hopes while severely denting the Reds' finals dream on Friday night.

A Hosea Gear hat-trick helped the Hurricanes leapfrog the Reds into the top four as the hosts laid on 31 unanswered points in the second half. Both teams elected to attack at every opportunity but ultimately the Reds' failure to get even a bonus point out of the match could mark a disappointing end to a glittering campaign.

The Hurricanes launched out of the blocks as Gear tip-toed down the left touchline before feeding it inside for Cory Jane to cross, and Piri Weepu's penalty created an early 8-0 lead.

Quade Cooper and Will Genia then showed why they have been hailed as the competition's premier 9-10 partnership to set up a try for Scott Higginbotham. Cooper took a midfield bomb in an overhead Aussie Rules style and Genia then launched a scything run through the defence and showed great vision to spot the flanker's run up the inside.

Exciting tries to speedy back Rod Davies and Will Chambers followed as Genia and Cooper helped the Reds cut the Hurricanes' line to shreds, but Gear and Jane continued their own double act after the half time siren, Gear crossing this time from Jane's assist to make it 21-13 at the break.

A yellow card to Reds flanker Andrew Shaw 30 seconds into the second half saw the Hurricanes regain the lead with two tries during their one-man advantage. First Gear grabbed his second after the Reds had defended resolutely on their line and then failed to kick clear, and then Tamati Ellison got on the end of a nice move involving Jane that came after a Michael Paterson intercept.

The home side's momentum continued as Gear completed his hat-trick down the Reds' problematic right-hand-side and a Weepu penalty with 11 minutes remaining took the lead beyond the crucial 14-point mark. The Reds kept attacking in search of a crucial four-try bonus point but only went backwards, and David Smith scored with an assist from Weepu that helped the scrum-half stake a serious claim for the All Blacks' No.9 jersey.

**dudeabides** · 05-07-2010, 04:06 PM

Bulls v Crusaders:

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The Bulls booked a home tie in this year's Super 14 semi-finals with a dramatic 40-35 victory over the Crusaders at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria.

A controversial try from winger Francois Hougaard in the final act of a pulsating clash saw the Bulls cement their place at the top of the table and ensure home advantage in the post-season. Trailing 35-22 and down to 14-men as the siren sounded, Bulls fly-half Morne Steyn saw a drop goal attempt blocked but the home side rallied once more to work the ball wide to Hougaard who pounced for the match-winning score. Steyn set the seal on the victory with the conversion as Crusaders captain Richie McCaw led the protests against the score that they claimed included a knock-on from the hosts. The assistant referee ruled that a Crusaders player had knocked the ball back and the score stood although replays suggested the ball may have come off Bulls replacement Bandise Maku as he collided with the Crusaders' Owen Franks.

Tries from Brad Thorn, Andy Ellis and Sean Maitland and the boot of Dan Carter had seen the Crusaders take control of the contest in the first half that also saw Bulls lock Danie Rossouw sin-binned for a high tackle. But back came the hosts, chasing their 18th straight victory, to edge themselves in front thanks to tries from Hougaard and skipper Victor Matfield and the kicking exploits of Steyn. The see-saw nature of the clash continued in the second half with a further Crusaders try from hooker Ti'I Paulo ensuring a bonus point but the contest turned into a kicking duel between Steyn and Carter with the All Blacks No.10 kicking his side into the lead before the hosts, reduced to 14-men again after the sin-binning of Gerhard van den Heever, conjured a great escape.

The Crusaders came out firing but their enthusiasm got the better of them when tight-head Ben Franks hammered Bulls lock Danie Rossouw. Referee Marius Jonker was not happy with the tackle and reversed a penalty that Steyn duly landed from long range.

There was no let up from either side with the Crusaders turning down a simple shot at the posts in favour of the quick tap but their execution let them down and they soon found themselves on their own line repelling the Bulls. Turnover ball in midfield then sparked the next Crusaders attack with Chris Jack, Brad Thorn and Ti'I Paulo gobbling up ground inside the Bulls' half before Thorn took the return pass to crash over for the opening try. Carter slotted the difficult conversion to cement his side's lead.

Crusaders loose-head Wyatt Crockett was penalised for not binding at scrum time on the quarter hour and Steyn stepped up for another testing kick - this time from just inside his own half - but distance proved no barrier to the Springbok who made the kick with ease. The Crusaders were soon back on the attack and the quick feet of Carter opened up the Bulls' defence with ease and a stiff hand-off followed before he fed Ellis for an easy score. Carter added the extras to extend their lead and they were handed another boost moments later when a second high tackle from Rossouw saw him sent to the sin-bin. But the Bulls responded with the next score - a sensational drop goal from Steyn who landed an opportunistic strike from just inside the Crusaders' half.

Zac Guildford and Robbie Fruean were next to worry the Bulls out wide but handling errors undid much of their good work. Not to be deterred the Crusaders powered forward again and some superb movement and passing from fullback Colin Slade and Guildford created the space for Maitland to slide over in the corner for a simple yet impressive score. Carter blotted his copybook by pulling the conversion wide of the posts and the fly-half barely had time to rue his miss before he was in the thick of the action again.

Bulls scrum-half Fourie du Preez scavenged the ball on his own 22 before releasing Hougaard who showed an incredible turn of speed to bedazzle Carter before powering down the touchline to score. The conversion was too much for Steyn but his side had more than weathered the loss of Roussow to the sin-bin.

The Bulls continued to recover their composure and turnover ball eventually drew another penalty from the visitors but Steyn was unable to close the gap. But he son had another opportunity when the Crusaders were penalised for wheeling the scrum and this time he made no mistake.

The elusive Hougaard sparked the next break down the short side before the ball was recycled to hooker Gary Botha who offloaded superbly to Rossouw who in turn found his locking partner Matfield who had enough momentum to carry his long limbs over for the try. Steyn's conversion gave the home side a little breathing room and brought an end to a pulsating half.

There was no let up in the pace of the game after the break with the Crusaders handed the first opportunity to score but Carter was unable to make the Bulls pay for an indiscretion - pushing his penalty wide of the posts.

But the Crusaders were soon knocking on the door again and Paolo was rewarded for his persistence with a try under the posts having shrugged off the tackle off Botha and fullback Zane Kirchner. The Crusaders had to wait for confirmation from the Television Match Official but there was no doubt and the bonus point was in the bag as Carter slotted the simple extras.

The Bulls opted to keep it tight on their next visit to the Crusaders' 22 but the visitors soaked up the pressure and eventually snaffled the ball before Guildford put boot to ball. But back came the ball and a high tackle from Richie McCaw on Gerhard van den Heever handed Steyn and easy three points that gave the Bulls the lead once more. The see-saw nature of the game continued with a drop goal from Carter edging his side into a narrow lead as the game entered the last quarter before Van den Heever found some space inside the Crusaders' 22 and danced over the line only to be held up by a superb tackle from Guildford. The Bulls looked to probe again following the scrum and drew another penalty against McCaw for interference that Steyn kicked to restore his side's lead. Handling errors returned to haunt the Crusaders, with Slade spilling the ball inside his own 22, to give the Bulls the chance to close the game out but solid defence forced the mistake from centre Jacques -Louis Potgieter.

The Crusaders returned to their running game as the game entered the final stages and spear tackle from Van den Heever on Crusaders replacement Tim Bateman drew the game's second yellow card and Carter hammered home the advantage by also slotting the resulting penalty to give his side a narrow two-point lead with just over five minutes on the clock.

The battling Bulls showed their class by driving straight back up field where the cool-headed Steyn slotted his second drop goal to swing the game back in the home side's favour. But the Bulls almost immediately handed the Crusaders the chance to win the game for his side with replacement Derick Kuun penalised for not releasing and Carter delivered once again from just inside his own half.

But there was another twist in the tale with the Bulls' forwards earning a scrum on the Crusaders' 22 and from there Pedrie Wannenburg took the ball into contact and did just enough to win the next scrum. As time ran out, Steyn saw his latest drop goal attempt charged down but the Bulls streamed forward and the ball was worked wide to replacement Bandise Maku who inadvertantly found Hougaard for the match-defining score.

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**dudeabides** · 05-08-2010, 05:44 AM

Waratahs v Chiefs:

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The Waratahs catapulted themselves into the top four with a 46-19 bonus point thrashing of the Chiefs in Hamilton on Saturday.

With the Reds and Crusaders already losing above them on the table this round, the Waratahs went into third place with one match remaining as a sloppy Chiefs outfit put up little resistance to end with a miserable record at Waikato Stadium this season.

Drew Mitchell got the visitors on their way with a brilliant individual try in the opening minutes, bursting through the line and chipping ahead for himself. Chiefs fly-half Callum Bruce then sent a clearing kick barely a metre off the side of his shin, leading to a try for Waratahs No.8 Ben Mowen a few phases later.

The Chiefs missed a tackle every two minutes in an ill-disciplined performance, highlighted in the first half when prop Nathan White thew a flurry of punches at opposite number Al Baxter. He was lucky to stay on the field but another penalty let the Waratahs drive over from a lineout for hooker Tatafu Polotta-Nau to score.

Waratahs' fly-half Berrick Barnes scored a runaway intercept try in the first minute of the second half but the Chiefs didn't let their heads drop and fought their way to their own five-pointer, scored by Tim Nanai-Williams after some sustained pressure. But Tahs fullback Kurtley Beale got on the end of a perfect Barnes grubber and then turned provider for wing Lachie Turner with a line break and kicked assist to put the match beyond all doubt. Chiefs centre Jackson Willison crossed twice for a consolation double to please the fans but it was too little too late for the match and the season. Damien Fitzpatrick had the final say for the Waratahs with their seventh try in the last minute.

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**dudeabides** · 05-08-2010, 03:33 PM

Brumbies v Highlanders:

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George Smith secured a winning send-off in his final home game for the Brumbies, helping his side to a bonus point 31-3 victory over the Highlanders on Saturday. Fly-half Matt Toomua pounced for the fourth try with time running out to launch the Brumbies back into play-off contention in fourth place prior to next weekend's meeting with the Crusaders.

Smith, capped 110 times by Australia, returned from a shoulder injury just in time to bid farewell to the Brumbies faithful before moving on to pastures new, but the news was not so good for Strirling Mortlock, whose back injury ended his chances of a final game in Canberra before joining the Rebels.

Wallabies skipper Rocky Elsom opened the scoring with a powerful try. The blindside plucked the ball from the air at the tail of the lineout before swivelling past two tacklers to crash over. Salesi Ma'afu struck a blow for the front-row union minutes later with the Brumbies' second, his dive for the line rounding off a brilliant dummy from his skipper Stephen Hoiles and in instinctive dart from centre Matt Giteau.

The home side were under pressure for much of the remainder of the first-half but showed admirable grit in defence, denying Highlanders lock Josh Bekhuis a certain try in the corner through a last-ditch Adam Ashley-Cooper tackle. Giteau extended the Brumbies' lead with a penalty, a score which was cancelled out just before the break by the boot of Israel Dagg.

The Brumbies struck first in the second-half thanks to a moment of magic from Toomua, who carved through a tiny gap before offloading to Ben Alexander. Giteau provided support and after the Wallaby was hauled to earth Josh Valentine was on hand to take a scoring offload under the posts. The Brumbies huffed and puffed for the remainder of the half, with Toomua popping up with moments remaining to seal the five points following a patient drive from the pack.

Lions v Blues:

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The hapless Lions suffered the ignominy of becoming the first side to lose 13 consecutive Super 14 games, as well as the first to ship 500 points in a season, as they slumped to a dismal 56-14 defeat at the hands of the Blues in Johannesburg on Saturday afternoon.

The Blues need less than four minutes to break the deadlock, Benson Stanley scything through the Lions defence before putting Rene Ranger through to score. Stephen Brett, a late addition to the visitors' starting line-up, added the extras and then crossed himself just ten minutes later, finishing off a spell of incessant Blues pressure.

Brett converted once more and stroked over a penalty just before the half hour to put 17 points between the sides. Things were looking ominous for the Lions but Spencer provided them with a lifeline when he touched down after a sweeping attack which had been sparked by a terrific break from Tonderai Chavhanga from inside his own 22.

The Blues hit back through Alby Mathewson, who took advantage of some woefully static Lions defending to cruise over, but Spencer had not gone away and he kept his side in touch with a second try just before the break.

However, Brett stroked over a penalty just after restart and the Blues secured the bonus point when Paul Williams blazed through to score in the 48th minute. Brett's conversion put 20 points between the sides, meaning if the Lions were to have any hope of turning the game around Spencer was going to have produce something - and fast. However, his next significant contribution to the game was a sly trip on a Blue which earned the All Black fly-half ten minutes in the bin. The Blues immediately capitalised on their numerical advantage, sending Tom McCartney over for their fifth try of the game.

The Lions had been reduced to an all-too-familiar state of disarray and Joe Rokocoko too full advantage, helping himself to two tries in the space of four minutes, putting the seal on what was a comprehensive victory for the visitors.

Cheetahs v Western Force:

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The Cheetahs moved above the Western Force and into 11th place in the standings with a bonus point-clinching 29-14 victory over their fellow strugglers in Bloemfontein on Saturday afternoon.

The game was as good as over at half-time, with the Free Staters helping themselves into a 26-7 lead after early tries from half-back duo Naas Olivier and Sarel Pretorius had been complemented by a brace from Bjorn Basson in the 15 minutes preceding the break.

The Force, who managed just one try of their own in the fist half, though Ryan Cross, proved far more competitive after the restart but Matt Hodgson's 73rd-minute try proved little more than a consolation score.

The visitors had certainly played their part in their own downfall, gifting the Cheetahs a try with less than 60 seconds on the clock, Pretorius putting Olivier away to score after David Hill had spilled the ball with the Force on the offensive.

The Cheetahs pulled further clear just over ten minutes later when Pretorius caught Justin Turner napping and pilfered the ball from the young scrum-half for an impressively opportunistic try.

The Force hit back through Cross midway through the first half when the Wallaby centre darted over from close range but the Cheetahs posted a swift response through Basson, who dived over after claiming a booming kick from Olivier. Basson struck again in the dying seconds of the half, this time after forcing the covering Nathan Charles into coughing up possession of the ball.

The bonus point in the bag, the Cheetahs showed little enthusiasm for the second half and the game rather petered out as a result. Indeed, it had long since lost its early intensity by the time Hodgson barged his way over in the closing stages.

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**dudeabides** · 05-08-2010, 03:55 PM

Sharks v Stormers:

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The Sharks upset the Stormers Super 14 party with a hard fought 20-14 victory in Durban which ensures that the Bulls will finish next weekend at the top of the Super 14 table.

The Sharks played their match of the season with an intensity not seen before this season from the Durban based team which kept the Stormers on the backfoot.
The Stormers managed to score a try in the final minute which with the conversion gave them a losing bonus point but if they lose next week they could miss out on hosting a Super 14 semifinal.

A loss next week could even rule them out of the semi-finals completely.

The Stormers loss also opens up the tournament in Super 14 play off hosting terms for teams as low as the sixth placed Crusasders who are on 36 points and three points behind the Stormers who retained their second place with 39 points.

Even the Reds who are on 34 points could sneak in with a bonus point victory over the Highlanders.

The Sharks dominated the entire first half and held a deserved 14-0 lead at the break.

They took control early on when eighth man Ryan Kankowski, playing his 50th Super Rugby game, received the ball on the right wing in the sixth minute and offloaded to Odwa Ndungane who dotted down the first try of the game.

Flyhalf Ruan Pienaar converted to give them a 7-0 lead.

Inside centre Lwazi Mvovo almost stretched the gap further in the 32nd minute when he beat Stormers fullback Gio Aplon to a high ball, but Mvovo fumbled it in the air going over the line with Sireli Naqelevuki closing in.

Six minutes later, however, Pienaar burst clear after chipping and giving chase.

Naqelevuki got a hand to it in the Stormers goal area but failed to touch it down, and Pienaar pounced on the loose ball, adding the conversion shortly before the break.

The visitors came out fighting in the second half, however, and four minutes into the second half Dewaldt Duvenhage sent it out to centre Tim Whitehead from a maul.

Whitehead offloaded to Peter Grant and the flyhalf went over to give the Stomers their first points of the game. Grant converted his own try, narrowing the gap to 14-7.

Minutes later Grant and Pienaar both fluffed difficult penalty kicks, sending their attempts wide, but Pienaar made amends in the 66th minute when he got another chance and made no mistake, and added another with five minutes on the clock to give his side a 20-7 lead.

And in the dying minutes Ricky Januarie offloaded to Francois Louw who went over for the Stormers, with Grant adding the conversion to close the gap to six points and secure his side a bonus point.

Final Score Sharks 20 Stormers 14

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