MORE MATCH REPORTS...

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SCHEDULE 2011

HIGHLIGHTS

We now have highlights from every match being added a few hours after the match is over, as well an extended highlights video for every week of Super Rugby, so simply click to the week in question on a Thursday for the previous weekend's highlights on screen [you'll need hit the red play button for it to turn green then play], and for individual matches click on this in the results:

 

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FINALS

FINAL

REDS 18 - 13 CRUSADERS

SUNCORP STADIUM, BRISBANE -  Saturday 9th July 2011

SUPER RUGBY FINAL MATCH HIGHLIGHTS

THE ST.GEORGE REDS have capped off their record breaking 2011 season with a Super Rugby Premiership after scoring a historic and memorable 18-13 victory over the Crusaders at Suncorp Stadium.

The Reds enjoyed a storybook ending to their premiership campaign with their first title in the Super Rugby professional era coming in front of an all-time record Super Rugby crowd of 52,113.

The breathtaking encounter lived up to the hype with the Reds fighting back from a 7-6 halftime deficit and overcoming a 13-point Dan Carter haul to score two tries to one and raise the trophy for the first time since 1995.

Fittingly it was an incredible solo try from Australian Player of the Year Will Genia that separated the two teams and put the icing on their 2011 season that, with just three losses, re-wrote the history books and re-invigorated the Queensland Rugby community.

The Queensland heroes were greeted by a sea of red as they appeared from the tunnel, the atmosphere electric as were the calls of “We Are Red” that reverberated around the stadium.

It was clear from the whistle that this Final was aptly between the two best outfits of the competition; high-class rugby and solid contests at the breakdown keeping the game in the balance early.

As the New Zealand team marked their territory in the Reds half with 76 percent of the ball in the first quarter of the game, the Reds fought hard to repel countless raids on their line, with the game continuing as a defensive stalemate between the two typically offensive forces.

Cooper put the Reds on the board first with a penalty goal in the 32nd minute although the lead was short-lived, as just two minutes later Dan Carter produced a perfect grubber and regather to put himself over the line to bring the score to 7-3.

The opening 40 minutes only saw one further penalty goal to Cooper with the even contest in the balance.

The Reds fought hard to hold out the Crusaders as they raided their line early in the second half with fast-paced phases until burly veteran Brad Thorn finally forced through a wall of Reds defenders to dive over the line in the 46th minute, but in what proved to be a game-saving defensive effort, it was ruled to be held-up.

The New Zealanders still got the first breakthrough in the second half, with Dan Carter converting a penalty in the 48th minute after further pressure on the Queensland line to take the lead to 10-6.

Minutes after Carter converted another penalty, the Reds’ trio of entertainers shone through, the ball shifting from Genia to Cooper to winger Digby Ioane, who burst downfield and stepped around diving fullback Tom Marshall to set the fireworks off for the first time in the match; Cooper’s straight-forward conversion edging the Reds to a 13-10 lead with less than thirty minutes remaining.

True to the blow-for-blow nature of the match, Carter extended his point tally in the 56th minute, hitting back with a huge, nearly 50m kick, to tie up the match in a 13-all deadlock.

Reds enforcer Rob Simmons thought he’d broken the game wide open after an intercept and gutsy run to the try-line before being called back for a knock-on, but it gave the home-side the spark they needed as they started to lift their pace in attack and fight for the upper-hand.

It was Genia who produced the game changing try for the Reds, bursting through the defence and running 65 metres to the try-line, with Cooper an apt decoy in support; the scoreline to 18-13 with just over ten minutes remaining.

“I think I told him I loved him,” Reds captain James Horwill told Genia straight after scoring his try.

The Reds put in tackle after tackle in the nail-biting final minutes, as the Crusaders continued to push at the Queensland defence, but they couldn’t find a breakthrough as the Reds raced to the premiership win.

“You always dream about what it would feel like to win a championship and when it does happen it’s sort of a surreal experience,” Horwill said.

It was the hard-fought defensive effort of the Reds which most typified their display and it was the platform Super Rugby Coach of the Year Ewen McKenzie praised post-match.

“We knew it was going to be very intense for the first twenty minutes and it was a matter of not conceding points, which is pretty much what happened, and we knew that we had to could keep pushing through and keep at it,” McKenzie said.

“We were confident across eighty minutes that we had great impact off our bench and we were confident that fatigue would play a role.”

With the Reds suffering a 16-year drought since their last title, McKenzie was confident that capping off the record-breaking season was a win for Queensland Rugby and their supporters.

“I think the team and the organisation deserve some sort of recognition for the journey,” he said.

“It has been a long journey within a very short space of time and the way you get recognition is by winning.”

1 Ben Daley 2 Saia Faingaa 3 Greg Holmes 4 Rob Simmons 5 James Horwill (C) 6 Scott Higginbotham 7 Beau Robinson 8 Radike Samo 9 Will Genia (VC) 10 Quade Cooper 11 Digby Ioane 12 Ben Tapuai 13 Anthony Faingaa 14 Rod Davies 15 Jono Lance BENCH: 16 James Hanson 17 Guy Shepherdson 18 Adam Wallace-Harrison 19 Jake Schatz 20 Liam Gill 21 Ian Prior 22 Will Chambers

SCORERS T: Ioane, Genia C: Cooper P: Cooper (2)

15 Tom Marshall 14 Sean Maitland 13 Robbie Fruean 12 Sonny Bill Williams 11 Zac Guildford 10 Dan Carter 9 Andy Ellis 1 Wyatt Crockett 2 Corey Flynn 3 Owen Franks 4 Brad Thorn 5 Sam Whitelock 6 George Whitelock 7 Richie McCaw (C) 8 Kieran Read BENCH: 16 Quentin MacDonald 17 Ben Franks 18 Luke Romano 19 Matt Todd 20 Kahn Fotuali’i/Willi Heinz 21 Matt Berquist 22 Ryan Crotty

SCORERS T: Carter C: Carter P: Carter (2) 

 

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SEMI FINALS

SEMI FINALS MATCH HIGHLIGHTS [EXTENDED]

REDS 30 - 13 BLUES

SUNCORP STADIUM, BRISBANE -  Saturday 2nd July 2011

 

THE ST.GEORGE REDS will host the Super Rugby Final after a spectacular hat-trick to winger Rod Davies inspired Queensland to a historic 30-13 Semi-Final victory over the BLUES at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday night.

The Reds will return to Suncorp Stadium next Saturday to play either the Crusaders or Stormers with tickets going on sale to Members from 10am on Sunday 3 July.

The Cooper inspired demolition of the Blues saw the Reds fight from limited possession to score four tries to one in the anticipated Semi-Final encounter and ensured that Queensland’s magical season would continue into the final week.

The night belonged to the entire Reds squad although flyer Davies also captured a piece of history by becoming the first Reds player to score three tries during a Super Rugby match, while fly half Quade Cooper produced a scintillating effort in a highly entertaining five try affair.

Typically of their season, the Reds pack dug their heels in early after the Blues dominated possession, and allowed the famed halves combination of Will Genia and Quade Cooper to spread their wings in the offensive flare that has characterised their 2011 season.

Both teams went into the match with the intention to attack although it was a strong defensive read from Davies that resulted in the initial breakthrough and a 70 metre intercept try.

Next Cooper produced the jaw-dropping foot skills that has famed the 2011 season; an incredible fend on Munro, sidestepping defenders, a perfect dummy and a well-timed offload putting Tapuai over the line and into the arms of the fans in row one 30 minutes into the game.

But, as in their round 13 clash, Blues lock Chris Lowrey took advantage of a Reds team already eyeing the tunnel, as he darted from the ruck on the half-time buzzer, the conversion narrowing the deficit to 15-7 heading into the break.

The Blues again applied pressure to open the second half with an impressive 50m kick from Luke McAlister keeping it to a five-point ballgame, but mirroring the first half it was Davies who got the breakthrough ten minutes in with another outstanding display of speed, stepping around Benson Stanley and leaving defenders at his heels in a perfect first phase play.

Another penalty conversion for McAlister kept the Blues in touch, but after countless raids on the Blues line, their defence faltered again on the right wing when the Cooper ball passed the hands of Anthony Faingaa to find Davies, who sped for the right corner to secure the Reds first hat-trick in Super Rugby history.

Proving third time lucky, Cooper nailed the kick over the black dot and ensured the breathing space of a 27-13 lead with just over twenty minutes remaining in the must-win contest.

The night continued to spiral for the Blues after Jared Payne spilled the ball just before the line, but the Reds answered back when Adam Wallace-Harrison was denied for losing the ball over the white chalk.

But, a perfectly-struck drop goal from Cooper in the 75th minute took the Reds to the 17-point lead that nailed the Blues’ season shut and capped off a stellar performance for the star fly half.

“I think we can be excited.  We’ve won a Semi-Final and we’ve put ourselves in the position to host the Super Rugby Final,” Reds captain James Horwill.

“The big game’s to come now.  We’ll put tonight in the past, it’s done and now we will build to next week.”

Head Coach Ewen McKenzie was equally as pleased after guiding the Reds to the Final, their first in the professional rugby era after faltering in their past three Semi-Final attempts in 2001, 1999 and 1996. 

“It’s all good for Queensland and these events are great for the fans to be able to turn up,” McKenzie said.

“We’re just pleased to be making a contribution and not just sitting and watching on TV.”

Off the back of characteristically solid defence, Cooper’s brilliant display of foot, ball and mind skills was barely outshined by the hat-trick of speedster Davies and the efforts of an unheralded forward pack lead by captain James Horwill.

“Some of Quade’s freakish ability to set up Ben Tapuai’s try was pretty amazing, so to have guys with that sort of special talent in your side is fantastic.

“I think across the board our defence in that first half was probably what brought us the points; we pressured them and we were probably more disciplined in that first half.”

1 Ben Daley 2 Saia Faingaa 3 Greg Holmes 4 Rob Simmons 5 James Horwill (C) 6 Scott Higginbotham 7 Beau Robinson 8 Radike Samo 9 Will Genia (VC) 10 Quade Cooper 11 Digby Ioane 12 Ben Tapuai 13 Anthony Faingaa 14 Rod Davies 15 Jono Lance BENCH: 16 James Hanson 17 Guy Shepherdson 18 Adam Wallace-Harrison 19 Jake Schatz 20 Liam Gill 21 Ian Prior 22 Will Chambers

SCORERS T: Davies (3), Tapuai C: Cooper(2) P: Cooper  DG: Cooper

15 Jared Payne 14 Joe Rokocoko 13 Benson Stanley 12 Luke McAlister 11 Rene Ranger 10 Stephen Brett 9 Alby Mathewson 1 Charlie Faumuina 2 Keven Mealamu (C) 3 John Afoa 4 Chris Lowrey 5 Ali Williams 6 Jerome Kaino 7 Luke Braid 8 Peter Saili BENCH: 16 Tom McCartney 17 Tevita Mailau 18 James King 19 Daniel Braid 20 Chris Smylie 21 Lachie Munro 22 Winston Stanley

SCORERS T: Lowrey C: Brett P: McAlister (2)

Referee: Jonathan Kaplan

 

STORMERS 10 - 29 CRUSADERS

NEWLANDS, CAPE TOWN -  Saturday 2nd July 2011

 

THE CRUSADERS became only the third team in the history of Vodacom Super Rugby to cross the Indian Ocean and win a playoff match when they beat the DHL STORMERS in the second semi final in Cape Town.

By beating the DHL Stormers by 29-10 at a cold and wet DHL Newlands, the Crusaders added their names to The Sharks (beat the Reds in Brisbane in 1996) and the Highlanders (beat the Stormers in Cape Town in 1999) as the only teams to win knock-out games after travelling between South Africa and Australasia.

The Crusaders’ experience in playoff rugby was eventually the difference between the two sides, although the DHL Stormers will be disappointed with their defence, scrumming and tactical kicking. The Conference winners from New Zealand, seven times Vodacom Super Rugby champions, played with more patience than their hosts, ensuring they first get to the right side of halfway before trying to attack.

In contrast, the DHL Stormers struggled to get out of their half and then they erred, Crusaders fly half Dan Carter was at hand to kick at goal. Carter slotted five penalty goals and two conversions for a personal haul of 19 points. The Crusaders’ two tries were scored by winger Sean Maitland and outside centre Robbie Fruean.

The DHL Stormers didn’t get too many opportunities to score points in only their third ever home semi final. Springbok wing Bryan Habana scored their only try, late in the first half, after taking a quick tap penalty close to the Crusaders’ tryline. Peter Grant added the conversion to an early penalty for the rest of the home team’s points. All three tries were scored in the first half. The score at the break was 23-10 and even though the DHL Stormers fought on manfully in the second half, the Crusaders never lost control of the match.

The DHL Stormers lost their captain, Springbok flanker Schalk Burger, at the end of the first half with a hand injury, while Dewaldt Duvenage, who was named to start at scrumhalf, failed a late fitness test and was replaced by Louis Schreuder.

The Crusaders will now fly to Brisbane for the final of 2011’s Vodacom Super Rugby season. The Reds, winners of the Australian Conference, beat the Blues earlier on Saturday by 30-13 at Suncorp Stadium to earn hosting rights to the final.

1 Wicus Blaauw 2 Tiaan Liebenberg  3 Brok Harris 4 Rynhardt Elstadt  5 Andries Bekker 6 Schalk Burger (C)  7 Francois Louw  8 Nick Koster 9 Dewaldt Duvenage 10 Peter Grant  11 Bryan Habana 12 Jean de Villiers 13 Jaque Fourie  14 Gio Aplon  15 Conrad Jantjes BENCH: 16 Deon Fourie 17 Steven Kitshoff 18 Anton van Zyl 19 Schalk Brits  20 Louis Schreuder 21 Juan de Jongh 22 Johann Sadie

SCORERS T: Habana C: Grant P: Grant

15 Tom Marshall 14 Sean Maitland 13 Robert Fruean 12 Sonny Bill Williams 11 Zac Guildford 10 Dan Carter 9 Andy Ellis 1 Wyatt Crockett 2 Corey Flynn 3 Owen Franks 4 Brad Thorn 5 Sam Whitelock 6 George Whitelock 7 Richie McCaw (C) 8 Kieran Read BENCH: 16 Quentin Macdonald 17 Ben Franks 18 Luke Romano 19 Matt Todd 20 Kahn Fotuali'i 21 Matt Berquist 22 Ryan Crotty

SCORERS T: Maitland, Fruean C: Carter (2) P: Carter (5)

Referee: Craig Joubert 

 

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PLAY OFFS

BLUES 26 - 13 WARATAHS

EDEN PARK, AUCKLAND - Friday 24th June 2011

 

IT was heartbreak for the NSW WARATAHS as the BLUES pushed just hard enough to see off their rivals from the country the Kiwis affectionately refer to as Crimland. A convincing 26-13 win has the Blues heading westward to Brisbane to face Super Rugby table toppers, the St George Reds on Saturday 2nd July.

The match began slowly with neither side scoring until Tom Carter carried defenders over the line to score his sixth try of the season for an early lead at the end of the first quarter. But Lachie Munro made up the deficit within 5 minutes scoring for the homeside, and McAlister’s conversion put them ahead.

A Kurtley Beale penalty took the Tahs ahead for the last time on the half hour mark, and from here on in, it was the Blues who were on the front foot until the final whistle. At half time, two penalties from Lachie Munro ensured a small lead of 13-8.

It was almost the end of the third quarter before the score shifted in either direction, but finally the Tahs conceded a penalty that Munro could convert to points having missed one already. And the Waratahs’ injury curse continued with Kane Douglas and Sitaleki Timani both forced off the field with leg injuries.

In the 63rd minute some excellent work led to Ali Williams’ try, with Munro’s conversion taking the lead to 23-8.

Lachie Turner’s try in the 74th minute reduced the gap to ten points and an outside chance of victory, however a long range penalty to McAlister two minutes from time sealed the result.

It was an emotionally charged game for the home side who were celebrating John Afoa’s 100th cap for the Blues, Luke McAlister’s 50th and probably the last game in Blues jerseys on Eden Park for Joe Rokocoko, Afoa, McAlister and Jared Payne. It was a sad farewell for the Tahs’ most capped player, captain Phil Waugh, who finishes his career with a record 136 appearances for New South Wales.

15 Jared Payne 14 Joe Rokocoko 13 Benson Stanley 12 Luke McAlister 11 Lachie Munro 10 Stephen Brett 9 Alby Mathewson 8 Peter Saili 7 Luke Braid 6 Jerome Kaino 5 Ali Williams 4 Anthony Boric 3 John Afoa 2 Keven Mealamu (C) 1 Charlie Faumuina BENCH: 16 Tom McCartney 17 Tevita Mailau 18 Chris Lowrey 19 Daniel Braid 20 Chris Smylie 21 Winston Stanley 22 Sherwin Stowers

SCORERS T: Munro, Williams C: McAlister, Munro P: Munro (3), McAlister

15 Lachie Turner 14 Atieli Pakalani 13 Ryan Cross 12 Tom Carter 11 Soseni Anesi 10 Kurtley Beale 9 Josh Holmes 8 Dave Dennis 7 Phil Waugh (C) 6 Dean Mumm 5 Sitaleki Timani 4 Kane Douglas 3 Paddy Ryan 2 John Ulugia 1 Benn Robinson BENCH: 16 Elvis Taione 17 Jeremy Tilse 18 Pat O'Connor 19 Chris Alcock 20 Hugh Perrett 21 Brendan McKibbin 22 Bernard Foley

SCORERS T: Carter, Turner P: Beale

Referee: Chris Pollock (New Zealand) Asst Referees: Stuart Dickinson, Glen Jackson (New Zealand) TMO: Vinny Munro (New Zealand)

CRUSADERS 36 - 8 SHARKS

TRAFALGAR PARK, NELSON - Saturday 25th June 2011

 

THE SHARKS promising season came to an end in New Zealand when the CRUSADERS won their Vodacom Super Rugby Qualifier at a three-quarters full Trafalgar Park in Nelson, New Zealand, 36-8.

The Crusaders will play the Stormers in Cape Town next week in the semi finals of the inaugural Super Rugby tournament after accounting for the Sharks three tries to one.

Icy-cold conditions met the teams as they ran out onto otherwise near-perfect weather for this match, played with intensity but ball-handling less than perfect from both sides with dew the obvious culprit standing between quality attack and the odd breakdown.

With both sides boasting near full-strength teams -The Sharks were only missing Steven Sykes and the Crusaders, Richie McCaw-, this was always going to be a huge match, and it certainly delivered.

A first minute penalty for the Crusaders gave them the early advantage but Charl McLeod created a break as he ran right through the middle of a lineout for an 80m group effort that led to the first try of the match, with Keegan Daniel putting Willem Alberts over the try line.

Despite Carter not having a good game to begin with, from here on, it was Crusaders all the way with the exception of a penalty from Patrick Lambie at the start of the second half.

Big second-five Sonny Bill Williams crossed first for the Crusaders after 33 minutes, taking advantage of a good break and offload by returning wing Sean Maitland. Carter found his footing, converted and added a further 3 points soon after to take the ‘home’ side into the break 13-5 up.

Both sides looked  to play more accurately after the break. The kickers traded penalties as the margin remained unchanged before a clever intercept saw captain Kieran Reid canter over from 40m to score a try that pushed the lead to beyond two converted tries with half an hour of the game remaining.

The Crusaders were riding a wave of confidence that allowed them to score a further try and round off a very productive day at the office. Reserve prop Ben Franks scored the Crusaders’ third try, crashing over from close with three minutes left. Matt Berquist chimed in by converting Franks’ try after he replaced Owen Franks.

It was to be a disappointing end to a season for the Sharks that ebbed and flowed and reached great heights, but ultimately, the travel factor got in the way of their hopes and dreams, alongside probably some of the worst refereeing seen in some time from New Zealander Bryce Lawrence.

For captain Stefan Terblanche, veteran of over 120 Vodacom Super Rugby matches and never having beaten the Crusaders, it was a disappointing end to the season. He did wished the Crusaders well for the rest of their campaign, an heroic one given the fact that they had to play every home game away from their home ground and had managed to overcome the devastation of their city.

15 Tom Marshall 14 Sean Maitland 13 Robbie Fruean 12 Sonny Bill Williams 11 Zac Guildford 10 Daniel Carter 9 Andy Ellis 8 Kieran Read (C) 7 Matt Todd 6 George Whitelock 5 Sam Whitelock 4 Brad Thorn 3 Owen Franks 2 Corey Flynn 1 Wyatt Crockett BENCH: 16 Quentin MacDonald 17 Ben Franks 18 Luke Romano 19 Jonathan Poff 20 Kahn Fotuali'i 21 Matt Berquist 22 Ryan Crotty/Brent Ward

SCORERS T: Maitland, Read, B Franks C: Carter (2), Berquist P: Carter (5)

15 Patrick Lambie 14 JP Pietersen 13 Stefan Terblanche (C) 12 Meyer Bosman 11 Lwazi Mvovo 10 Frederic Michalak 9 Charl McLeod 8 Willem Alberts 7 Jean Deysel 6 Keegan Daniel 5 Alistair Hargreaves 4 Gerhard Mostert 3 Jannie du Plessis 2 Bismarck du Plessis 1 Tendai Mtawarira BENCH: 16 John Smit 17 Eugene van Staden 18 Ross Skeate 19 Ryan Kankowski 20 Jacques Botes 21 Adrian Jacobs 22 Louis Ludik

SCORERS T: Alberts P: Lambie 

Referee: Bryce Lawrence (New Zealand) Asst Referees: Keith Brown (New Zealand), Vinny Munro (New Zealand) TMO: Garratt Williamson (New Zealand)

 

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WEEK 18

WEEK 18 MATCH HIGHLIGHTS

 

THE DHL Stormers and the Reds will enjoy a bye next week as the Crusaders (New Zealand Conference winners and third on the combined log), Blues (fourth), Waratahs (fifth) and The Sharks (sixth) slog it out to progress to the semi-finals.

The Crusaders won the New Zealand Conference when they beat the Hurricanes by 16-9 in Wellington, while the Waratahs made sure they qualified for the Finals Series with a comprehensive 41-7 victory over the Brumbies in Sydney. The DHL Stormers and The Sharks will fly the South African flag in the Vodacom Super Rugby Finals Series after both teams cemented their place in the Top Six with away victories in the final two league fixtures of the competition.

THE Emirates Western Force ended their 2011 campaign with another close, hard fought performance to claim a morale boosting 27-24 win against the Melbourne Rebels on a chilly night in the Victorian capital.

Stannard started at 10 for a fourth consecutive match and was on song with the boot as he traded blows with Rebels counterpart Danny Cipriani, who also held his own scoring 12 of the 24 Rebels points.  The converted half back landed four penalties and a try after finishing the game on the wing as Graham made several adjustments to maintain the pressure on the Rebels.

The Rebels were repeatedly repelled by a solid Force defence well marshalled by stand-in skipper Pocock while on attack the West Australian’s saw some sparkling runs from Patrick Dellit and Smith however turnovers proved costly.

If it were not for nine turnovers in the opening half the visitors could have had the game well and truly by the scruff of the neck but found themselves only three points up at the break.

After an hour without a try, the final 18 minutes saw four scored. Stannard and Cipriani continued their kicking duel at the start of the second period but it was the Emirates Western Force who gained maximum reward for their attacking efforts with two tries in three minutes.

The West Australian’s had built themselves a handy 12 point lead with 14 minutes left on the clock thanks to two quick tries from David Smith and James Stannard but the Rebels were back within striking distance when they rumbled over a converted try  from Adam Freier shortly after.

Stirling Mortlock was then awarded a try after a clear knock on right in front of the referee to draw the scores level however the Rebels skipper couldn’t convert and it remained 24-all with time fast running out.

The match went down to the wire with fly half Willie Ripia holding his nerve to boot a long range penalty with just a minute and a half remaining. Amidst a vocal home crowd doing their best to put the fly half off as he lined up from just inside 50, Ripia kicked truly to snatch back the lead that had minutes earlier been eroded.

THE HSBC Waratahs qualified for the 2011 Super Rugby finals after a convincing 41-7 victory over the Brumbies at ANZ Stadium.

The match was in the balance at the break, however four second half tries pushed the home side to the huge win which equalled the biggest winning margin over the Brumbies in Super Rugby.

The result means the HSBC Waratahs recorded a 7-1 win-loss record within the Australian conference, scoring 27 tries and conceding just three, and takes the HSBC Waratahs to 48 tries for the season, which positions them ahead of the Crusaders (46) and Reds (45) with two matches still to be played. Only the HSBC Waratahs, Sharks and Blues have earned six bonus points for scoring four or more tries in a match.

Man of the match Sitaleki Timani was a menace in both attack and defence, while Kurtley Beale again showed why he is one of the leading players in the game today.

The home side couldn’t have asked for a better start than to score in the third minute, with Lachie Turner the beneficiary of a Luke Burgess turnover which was followed by a tackle busting run and offload by Beale.
The Brumbies then copped a literal body blow when international prop Ben Alexander was forced off after being rattled by a big hit from former teammate Timani.

A penalty goal midway through the half extended the lead to ten and that is how it stayed until the break.

Beale nailed his second penalty five minutes into the half, and then three minutes later Timani executed one of his trademark stretches for the line. Beale’s conversion took the score to 20-0.

The script for the match was ripped up when retiring prop Al Baxter was forced off after clashing heads with Timani. As the veteran prop left the field to a standing ovation, Chris Alcock came on for Phil Waugh and Daniel Vickerman made a return to the sky blue jersey almost three years after wearing it last.

Just two minutes after coming on Chris Alcock scored a fantastic individual try where he beat almost half the Brumbies defence with strength, speed, swerve and desire.

In the 68th minute Sosene Anesi finished off a bizarre try which earned what could be an important bonus point. When the ball spilled forward from a Brumbies breakdown, most players stopped except for Luke Burgess who hacked the ball downfield. The ball ended up in empty space, with Anesi winning the race before toeing ahead, winning the race for the ball and scoring the fourth try.

The icing on the cake was a 76th minute try to Dave Dennis, with Beale’s fifth conversion from as many attempts taking the score to 41-0.

Francis Fainifo crossed for the Brumbies in the last minute, with Matt Giteau finishing his career with the club by piloting the conversion from near touch.

The HSBC Waratahs now face the Blues in Auckland on Friday where they play their Super Rugby Qualifier.

THE Blues snapped a four match losing streak and booked themselves a place in the Finals Series for the first time in four years with an emphatic 33-16 victory over the Highlanders.

The victory has seen the Blues secure a home Super Rugby Qualifier against the Waratahs at Eden Park on Friday.

With nothing to lose and playing for pride, the visitors hoed into their work, bashing their way through the Blues’ defensive line with some surging runs from their loose forward trio. The visitors were rewarded for their commitment after seven minutes as wing Matt Saunders finished off some excellent work up front to cross in the corner from a Jimmy Cowan bounce pass.

Blues’ Lachie Munro was handed the kicking duties and after missing his first attempt, he nailed four penalties and three conversions in an exceptional night with the boot.

With the Blues trailing 3-8 after veteran Tony Brown landed a dropped goal from right in front, two quickfire tries to the home side in the space of three minutes put them squarely back in the box seat, going into halftime 17-11.

It was another superb kick by McAlister that created the Blues’ third try of the evening just three minutes into the second half.

Two further penalties to Lachie Munro gave the Blues an unassailable 30-11 lead midway through the second half as Lam began to bench his key players, with Keven Mealamu, Jerome Kaino and Benson Stanley all taking a well earned break. The loss of those key leaders seemed to have a marked impact on the team as they lost their rhythm somewhat, allowing the Highlanders back into the game.

Matt Saunders collected his second try of the night 17 minutes from fulltime as he again went over in the corner following a period of concerted pressure from the southerners.

But the Blues managed to grind out the final quarter, Munro adding a final penalty for a personal tally of 18 points as the Blues rejoiced at securing their first finals appearance since 2007.

THE St.George Reds finished their Super Rugby regular season in style with an entertaining 19-11 victory over the Chiefs in Hamilton.

The victory sees the Reds finish on top of the Super Rugby ladder with 13 wins and ensures the Super Rugby Grand Final would be played at Suncorp Stadium if the Reds are successful in their Semi Final matchup on Saturday 2 July.

Playmakers Will Genia and Quade Cooper guided the Reds to their second straight victory in Hamilton although it was the Reds dominance and physicality in defence and at the breakdown which responsible for the win.

19-year-old flanker Liam Gill produced a stellar performance in leading the Reds at the breakdown and was rewarded with a number of turnovers and his first Super Rugby try.

The Reds defensive lineout was at its dynamic best with five steals on the Chiefs’ throw helping maintain the pressure they built throughout the majority of the encounter.

The first half was a highly entertaining contest and despite the wet weather and Gill the only try scorer, both teams played an upbeat and attacking brand of rugby.

The Reds took a 10-6 lead into the break but they could have led by more if not for the Chiefs scrambling efforts in defence spoiling a number of try scoring opportunities.

Gill’s opening try came on the back of some strong pick-and-go work and a rolling maul, while Cooper extended the lead to 10-0 after 16 minutes with a penalty goal.

The successful attempt saw Cooper become the first Australian representative to break 200 points in the 2011 Super Rugby season, his 14 point effort against the Chiefs bringing his final tally for the regular season to 210.

Two penalty goals at the back end of the first 40 minutes for the Chiefs narrowed the gap leading into the second half although Cooper soon brought the margin back to seven points with his second successful penalty goal.

Another two penalty goals to Cooper in quick succession resulted from the work of the forwards in tight and ensured the Reds enjoyed a comfortable 19-6 buffer heading into the final quarter of the match.

Despite a try from Fritz Lee in the dying stages to the Chiefs, the Reds performance cemented their 6 week table-topping position.

THE Crusaders will play the Sharks in an Investec Super Rugby Qualifier in Nelson on Saturday after overcoming the Hurricanes 16-9 in Wellington.

It was a tight match in difficult, rainy, conditions and the Crusaders had to dig deep to come up with a win over a Hurricanes team playing on emotion and bidding farewell to several veterans including Andrew Hore and Ma’a Nonu.

Robbie Fruean, the former Hurricane, scored the only try of the match, chiming nicely with Zac Guildford, another former Cane, to score a very good try in the corner in the second half.

Dan Carter converted brilliantly from wide on the left to push the Crusaders out to a 16-6 lead after swapping two penalties in the first half with Aaron Cruden.

Crusaders halfback Andy Ellis completed the scoring with an amazing drop goal from 46 metres out to push the margin out to seven points.

The Hurricanes threw everything at the Crusaders in the final minutes and the Red and Blacks did well to repel them.

It was an important victory for the Crusaders, who topped the New Zealand conference as a result.

They now turn their attentions to the Sharks at Trafalgar Park on Saturday night. The winner will progress to the semi-finals...a re-match of the now famous match at Twickenham between the two sides.

THE Sharks eliminated the defending champions, the Vodacom Bulls, with a great performance at Loftus Versfeld, taking the spoils by 26-23 in a hard-fought match. The way the results in the final round went meant this match went down to a “winner takes all” scenario, which saw the Durbanites take the spoils and the sixth place on the overall log. Their task in the Qualifiers is not an easy one though, with the seven time champions, the Crusaders, waiting for The Sharks in Nelson next Saturday.

The Sharks will take a lot of heart from their performance in Pretoria though, where they produced arguably one of their best displays of 80 minute rugby of the season. It was the Vodacom Bulls’ third home defeat of 2011 and ended a six match unbeaten run after they struggled midway through the season. The last time the Vodacom Bulls lost three games in Pretoria in a season, was in 2008, when they lost to The Sharks, Hurricanes and Crusaders and finished 10th on the Vodacom Super 14 log.

Where the Durbanites, runners up in 1996, 2001 and 2007, made the most errors in their last match against the Vodacom Bulls a few weeks ago at Mr Price Kings Park, the shoe was on the other foot yesterday, with the home team making a host of uncharacteristic and unforced mistakes. As a result, the team from Pretoria never got their rhythm going, with The Sharks always in control.

Stefan Terblanche scored a superb try from a set piece in the first half, while Lwazi Mvovo proved his finishing skills with what turned out to be the match-winning try in the 74th minute. Even though Francois Hougaard crossed The Sharks’ tryline a few minutes later, adding to Gerhard van den Heever’s try late in the first half, it was too little too late for the Vodacom Bulls, who bowed out of the competition after a disappointing season by their standards.

IN the second South African derby yesterday, the DHL Stormers concluded the league phase of Vodacom Super Rugby with a 44-34 victory in an open match against the Toyota Cheetahs in Bloemfontein, ensuring they win the South African Conference and finish second on the overall log, with automatic progression into the semi-finals in the first weekend of July.

The DHL Stormers, runners up last season, went to the Free State Stadium with only one aim to beat the Toyota Cheetahs. They did that in some style in a match which saw no less than eight tries scored, including a hat-trick to Toyota Cheetahs winger Rayno Benjamin. The home team’s first try was scored by Davon Raubenheimer late in the first half, but their discipline let them down, with DHL Stormers fly half Peter Grant slotting six penalty goals in the process. Grant also converted three of the DHL Stormers’ tries – scored by Gio Aplon, Juan de Jongh, Nick Koster and Bryan Habana for a personal haul of 24 points. The four tries the DHL Stormers conceded was the most they’ve let in since 3 May 2009, when they lost 14-28 to the Chiefs in Hamilton, but they won’t be too concerned as their main aim was to emerge from the Bloemfontein match as victors.

RESULTS

BLUES 33 -16 HIGHLANDERS

EDEN PARK, AUCKLAND - Friday 17th June 2011
BLUES T: Brett, McAlister, Payne C: Munro (3) P: Munro (4)
HIGHLANDERS T: Saunders (2) P: Brown DG: Brown

MELBOURNE REBELS 24 - 27 FORCE

MELBOURNE RECTANGULAR STADIUM - Friday 17th June 2011
REBELS T: Freier, Mortlock C: Mortlock P: Cipriani (4)
FORCE T: Smith, Stannard C: Ripia P: Stannard (4), Ripia

CHIEFS 11 - 19 REDS

WAIKATO STADIUM, HAMILTON - Saturday 18th June 2011
CHIEFS T: Lee P: Donald (2)  Romana Graham
REDS T: Gill C: Cooper P: Cooper (4)

CRUSADERS 16 - 9 HURRICANES

WESTPAC STADIUM, WELLINGTON - Saturday 18th June 2011
CRUSADERS T: Fruean C: Carter P: Carter (2) DG: Ellis
HURRICANES P: Cruden (3)

WARATAHS 41 - 7 BRUMBIES

SYDNEY FOOTBALL STADIUM - Saturday 18th June 2011
WARATAHS T: Turner (2), Timani, Alcock, Anesi, Dennis C: Beale (5) P: Beale (2)
BRUMBIES T: Fainifo C: Giteau

BULLS 23 - 26 SHARKS

LOFTUS VERSFELD STADIUM, PRETORIA - Saturday 18th June 2011
BULLS T: van den Heever, Hougaard C: Steyn (2) P: Steyn (3)
SHARKS T: Terblanche, Mvovo C: Lambie, Michalak P: Lambie, Michalak DG: Michalak

CHEETAHS 34 - 44 STORMERS

FREE STATE STADIUM, BLOEMFONTEIN - Saturday 18th June 2011
CHEETAHS T: Raubenheimer Benjamin (3) C: S Ebersohn (4) P: S Ebersohn (2)
STORMERS T: Aplon, de Jongh, Koster, Habana C: Grant (3) P: Grant (6)

 

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WEEK 17

WEEK 17 MATCH HIGHLIGHTS  

The Brumbies made amends for their round two defeat at AAMI Park by evening the ledger at Canberra Stadium, overcoming the RaboDirect Melbourne Rebels 32-17 on Friday.

The win leaves the Rebels at the foot of both the Australian conference and the overall Super Rugby ladder, with just one round remaining. The bonus point win for the Brumbies puts them in with a shout of third place domestically, a finish that looked unlikely before back-to-back victories over first the Reds and then the Rebels.

The Rebels started off looking not too bad, and despite Lealiifano’s opening unconverted try, Cipriani proved himself early on with a penalty awarded following a Mark Gerrard chip and chase which sparked the Rebels into life.

After Tyrone Smith’s try, Giteau missed two conversions but redeemed himself with his own try, which frankly should not have happened if the Rebels had been paying attention. But he missed this conversion too and the Brumbies went into the break 18-3 up.

Within two minutes of the restart, hooker Stephen Moore created a try with such ease that Pat McCabe ran straight under the posts with not a hint of defensive hindrance.

The Brumbies controlled the next twenty minutes but failed to convert good field position, consistently opting for scrums over the penalty points on offer. The home side’s  overconfidence was shaken by a burst from Stirling Mortlock which set up good field position, allowing Jarrod Saffy to claim the Rebels’ first try of the night. Cipriani’s conversion made it a fifteen point game with fifteen minutes remaining. 

Quickly Afusipa Taumoepeau scored against his former team and Cipriani’s penalty took the Rebels to within eight points with ten minutes to go.

As thoughts turned to the Rebels’ stirring early-season fightbacks Stephen Moore snuffed out any remaining hopes with a pushover try against the run of play. Giteau’s conversion pushed the margin out to a safe distance and the Rebels were left to contemplate an eighth defeat on the trot. 

An encouraging debut season for the Rebels ends next Friday night at AAMI Park with a clash against the Western Force. 

The HSBC Waratahs kept their Super Rugby finals hopes alive with a 33-7 victory over the Highlanders at the Sydney Football Stadium.

Man of the match Tom Carter scored a hat-trick for the home side in a five tries to one performance which resulted in the HSBC Waratahs’ biggest ever Super Rugby victory over the Highlanders.

After dominating early field position, the home side was first on the board and was typically inspired by some magic from Kurtley Beale. The No.15 returned a kick from inside his own half, pinpointing every defender he could beat before sliding a kick to the left wing for Carter to scoop up and score.

Six minutes later they were over again for what was one of the tries of the year, started when Beale made an audacious run from a turnover inside his own quarter, which led to Dave Dennis to touch down. Beale converted for a 12-0 lead after 16 minutes.

The Highlanders were willing to try their hand at every opportunity however it was their tried and true play through the forwards which resulted in their first and only try when Jason Rutledge burrowed over from short range. Tony Brown’s conversion closed the margin to five points with eleven minutes left in the opening stanza.

Strong play in tight resulted in the HSBC Waratahs’ third try of the night when enough space was created to allow Carter to charge through the backpedalling defenders for his second try. Beale converted for a 19-7 lead which they carried through to the break.

The second half was largely a stalemate, however the Highlanders maintained the upper hand for much of the first 25 minutes.

Only steadfast defence from the home side held the Highlanders at bay, and when a rare opportunity came inside the Kiwis’ quarter it was Carter again on the end of hands to notch up number three.

The final try of the match came two minutes before the siren with Josh Holmes on the end of a cross-field kick to run away and score in just his first appearance of the year.

The result keeps the HSBC Waratahs in contention for a semi-finals appearance, however as usual the final round of the regular season will determine the ultimate positions.

The HSBC Waratahs play the Brumbies at ANZ Stadium on Saturday 18 June.

The St.George Reds scored a thrilling 24-21 come from behind Super Rugby victory over the Western Force with a try to Dom Shipperley in the dying stages of the match giving Queensland their first win in Perth.

Fly half Quade Cooper was sensational for the Reds with a perfectly weighted cut-out pass to Shipperley in the final minutes capping off Queensland’s 12th victory of the 2011 season and ensuring they remain on top of the Super Rugby ladder heading into the final round.

The Reds battled bravely during the second half to overcome a 16-14 halftime deficit against a committed and enthusiastic Force line up, the win the Reds first in Perth following losses in their previous two encounters in 2007 and 2009.

Cooper was a danger every time he touched the ball and his 14 points scored during the match has brought his career points tally to 404, ranked second all-time for a Queensland representative after overtaking John Eales (402 points).

The Force threw everything at the Reds but two opportunistic tries to Cooper and flanker Scott Higginbotham in the opening half and the final try to Shipperley was enough to see Queensland get over the line for the second time against the Force in 2011.

But not all went right for the Reds with winger Rod Davies leaving the field during the early exchanges with an AC Joint injury, a devastating blow in his return match from a knee problem.

The Force enjoyed a huge territorial advantage during the opening 20 minutes and were rewarded with an early 13-7 lead courtesy to two tries to centre Rory Sidey.

The Reds only points during this period came through an 80 metre intercept try to Cooper, while the Reds gained their first lead of the match when Higginbotham scampered down the touchline from a scrum later in the half.

The Force regained their lead with two James O’Connor penalty goals and a David Pocock try in the 68th minute before Shipperley crossed in the corner for a hard fought win.

The Reds final game of the season comes against the Chiefs in Hamilton next Saturday.

The Emirates Western Force will round out their season on Friday night in Melbourne against the Rebels, but will be missing back James O'Connor after being suspended at a SANZAR hearing where he was found guilty of dangerous play for the dangerous lifting and dropping of Reds captain James Horwill.

The Hurricanes and the Chiefs battled out an 18-18 draw in difficult conditions in their Investec Super Rugby clash at Waikato Stadium in Hamilton on Friday night.

With steady rain falling during most of the second half and slippery conditions throughout, neither team could pull clear of the other and the match finished with the Hurricanes holding out the home team for over 20 phases as they inched into dropped goal range.

First five five-eighth Stephen Donald’s late attempt for a pot was partially charged down and Hurricanes fullback Cory Jane subsequently kicked the ball into touch and fulltime was blown.

Earlier the Hurricanes had come back from a 15-5 halftime deficit to level the score up at 15-15 early in the second half. But both teams were only able to add a further apiece and the deadlock couldn’t be broken over the final 10 minutes.

In tighthead prop Neemia Tialata’s 100th Super Rugby game since making his debut for the Hurricanes against the Chiefs in 2004, the Hurricanes made much of the running but couldn’t turn enough of their pressure into points.

In contrast the Chiefs took their chances in the first half, scoring two tries against the run of play at the bookends of the first 40 minutes to establish their 10-point lead. A kick charge down in just the third minute of play led to a seven pointer to centre Richard Kahui and a Hurricanes dropped ball, hack ahead and resulting scrum under the Hurricanes posts created their second just before the interval to lock Isaac Ross.

In between, the Hurricanes created several clear chances but could only come up with one unconverted try, to hooker and captain Andrew Hore, in the face of tenacious Chiefs defence.

 The Hurricanes return to Westpac Stadium next Saturday night to play their last game of the season against the Crusaders, a match that was originally scheduled for Christchurch but moved to Wellington due to February’s Canterbury earthquake and first cancelled match between the two.

Two Zac Guildford tries helped the Crusaders to a thrilling 23-16 over the Blues in Timaru.

The victory put the Crusaders at the top of the New Zealand Super Rugby conference with one round remaining - the Hurricanes match in Wellington next Saturday night.

With both sides littered with All Blacks, it was a thrilling contest played at Test match intensity, but lapses in concentration at crucial stages by the Blues proved incredibly costly as the Crusaders pounced on their errors. 

The Blues got off to the perfect start as Luke McAlister slotted an early penalty attempt before Rene Ranger scored a sensational try 14 minutes in.

After absorbing a sustained period of pressure from the Crusaders, the Blues broke out as Jared Payne took the ball to the line and offloaded to Ranger who beat Robbie Fruean before racing down the sideline, grubbering the ball and regathering it to score.

Daniel Carter got his side on the scoreboard with a penalty from right in and the home side took the lead moments later following a try to Matt Todd.

Luke McAlister took the Blues within 2 points at the break with a penalty kick.

It was captain Kieran Read's quick thinking which set up Guildford's first try. Virtually straight after the halftime re-start, Read pounced on the ball at the back of a ruck and passed to Guildford who did the rest.

The Blues struck back through prop Charlie Faumuina, who was held up over the line before making no mistake the second time around. Faumuina finished off a sustained period of pressure by the Blues as he bashed his way over from close range to narrow the deficit to 16-18.

Guildford clinched the victory in the final 10 minutes when running on to a perfect Dan Carter kick and scoring in the corner.

It was sweet revenge for the Crusaders, who lost their opening encounter with the Blues in Auckland in round one.

THE Vodacom Bulls and The Sharks are still in the hunt to qualify for the Vodacom Super Rugby Finals Series, while the DHL Stormers have confirmed their place in the Top Six after a weekend of nail biting action in two South African derbies.

The bonus point the DHL Stormers got in their 19-16 defeat to the Vodacom Bulls at DHL Newlands on Saturday evening was enough to book them a place in the Finals Series, most likely as winners of the South African Conference, with one league game left.

It was a war of attrition in Cape Town, where the Vodacom Bulls played for survival and managed to win their sixth consecutive game as they aim to qualify for Finals Series. Both the DHL Stormers and the Vodacom Bulls were set on suffocating their opponents with resolute defence in front of a capacity crowd at DHL Newlands, which saw last year’s Vodacom Super 14 Finalists score only one try in the game as their dangerous strike runners got limited opportunities with ball in hand.

The Vodacom Bulls built their victory on pressure, especially in the set piece, and they finally scored in the 65th minute, when scrumhalf Francois Hougaard pounced on a wayward lineout throw by the DHL Stormers to dive over under the posts. DHL Stormers lock Andries Bekker scored in the 79th minute for the home team after a number of phases close to the Vodacom Bulls’ try-line, but it was too little too late as the defending Vodacom Super 14 champions from Pretoria took the four log points on offer.

Vodacom Bulls fly half Morné Steyn scored 14 points for the team from Pretoria through four penalty goals and one conversion, as he overtook Reds fly half Quade Cooper at the top of the list of overall Vodacom Super Rugby points scorers.

Earlier on Saturday in Johannesburg, The Sharks had to erase a 21 point deficit in the second half against a MTN Lions side who played out of their skins in the first half of their final game of 2011.

The Sharks scored two late tries to come away with a draw against the MTN Lions (30-30). The home team raced ahead to a 20-9 lead at the break, which they extended to 30-9 early in the second half, but the Durbanites never gave up and when fly half Pat Lambie converted winger Lwazi Mvovo’s 76th minute try to push his personal points tally for the game up to 20, the scores were level.

Lambie was one of The Sharks’ three try scorers, along with Mvovo and his wing-partner JP Pietersen, while the MTN Lions’ three tries were scored by two of their veterans – loose forward Cobus Grobbelaar, who got a brace, and scrumhalf Jano Vermaak after a superb run by exciting young fullback Jaco Taute.

The rest of their points came via the boot of fly half Butch James, who also got a yellow card for a dangerous tackle on The Sharks’ flanker Keegan Daniel, which saw the MTN Lions pivot cited. He has been cited under Law 10.4 (e) and will appear at a hearing in Johannesburg at 12h00 on Monday 13 June, 2011. The hearing will be chaired by SANZAR Judicial Officer Rob Stelzner.

The Vodacom Bulls and The Sharks are now both on 53 log points in the respective fifth and sixth positions. They play each other on Saturday at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria in a match which could potentially see one of these teams – the two Vodacom Super 14 Finalists in 2007 – drop out of Qualifier contention. The final league game next weekend will see the DHL Stormers travel to Bloemfontein to face the Toyota Cheetahs.

RESULTS

CHIEFS 18 - 18 HURRICANES

WAIKATO STADIUM, HAMILTON - Friday 10th June 2011
CHIEFS T: Kahui, Ross C: Donald P: Donald (2)
HURRICANES T: Hore, Gear C: Cruden P: Cruden (2)

BRUMBIES 32 - 17 MELBOURNE REBELS

CANBERRA STADIUM - Friday 10th June 2011
BRUMBIES T: Lealiifano, TB Smith, Giteau, McCabe, Moore C: Giteau (2) P: Giteau
MELBOURNE REBELS T: Saffy, Taumoepeau C: Cipriani (2) P: Cipriani

CRUSADERS 23 - 16 BLUES

FRASER PARK, TIMARU - Saturday 11th June 2011
CRUSADERS T: Todd, Guildford (2) C: Carter P: Carter (2)
BLUES T: Ranger, Faumuina P: McAlister (2)

WARATAHS 33 - 7 HIGHLANDERS

SYDNEY FOOTBALL STADIUM - Saturday 11th June 2011
WARATAHS T: Carter (3), Dennis, Holmes C: Beale (4)
HIGHLANDERS T: Rutledge C: Brown

 FORCE 21 - 24 REDS

PERTH OVAL - Saturday 11th June 2011
FORCE T: Sidey (2), Pocock P: O'Connor (2)
REDS T: Cooper, Higginbotham, Shipperley C: Cooper (3) P: Cooper

LIONS 30 - 30 SHARKS

ELLIS PARK, JOHANNESBURG - Saturday 11th June 2011
LIONS T: Grobbelaar (2), Vermaak C: James (3) P: James (3)  Butch James
SHARKS T: Lambie, Pietersen, Mvovo C: Lambie (3) P: Lambie (3)

STORMERS 16 - 19 BULLS

NEWLANDS STADIUM, CAPE TOWN - Saturday 11th June 2011
STORMERS T: Bekker C: Duvenhage P: Coleman, Duvenhage (2)
BULLS T: Hougaard C: Steyn P: Steyn (4)

 

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WEEK 16

WEEK 16 MATCH HIGHLIGHTS

IN Melbourne on Friday morning (SA time), the DHL Stormers had to wait until late in their match against the Rebels for their bonus point try, which was never really in doubt.

The South African pace-setters outclassed the new kids on the Vodacom Super Rugby block by 40-3 and although the match would probably not go down as a classic, DHL Stormers coach Allister Coetzee would’ve been very chuffed that his team could return to Cape Town having won three out of their four games on tour.

Veteran midfielder Jean de Villiers was a talisman at the back for the DHL Stormers, while young fly half Kurt Coleman looked very settled on the Bok centre’s inside. De Villiers and Coleman were joined on the DHL Stormers’ score sheet by the experienced Bok duo of Bryan Habana and Jaque Fourie, while Nic Koster (replacement loose forward) scored the crucial bonus point try.

The St.George Reds record unbeaten streak at Suncorp Stadium has come to an end after being denied in their final regular season home match for 2011 with a 22-14 loss against the Brumbies.

A well-executed gameplan and solid defence from the Brumbies spoiled the Reds magical 12 game run at Suncorp Stadium with their last loss at the venue coming in round one of the 2010 Super Rugby season.

Despite the loss the Reds still maintain top place on the Super Rugby ladder and are guaranteed a home finals match after securing the Australian Conference following a loss to the Waratahs overnight.

The Reds were denied a bonus point with Matt Giteau slotting a penalty goal after the fulltime siren but they still remain one competition point clear of the second placed Stormers and three clear of the Blues.

The Brumbies homework came to fruition as they rushed the table-topping Reds in defence and shut down their attack to secure an eight point victory.

With one try apiece, it was Giteau’s ball-striking and 17 point haul that proved the difference for the Brumbies, whose 19-11 first-half dominance was backed up by solid defence in the second to hold out a rampant Reds outfit in front of their home crowd.

A tentative start from both teams led to numerous early penalty goals but with the Brumbies mounting pressure on the Reds defence it was a good ball from scrumhalf Patrick Phibbs which provided the breakthrough, putting hooker Stephen Moore under the dot for a 16-6 lead midway through the half.

Determined straight running from fullback Ben Lucas saw the Reds hit back, following another penalty goal from the Brumbies, with a try down the right flank to narrow the deficit to 19-11 at the break.

The Reds again narrowed the gap when a penalty for not rolling away saw Cooper nail the kick from the halfway line and make for a five point ball game with 20 minutes remaining.

A spirited defensive effort from Reds centre Anthony Faingaa against his old team wasn’t enough to lift the home side as the Brumbies defence proved too strong late in the half.

The Reds will now turn their attention to their final two regular season matches against the Western Force in Perth and the Chiefs in Hamilton.

THE Emirates Western Force has become the first Australian team to win in New Zealand in 2011 and secured its fourth successive win against the Highlanders with an impressive 21 - 14 victory at Carisbrook Stadium on Friday night.

The late withdrawal of fullback Cameron Shepherd saw the Perth side head into the match with six regulars out of action, four of them capped Australian internationals, but against the odds produced an inspired second half.

After trailing by 11 thanks to a Bens Smith try and three penalties from Sopoaga at the break, the Emirates Western Force piled on 18 unanswered points, including a brace to winger David Smith, to stun the Highlanders and all but end their finals hopes.

Fly half James Stannard was in the thick of the action from the outset, opening the scoring with a penalty but then yellow carded for tackling a Highlanders player without the ball.

In the second half, the home side struggled to unlock the visitors’ clam-like defence and with the ball being played predominantly in the West Aussie’s attacking half it seemed like only a matter of time before they would be rewarded.

The MTN Lions had Hurricanes fans sit up and take notice after a good first half performance in Wellington, but sadly they could not keep that momentum up, going down by 27-38 to the Hurricanes on Saturday morning (SA time).

Aaron Cruden scored 23 points for the home team, who trialled 8-20 in the 33rd minute after some encouraging play by the MTN Lions, with Jaco Taute and captain Doppies la Grange banking first half tries. A return of two tour victories from four would nonetheless have shown the vast improvement in the last few weeks by the team from Johannesburg.

The Blues slumped to their third successive defeat, succumbing to the Chiefs 11-16 in a lacklustre performance at Eden Park on Saturday night.

All but out of the finals race, the Chiefs are thriving in their role as Super Rugby’s spoilers, first overcoming the Highlanders to put a serious dent in their semi-final aspirations before causing a huge upset at Blues HQ tonight.

It was not that long ago that the Blues were sitting comfortably atop the Super Rugby ladder following a sublime nine match unbeaten streak, however those days seem all but a distant memory after tonight’s disappointing performance, and the Blues will have to regroup quickly to salvage their faltering campaign ahead of Saturday’s crunch match against the Crusaders.

They have relinquished their second spot on the overall ladder to the Stormers who cruised to a 40-3 victory on Friday night, and have seen their previously handsome lead over the Crusaders in the New Zealand conference whittled away to just two points.

With nothing to lose, the Chiefs threw caution to the wind and came out firing against the Blues, attacking from within their own 22, spinning the ball through the hands and chancing their arm.

The visitors controlled the vast majority of territory and possession as the Blues were forced to absorb a huge amount of pressure, however unforced errors and some strong defence by the Blues repelled the Chiefs’ initial onslaught as the Blues capitalised on their scraps of the ball.

With the stats in their favour the Chiefs were rewarded for their efforts when they scored their first try; Tana Umaga showed his class breaking through the line to put his team in an attacking position where phases later he finished it off when he busted over the line.

First-five Stephen Donald converted the Umaga try to give the Chiefs their first lead of the night making it 7-6, which was the score going into the halftime break.

 The Chiefs continued their first half dominance of the Blues scrum to create a turnover as a result the Chiefs were awarded a penalty for Donald to slot easily to take the score out to 10-6.

In the lead up the Chiefs suffered a blow when the veteran Umaga suffered an ankle injury that forced him from the field.

Soon after, the Blues found themselves back in front after a lovely set-piece play from the scrum put centre Jared Payne in a gap to score to make it 11-10 with McAlister’s missed conversion.

Donald gave his side the lead again after referee Lawrence penalised the Blues at scrum time. Score 13-11 to the Chiefs as the game looked to open up with more scoring opportunities appearing.

The game tightened up as the Blues were building on their possession as they applied the pressure on the boys, but the Chiefs were strong in defence.

With two minutes remaining the Chiefs playmaker Donald calmly extended their lead after the Blues were penalised to make it 16-11 at the close.

WITH two rounds of league action left, three South African teams are well placed as the race for Vodacom Super Rugby play-off places intensifies.

Victories for the DHL Stormers, Vodacom Bulls and The Sharks, coupled with the Reds, Blues, Waratahs and Highlanders losing this past weekend, catapulted the three leading South African sides to the top of the combined log.

South African conference leaders, the DHL Stormers, moved into second place behind the Reds, who lost unexpectedly in Brisbane to fellow Australians the Brumbies on Saturday.

The Sharks’ victory over the Toyota Cheetahs and the Vodacom Bulls seeing off fellow play-off challengers the Waratahs on Friday evening, meant the leading local sides are now all in the top six on the combined log.

The Vodacom Bulls only managed to score two tries in their 23-17 victory over the Waratahs in Pretoria on Friday evening, but the defending champions won’t be too upset that they didn’t get a bonus point, as they need the victories to keep alive their play-off hopes.

Wynand Olivier’s try – his sixth of the season – game from a set move from a lineout, while Bjorn Basson became the top try scorer thus far this season when he crossed for his ninth try from a brilliant counter-attacking move that started in the Vodacom Bulls’ own 22.

The Waratahs struggled for an hour to cross the home team’s tryline, finally managing their only try through replacement wing Atieli Pakalani from a scrum, which, at that stage, were uncontested. Any hopes the Waratahs had of overtaking the Vodacom Bulls on the scoreboard were dashed in the 68th minute, when referee Craig Joubert red carded the visitors’ replacement lock Pat O’Connor for a head butt. He was not sanctioned any further at a SANZAR disciplinary hearing on Saturday, but his team mate Kane Douglas was not so lucky, copping a two-week ban for a dangerous tackle on Olivier.

The Sharks’ strong second half performance was enough for them to return from Bloemfontein with a hard fought 23-18 victory over the Toyota Cheetahs. Both Sharks wingers, Lwazi Mvovo and JP Pietersen, crossed the home side’s tryline in the final 40 minutes after they were trialling by 11-6 at the break.

Buoyed by some stirring performances by their replacement, The Sharks moved up to fifth place on the combined log thanks to this victory. Scrumhalf Sarel Pretorius – who joined Basson at the top of the list of overall try scorers – and wing Riaan Viljoen’s tries kept the Toyota Cheetahs in the game, but in the end The Sharks’ experience counted.

Two tough weeks lie ahead for the South African challengers. The Vodacom Bulls travel to DHL Newlands to face the DHL Stormers next weekend, before hosting The Sharks in Pretoria in the final round of league action.

The DHL Stormers’ final game is against the Toyota Cheetahs in Bloemfontein, while the MTN Lions host The Sharks at Coca-Cola Park in Johannesburg on Saturday.

RESULTS

HIGHLANDERS 14 - 21 FORCE

CARISBROOK DUNEDIN - Friday 3rd June 2011
HIGHLANDERS T: BR Smith P Sopoaga (3)
FORCE T: Smith (2) C: Stannard P: Stannard (3)  James Stannard

MELBOURNE REBELS 3 - 40 STORMERS

MELBOURNE RECTANGULAR STADIUM - Friday 3rd June 2011
MELBOURNE REBELS P: Huxley
STORMERS T: Habana, Coleman, J Fourie, Koster, de Villiers C: Coleman (2), Rose P: Coleman (3)

BULLS 23 - 17 WARATAHS

LOFTUS VERSFELD STADIUM PRETORIA - Friday 3rd June 2011
BULLS T: Olivier, Basson C: Steyn (2) P: Steyn (3)
WARATAHS T: Pakalani P: Beale (4) Pat O'Connor

HURRICANES 38 - 27 LIONS

WESTPAC STADIUM WELLINGTON - Saturday 4th June 2011
HURRICANES T: Cruden, Gear (2), Nonu C: Cruden(3) P:Cruden (4)
LIONS T: Taute (2), la Grange C: Jantjies (2), James P: Jantjies (2)

BLUES 11 - 16 CHIEFS

EDEN PARK AUCKLAND - Saturday 4th June 2011
BLUES T: Payne P: McAlister (2)
CHIEFS T: Umaga C: Donald P: Donald (3)

REDS 14 - 22 BRUMBIES

LANG PARK BRISBANE - Saturday 4th June 2011
REDS T: Lucas P: Cooper (3)
BRUMBIES T: Moore C: Giteau P: Giteau (5)

CHEETAHS 18 - 23 SHARKS

FREE STATE STADIUM BLOEMFONTEIN - Saturday 4th June 2011
CHEETAHS T: Pretorius, Viljoen C: S Ebersohn P: S Ebersohn (2)
SHARKS T: Mvovo, Pietersen C: Lambie (2) P: Lambie (3)  Keegan Daniel, Charl McLeod

 

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WEEK 15

WEEK 15 MATCH HIGHLIGHTS

 

SCHALK BURGER’s DHL Stormers team recorded history on Saturday by becoming the first Cape Vodacom Super Rugby franchise to secure a victory in Canberra after they defeated the Brumbies 16-3.

DHL Stormers flanker Francois Louw scored the game’s only try which was converted by fly half Kurt Coleman who also kicked two penalties for the visitors. Winger Gio Aplon also chipped in with a penalty kick during the final minutes of the match. The Brumbies points came via a penalty kick by pivot Christian Lealiifano.

The heavyweight encounter between the St.George Reds and Crusaders lived up to the hype with a last minute Quade Cooper penalty goal sealing a 17-16 victory in front of a sold out and record-breaking Australian Super Rugby crowd at Suncorp Stadium.

The Reds were inspired by the vocal 48,301 strong crowd with their pulsating two tries to one win extending both their winning streak at Suncorp Stadium to 12 and their dominance on the Super Rugby ladder.

The match was in the balance in the dying stages but it was the pressure from multiple phases and the clutch kicking of Cooper that saw the Reds overcome a 16-14 deficit to score the thrilling win.

It was an emotional victory for the Reds, who took the field donning black armbands in memory of replacement backrower Jake Schatz’s mother Allison.

The Reds entered the field to a deafening ovation but it was Crusaders flyhalf Dan Carter that grabbed the early momentum for his team when he slotted a penalty goal in just the third minute.

The Reds worked their way back into the encounter and were rewarded with a perfectly executed play from the lineout which saw Ben Tapuai score under the posts to bring the score to 7-3.

The Crusaders regained the lead 10-7 heading into the break when a brilliant strip from Carter set Robbie Fruean down the right wing, who put Brent Ward over in the corner.

Genia continued to snipe around the ruck and was eventually rewarded when he took advantage of a labouring pack at the breakdown and took off for the right touch post and scored.  Cooper’s confidence-boosting kick from the sideline secured the perfect second half start for the Reds with a 14-10 lead.

The Crusaders continued to pressure the Queensland line and finally converted possession into points with Carter nailing two straightforward penalties on the trot, giving the visitors a 16-14 lead with five minutes remaining.

With the game in the balance, the Crusaders gave away a penalty on their 22m line after being called for hands in the ruck and Cooper, kicking the one that counted, put the ball through the middle of the posts to score the match-winning goal in the last minute.

AN industrious but undermanned Emirates Western Force side produced one of their best performances of the season to have the measure of the Hurricanes for the majority of the match in Palmerston North but unfortunately finished on the wrong side of a 34-28 result.

While the West Australian’s earned a bonus point, it could have been much more were it not for two tries in the final 10 minutes which enabled the home side to get over the line.

Building from a mammoth effort from an inspirational pack, the Emirates Western Force ran in three tries through Rory Sidey, Cameron Shepherd and Ben McCalman to lead 25-17 with less than 20 minutes to go.

However a Hurricanes backline full of All Blacks talent eventually found their feet and made the most of their opportunities down the stretch but were not assured of victory until well after the final hooter.

Needing a try to win the Emirates Western Force made a massive final play and battered the Hurricanes line through seventeen phases, twice going close to scoring, before a penalty ended the enthralling contest.

The ‘Canes did break the stranglehold to score the game’s first try through Ma’a Nonu on ten minutes, but as the half progressed they looked to have no answer to the visitors’ disciplined and tenacious approach.

The home side came out flying after the break and eventually made the breakthrough with Nonu crossing for his second.

While the visitors defensive work continued to be nothing short of heroic at times, the pressure eventually told as James Broadhurst and Cory Jane added tries while Cruden converted both to give the Hurricanes a 34-28 lead.

The MTN Lions made it four wins for South African franchises in round 15 after they recorded their first win in Dunedin and ended a 23-match losing streak in New Zealand after they defeated the Highlanders 26-22 at Carisbrook on Saturday.

THE DHL Stormers, The Sharks and the Vodacom Bulls strengthened their aspirations for qualification in next month’s Vodacom Super Rugby playoffs after they each secured crucial victories this weekend.

The Sharks are back in the top six on the combined log and kept the pressure on the South African Conference log-leading DHL Stormers following their 26-21 win over the Waratahs at MR Price Kings Park on Saturday.

The Durban franchise, who conceded a 32-23 home defeat against the Vodacom Bulls in round 14, bounced back to winning ways and earned their eighth win of the season as they ended the weekend in fifth position on the combined log. The Sharks fly half Patrick Lambie was the chief points’ scorer for the hosts after he scored a brilliant individual try; converted two tries and kicked four penalties. The host’s second try was scored by winger JP Pietersen.

The Waratahs also scored two tries which came thanks to the efforts of fly half Daniel Halangahu and winger Lachlan Turner. Fullback Kurtley Beale kicked three penalties and converted Halangahu’s try.

Meanwhile the Vodacom Bulls kept their title defence alive thanks to a thrilling 32-21 victory over the Toyota Cheetahs at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday night. The Pretoria team achieved maximum points from this fixture after scoring four tries which were added following a brace from forward Danie Rossouw, scrumhalf Francois Hougaard and winger Bjorn Basson.

Vodacom Bulls fly half Morne Steyn kicked three conversions and two penalties. The Toyota Cheetahs scored three tries thanks to a brace by Ashley Johnson and fly half Sias Ebersohn who converted all three tries.

RESULTS

HURRICANES 34 - 28 FORCE

ARENA MANAWATU PALMERSTON NORTH - Friday 27th May 2011
HURRICANES T: Nonu (2), Broadhurst, Jane C: Cruden (4) P: Cruden (2)
FORCE T: Sidey, Shepherd, McCalman C: Shepherd (2) P: Shepherd (3)

HIGHLANDERS 22 - 6 LIONS

CARISBROOK DUNEDIN - Saturday 28th May 2011
HIGHLANDERS T: Treeby C: Sopoaga P: Sopoaga (5)
LIONS T: Strauss, van Heerden C: Jantjies (2) P: Jantjies (4)

BRUMBIES 3 - 16 STORMERS

CANBERRA STADIUM - Saturday 28th May 2011
BRUMBIES P: Lealiifano
STORMERS T: Louw C: Coleman P: Coleman (2), Aplon

SHARKS 26 - 21 WARATAHS

KINGS PARK STADIUM DURBAN - Saturday 28th May 2011
SHARKS T: Lambie, Pietersen C: Lambie (2) P: Lambie (4) Jean Deysel
WARATAHS T: Turner, Halangahu C: Beale P: Beale (3)

BULLS 32 - 21 CHEETAHS

LOFTUS VERSFELD STADIUM PRETORIA - Saturday 28th May 2011
BULLS T: Basson, Rossouw (2), Hougaard  C: Steyn (3) P: Steyn (2) Deon Stegmann
CHEETAHS T: Johnson (2), S Ebersohn C: S Ebersohn (3) Coenraad Oosthuizen

REDS 17 - 16 CRUSADERS

LANG PARK BRISBANE - Sunday 29th May 2011
REDS T: Tapuai, Genia C: Cooper (2) P: Cooper
CRUSADERS T: Ward C: Carter P: Carter (2)

 

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WEEK 14

WEEK 14 MATCH HIGHLIGHTS  

THE HSBC Waratahs earned their fourth bonus point win of the year with a 29-12 victory over the Lions at the Sydney Football Stadium.

Five first half tries brought the home crowd to their feet for a standing ovation as the teams went to the sheds at half-time with the home side well in command at 29-5.

The victory was the HSBC Waratahs’ third in a row, and they have now collected 17 competition points in the past four weeks. It was also the tenth consecutive victory over the Lions.

The game roared to light just 66 seconds in when Kurtley Beale worked a second phase short side play with Lachie Turner to cross in the corner.

A stripped ball in contact sent the Lions away downfield in the 15th minute and when they could not crack the defensive line, a grubber into the in goal saw Jaco Taute win the race for the ball. Butch James pulled the conversion attempt from close range to keep the scores level.

The home side won the ensuing kickoff and maintained the territorial advantage. Eventually quick hands were enough to put Sosene Anesi away in the left corner for his first HSBC Waratahs try.

The HSBC Waratahs were in soon after with one of their best tries of the season; Berrick Barnes chipped perfectly for Beale who was converged upon by four defenders only to loop a ball to Cross who touched down in the same place as Anesi.

This time Beale nailed it from the sideline for a 17-5 lead which was compounded when wing Deon van Rensburg was shown a yellow card for kneeing Dean Mumm in the head.

It took just five minutes for the bonus point try to come with Luke Burgess popping a deft box kick from his un-preferred right foot for Anesi to streak onto the ball and snare a double.

In the 36th minute Tom Kingston – on the field while Lachie Turner was in the blood bin – was over for his maiden Super Rugby try when Berrick Barnes threaded a perfectly weighted ball behind the defensive line. Beale put through the conversion for a 29-5 advantage which they took to the sheds.

The only try of the second half went to Lions wing Dylan des Fountain however the result was sealed much earlier.

The Emirates Western Force dominated the Brumbies in every area of the game except the one that matters the most; the scoreboard, and were forced to settle for a share of the spoils in a 13-13 result in Perth on Saturday night.

The hard fought spectacle enjoyed a thrilling end as both sides threw everything they had at each other yet neither could land the knockout blow.

Sam Wykes and Henry Speight bagged the game’s two tries early in the first half, with the boots of O’Connor and Giteau accounting for the rest of the points in the stalemate.

A string of injuries combined to disrupt the flow of the game somewhat as the half progressed, but by and large it was the hosts who continued to dominate in terms of both possession and territory.

With the WA side encamped on the Brumbies line, the visitors were more than a little relieved to hear the half-time siren as both team locked at 10-10.

Returning from the break the Emirates Western Force continued to turn the screws on their opponents however were still proving to be their own worst enemies with some silly turnovers costing them momentum.

After failing to land two penalties, O’Connor saw a try ruled out by the TV Match Official, but with ten minutes left he rediscovered his kicking radar to stroke home a tricky three-pointer as the West Australian’s took the lead for the first time in the game. Matt Giteau quickly retaliated bringing the scores equal again.

As play continued after the final hooter Giteau had the first chance to win the game but his long range drop goal attempt was brilliantly charged down by Force Vice-Captain David Pocock.

The home side was then able to mount an attack of their own to win a penalty just on the half way line.  But James O’Connor’s 50m effort fell short.

The Emirates Western Force continued to press and with the try line in sight looked the more likely to secure the points however a timely penalty for the Brumbies allowed Giteau to kick the ball out and end the contest all square.

THE DHL Stormers returned to winning ways on Friday and consolidated their position at the top of the South African Vodacom Super Rugby Conference log following their thrilling 28-26 victory over the Blues in Auckland.

The Cape franchise secured their ninth win of the season, and their first victory in their second of four-match Australasian tour, by turning around a 16-point deficit and stunned the current log-leaders in the New Zealand conference.

DHL Stormers scrumhalf Dewaldt Duvenage, who took over the fly half and place-kicking responsibilities after No.10 Lionel Cronje left the field due to injury early in the first half, was the hero for the visitors after he converted the match-winning try scored by his captain Schalk Burger in the 78th minute of the match.

Duvenage kicked two penalties and converted centre Juan de Jongh’s five-pointer but was unable to convert the DHL Stormers’ second try which was scored by former SA U20 centre Johann Sadie. The Blues ran in two tries which were scored by Alby Mathewson and Lachie Munro. Fly half Luke McAlister converted both five-pointers and kicked four penalties to end the match with a personal points’ haul of 16.

The Crusaders beat the Chiefs 25-19 in their 'home' match at McLean Park in Napier, buoyed by a big crowd of about 15,000 at McLean Park.

After fighting out a tough first half, the Crusaders went to the break with the score at 6-6 but came out in the second half and turned the screws on the Chiefs and Ian Foster's men had no answer.

It was built on a massive effort from the Crusaders forwards who had the Chiefs in trouble at scrum time - scoring one tighthead and earning several scrum penalties as the Chiefs went backwards.

Carter and Chiefs first-five Stephen Donald swapped penalties in the first half but after the break it was all Crusaders as they kept the visitors pinned inside their own half.

Luke Romano broke through for an important score for the Crusaders when charging through the attempted tackles of Ben Afeaki and Brendon Leonard. In the teams' first clash of the season at Mt Maunganui, it was Romano's late try which clinched the bonus point for the Crusaders.

After that, Carter's penalties and a sharply-taken drop goal kept the Crusaders out of reach of the Chiefs, who scored a consolation try after the final hooter when Liam Messam went over amidst a pile of bodies and the TMO awarded the try.

THE Toyota Cheetahs team become the most potent attacking side from Bloemfontein in the history of Vodacom Super Rugby after they ran in five tries and defeated the Rebels 41-14 on Saturday.

The team lead by captain Adriaan Strauss have now set a new season record for the most tries ever scored by a Free State team in their Vodacom Super Rugby history (35). Captain Adriaan Strauss and centre Corne Uys (2) both added a brace while winger Ryno Benjamin scored his team’s fifth try of the match. Fly half Sias Ebersohn, who kicked two penalties, converted four tries while reserve fly half Naas Olivier converted one try.

The Rebels ran in two tries which were scored by Mark Gerrard and Ged Robinson; while the Toyota Cheetahs conceded a penalty try. Richard Kingi converted the three tries.

The Vodacom Bulls are now only three log points behind the Sharks after they secured a 32-23 victory over their Durban opponents at the Mr Price Kings Park Stadium on Saturday.

Both teams scored two tries in this match, while the boot of Man of the Match Morne Steyn ultimately proved to be the difference between the two teams on the scoreboard. Steyn kicked a drop goad, five penalties and converted the tries scored by Bakkies Botha and Francois Hougaard.

The Sharks’ Patrick Lambie was responsible for 13 of his team’s points after kicking three penalties and converting the tries scored by centre Adrian Jacobs and hooker Bismarck du Plessis. The Durban team were guilty of conceding numerous handling errors in this match, and failed to secure any log points from this fixture.

RESULTS

BLUES 26 - 28 STORMERS

EDEN PARK, AUCKLAND - Friday 20th May 2011
BLUES T: Mathewson, Munro C: McAlister (2) P: McAlister (4)
STORMERS T: de Jongh, Sadie, Burger C: Duvenhage (2) P: Cronje (17), Duvenhage (2) Francois Louw

CRUSADERS 25 - 19 CHIEFS

McLEAN PARK, NAPIER - Saturday 21st May 2011
CRUSADERS T: Romano C: Carter P: Carter (5) DG: Carter
CHIEFS T: Messam C: Donald P: Donald (4)

WARATAHS 29 - 12 LIONS

SYDNEY FOOTBALL STADIUM - Saturday 21st May 2011
WARATAHS T: Beale, Anesi (2), Cross, Kingston C: Beale (2) P:
LIONS T: Taute, Des Fountain C: Jantjies Deon van Rensburg

FORCE 13 - 13 BRUMBIES

PERTH OVAL - Saturday 21st May 2011
FORCE T: Wykes C: O'Connor P: O'Connor (2)
BRUMBIES T: Speight C: Giteau P: Giteau (2)

CHEETAHS vs MELBOURNE REBELS

FREE STATE STADIUM, BLOEMFONTEIN - Saturday 21st May 2011
CHEETAHS T: C Uys (2), Benjamin), Strauss (2) C: S Ebersohn (4), Olivier P: S Ebersohn (2) Riaan Viljoen Rayno Benjamin
MELBOURNE REBELS T: Robinson, Gerrard, Penalty try C: Kingi (3) Stirling Mortlock

SHARKS 23 - 32 BULLS

KINGS PARK STADIUM, Durban - Saturday 21st May 2011
SHARKS T: BW du Plessis, Jacobs C: Lambie (2) P: Lambie (3)
BULLS T: Hougaard, JP Botha C: Steyn (2) P: Steyn (5) DG: Steyn

 

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WEEK 13

WEEK 13 MATCH HIGHLIGHTS  

THE St.George Reds surge into top spot on the Super Rugby ladder after recording their eleventh straight win at Suncorp Stadium by beating the Blues 37-31.

The win puts the Reds 10 points clear of the Waratahs in the Australian Conference while also giving them eight wins from nine games since enjoying their last bye weekend in round four.

The highly entertaining eight-try affair is the Reds 10th win so far this year, their highest winning total for a season in the professional rugby era.

In an entertaining clash which saw five first-half tries, the Reds shot out to an early 24-0 lead only to see two late tries from the Blues narrow their advantage to 27-14 at the break.

The game was in the balance at 27-24 in the second half before hooker James Hanson produced the play of the game in charging down a Blues clearance kick to give the Reds their fourth try and a bonus point.

Winger Digby Ioane was a deserved Man of the Match with the Wallabies sensation the star of the night, causing headaches for the star-studded Blues backline with every touch.

THE MTN Lions created Vodacom Super Rugby history in Canberra on Saturday by becoming the first Johannesburg team to secure an away victory against the Brumbies following their 29-20 win at the Canberra Stadium. The win, which was their second victory of the 2011 competition, ensured that they ended the weekend on level points with the Rebels on 19 log points. The Melbourne franchise though have won one more match than the MTN Lions which means that they still occupy the 15th position on the combined log.

The J’burg side achieved maximum points in Canberra after running in four tries which were scored by fullback Jaco Taute, centre Alwyn Hollenbach, wing Deon van Rensburg and flank Michael Rhodes. Fly half Elton Jantjies kicked three conversions and one penalty. The Brumbies scored two tries which came thanks to Steven Moore and Andrew Smith. Matt Giteau converted both tries and kicked two penalties for the hosts.

THE Highlanders held on to register a determined 13-6 victory over the Hurricanes in difficult conditions at Rugby Park in Invercargill on Friday night.

Handling errors and missed opportunities at crucial times by the Hurricanes, dogged Highlanders defence and a conservative hometown game plan characterised the match played in cold, slippery conditions.

The Hurricanes couldn’t capitalise on key chances at the bookends of the match, starting and ending the game strongly but unable to finish off chances and post points on the board.

In the end the difference came down to a try to the Highlanders scored late in the first half, set up by halfback Jimmy Cowan and scored by fullback Ben Smith.

THE DHL Stormers squandered a 17-point lead in Hamilton and conceded their first defeat on their four-week Australasian tour by going down 30-23 to the Chiefs at the Waikato Stadium on Saturday.

Captain Schalk Burger and winger Gio Aplon scored two tries during the first half which were both converted by fly half Peter Grant who slotted two penalties before the break. However the only points scored by the Capetonians after the restart was one further penalty kick by Grant. The Chiefs were awarded a penalty try by referee Stuart Dickinson, and ran in two tries scored by Liam Messam and Sitiveni Sivivatu. Fly half Stephen Donald kicked three conversions and three penalties.

IT was three victories out of a possible four matches for the South African Vodacom Super Rugby franchises after the Toyota Cheetahs, MTN Lions and the Vodacom Bulls all secured successful results this weekend.

In Bloemfontein the Toyota Cheetahs secured their third consecutive win of the competition after they defeated the Crusaders 33-20 on Saturday night. The Free Staters defeated the MTN Lions 53-19 in Johannesburg in round 12 and the Brumbies 47-36 during round 11’s action and on Saturday continued that form after they stunned the Crusaders who defeated the DHL Stormers 20-14 in Cape Town last Saturday.

The Toyota Cheetahs scored three tries thanks to the efforts of the Ebersohn brothers – centre Robert and fly half Sias; as well as loose forward Ashley Johnson. Sias Ebersohn converted all three tries and also kicked four penalties during his man of the match performance. The Crusaders, who failed to secure any log points from this fixture, ran in two five-pointers which were scored by fly half Dan Carter who returned to action following an injury; and winger Zac Guilford. Carter converted both tries and kicked one penalty, as did reserve pivot Matt Berquist who added one penalty for the visitors.

The Vodacom Bulls secured their sixth victory of the 2011 competition after they outclassed the Rebels 47-10 at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday. The defending champions ran in seven tries with centre Wynand Olivier scoring a hat-trick of five-pointers and fullback Zen Kirchner running in a brace. Winger Bjorn Basson and scrumhalf Fourie du Preez were the other try-scorers for the hosts. Fly half Morne Steyn kicked six conversions. The Rebels’ points were accumulated thanks to a try by Vuna Cooper and Julian Huxley who converted Cooper’s try and also kicked one penalty.

RESULTS

HIGHLANDERS 13 - 6 HURRICANES

CARISBROOK, DUNEDIN - Friday 13th May 2011
HIGHLANDERS T: BR Smith C: Sopoaga P: Sopoaga (2)
HURRICANES P: Cruden (2)

REDS 37 - 31 BLUES

LANG PARK, BRISBANE - Friday 13th May 2011
REDS T: Cooper, SM Faingaa, Higginbotham, Hanson C: Cooper (4) P: Cooper (3)
BLUES T: Lowrey, Munro, Mathewson, Ranger C: McAlister (4) P: McAlister

CHIEFS 30 - 23 STORMERS

WAIKATO STADIUM, HAMILTON - Saturday 14th May 2011
CHIEFS T: Penalty try, Sivivatu, Messam C: Donald (3) P: Donald (3)
STORMERS T: Aplon, Burger C: Grant (2) P: Grant (3) Gio Aplon

BRUMBIES 20 - 29 LIONS

CANBERRA STADIUM - Saturday 14th May 2011
BRUMBIES T: Moore (10), A Smith C: Giteau (2) P: Giteau (2)
LIONS T: Rhodes, D van Rensburg, Hollenbach, Taute C: Jantjies (3) P: Jantjies Patrick Cilliers

BULLS 47 - 10 MELBOURNE REBELS

LOFTUS VERSFELD STADIUM, PRETORIA - Saturday 14th May 2011
BULLS T: Olivier (3), Kirchner (2), Basson, du Preez C: Steyn (6)
REBELS T: Vuna C: Huxley P: Huxley

CHEETAHS 33 - 20 CRUSADERS

FREE STATE STADIUM BLOEMFONTEIN - Saturday 14th May 2011
CHEETAHS T: R Ebersohn, S Ebersohn, Johnson C: S Ebersohn (3) P: S Ebersohn (4)
CRUSADERS T: Guildford, Carter C: Carter (2) P: Carter, Berquist

 

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WEEK 12

WEEK 12 MATCH HIGHLIGHTS [EXTENDED]

The St.George Reds record their ninth win of the Super Rugby season and a clean sweep over the Melbourne Rebels in 2011 with a bonus point 33-18 victory in Melbourne.

Three tries in the opening half to Scott Higginbotham, Radike Samo and Dom Shipperley gave the Reds a 26-8 halftime lead, while the bonus point was secured in the 64th minute when Digby Ioane produced a stunning solo try.

The Rebels were a vastly improved team to the one which lost 53-3 in Brisbane earlier in the season although the Reds intensity in defence and accuracy with turnover possession was too much for the home side to overcome.

An enthusiastic beginning by the home side and a lack of discipline hurt the Reds in the opening stages with three penalties in the first eight minutes giving Melbourne an early 3-0 lead and a large territorial advantage.

The Reds weathered the storm before gaining their first lead of the match through a blistering run from Scott Higginbotham, who showed both pace and power by running around two defenders and over Rebels fullback Julian Huxley on his way to the line.

Fellow backrower Radike Samo, playing at number eight, added another five-pointer minutes later when he received a pop-pass from Genia following a break from the lineout.

The Rebels managed to cross the paint through James Hilgendorf but a try on the stroke of halftime to Reds winger Dom Shipperley and two Cooper penalty goals gave the Reds an 18 points halftime lead.

The Rebels managed to narrow the gap to 26-13 when inside centre Mike Harris was yellow carded for a ruck infringement but the Reds responded with their bonus point try soon after to flyer Digby Ioane.

Ioane grabbed the Reds fourth try with an almost 50-metre dart resulting from a perfectly timed inside ball from Cooper.

A celebration to acknowledge 10 Years in Union between HSBC and the Waratahs was capped in perfect fashion with the HSBC Waratahs defeating the Western Force 20-15 at the Sydney Football Stadium.

The home side spent the night trying to confound the Force game plan which was simply to kick the ball downfield at every opportunity. By night’s end, the visitors had kicked the ball on 44 of their 62 possessions and forced the HSBC Waratahs to only make 56 tackles.

The first half turned into a shootout with Kurtley Beale and James O’Connor trading penalty attempts from the seventh minute. Only a deflection off the posts prevented a tied score at the break with the visitors taking a 9-6 lead to the sheds.

Beale had the first opportunity of the second half, and again his penalty attempt hit the upright.

However this time it bounced into the arms of a chasing Ryan Cross who dived over for an opportunist try next to the uprights.

Beale’s conversion took the HSBC Waratahs out to a 13-9 lead, however O’Connor wrested back the advantage with two more penalties.

The most effective drive of the game came in the 65th minute after yet another kick return and the HSBC Waratahs employed an extended pick-and-drive. They continued to apply the pressure, in the same way which crept them up the field with John Ulugia crashing forward and reaching out to plant the ball on the line.

Man of the match Beale’s conversion with nine minutes to go was the final score of the night with the HSBC Waratahs running out 20-15 victors.

The Blues continued their golden run of victories, defeating the Hurricanes 17-11 in a fierce contest at Westpac Stadium on Friday night, despite missing 12 of their 32 players including Woodcock, Boric, Braid, Haiu, Toeava and McAlister.

In wet and windy conditions in Wellington, neither team was able to assert themselves as they would have liked as basic errors spurned their attacking opportunities.

Making his first start for the Blues, wing Lachie Munro nailed three penalty kicks in a scrappy first half as the visitors took a 9-3 lead into the sheds at half time.        

The Hurricanes upped the ante in the second stanza and almost had the first try of the game when lock Jeremy Thrush went over the chalk, but he lost the ball forward.

However the burly lock soon made amends, getting in the way of Stephen Brett’s grubber kick as Aaron Cruden regathered the ball and offloaded in the tackle to Hosea Gear who raced away to score after 52 minutes. Cruden missed the conversion but added another three points four minutes later with a penalty kick as the Hurricanes looked to be edging out the visitors.

However when Keats was sin-binned, the Blues surged back into the lead and were able to hold the Hurricanes out despite a late onslaught. 

The Highlanders lost a tough battle against the Chiefs in Hamilton. The Highlanders went into the break with a one point lead at 7-6 following an opening converted try from Jason Rutledge, which Stephen Donald answered with two penalties. But that was the only scoring the visitors saw.

The Chiefs won the battle of attrition in the second half running out winners 20 points to 7, with converted tries from Brendon Leonard and Liam Messam.  There were a number of injury casualties on both sides, with the Highlanders playing the last 4 minutes of the match with 14 men, after losing James Paterson and Adam Thomson in the first half and Siale Piutau and Bronson Murray in the second half.

The Sharks maintained the pressure on the three Vodacom Super Rugby conference log-leaders following their impressive 34-16 victory over the Brumbies in Durban on Saturday.

The hosts achieved maximum points from this match, which ensured that they ended the round in fifth position on the combined log with 39 points. They are five points behind the fourth-placed Crusaders, but their victory at Mr Price Kings Park ensured that their points’ deficit between themselves and the DHL Stormers was reduced to four.

The Sharks ran in four tries which were scored by Steven Sykes, JP Pietersen, Adrian Jacobs and Anton Bresler. Fly half Patrick Lambie converted all four tries and kicked two penalties.

The Brumbies who enjoyed a 13-0 lead mid-way during the first half, only managed to score one try which came thanks to the efforts of Christian Lealiifano. Fly half Matt Giteau added the conversion and was also responsible for his team’s other points by kicking three penalties.

The DHL Stormers conceded their second home defeat of the season on Saturday following their 20-14 loss against the Crusaders at DHL Newlands. The hosts achieved a bonus point for losing within six points of the Canterbury team, but will now embark on a four-week Australasian tour with matches against the Chiefs, Brumbies, Rebels and log-leading Blues.

Centre Jaque Fourie was the sole try-scorer for the hosts after former SA U20 centre Johann Sadie created the try-scoring opportunity after he pierced the Crusaders defence during the first half. DHL Stormers fly half Lionel Cronje kicked three penalties. Wyatt Crockett scored a brace for the Crusaders. Fly half Matt Berquist converted both tries and kicked two penalties.

Meanwhile the Toyota Cheetahs recorded only their second back-to-back Vodacom Super Rugby victory when they defeated the MTN Lions 53-19 at Coca-Cola Park on Saturday. The only time the Toyota Cheetahs won consecutive games at this level, was last year when they beat the Western Force and the MTN Lions in the last two games of last year’s Vodacom Super 14.

Full back Riaan Viljoen scored a hat-trick of tries while centres Robert Ebersohn and Corne Uys were the other try-scorers for the Bloemfontein team. Toyota Cheetahs pivot Sias Ebersohn kicked four conversions while replacement fly half Naas Olivier converted his team’s fifth try.

Ebersohn kicked six penalties to achieve the man of the match award. The 21-year-old fly half ended the match with a personal points’ haul of 26 points.

The MTN Lions ran in three tries which were scored by Joshua Strauss, Michael Rhodes and Martin Bezuidenhout. Fly half Burton Francis kicked two conversions.

RESULTS

HURRICANES 11 - 17 BLUES

CARISBROOK, DUNEDIN - Friday 6th May 2011
HURRICANES T: Gear P: Cruden (2) YC Tyson Keats
BLUES T: Mathewson P: Munro (4)

MELBOURNE REBELS 18 - 33 REDS

MELBOURNE RECTANGULAR STADIUM - Friday 6th May 2011
REBELS T: Hilgendorf, Taumoepeau, Betham P: Huxley
REDS T: Higginbotham, Samo, Shipperley, Ioane C: Cooper (2) P: Cooper (3) Mike Harris

LIONS 19 - 53 CHEETAHS

ELLIS PARK, JOHHANESBURG - Friday 6th May 2011
LIONS T: Strauss, Rhodes, Bezuidenhout C: Francis (2)
CHEETAHS T: C Uys, Viljoen (3), R Ebersohn C: S Ebersohn (4), Olivier P: S Ebersohn (6)

CHIEFS 20 - 7 HIGHLANDERS

WAIKATO STADIUM, HAMILTON - Saturday 7th May 2011
CHIEFS T: Leonard, Messam C: Donald, Nanai-Williams P: Donald (2)
HIGHLANDERS T: Rutledge C: Robinson

WARATAHS 20 - 15 FORCE

SYDNEY FOOTBALL STADIUM - Saturday 7th May 2011
WARATAHS T: Cross, Ulugia C: Beale (2) P: Beale (2)
FORCE P: O'Connor (5)

STORMERS 14 - 20 CRUSADERS

NEWLANDS, CAPE TOWN - Saturday 7th May 2011
STORMERS T: J Fourie P: Cronje (3)
CRUSADERS T: Crockett (2) C: Berquist (2) P: Berquist (2) Tom Marshall

SHARKS 34 - 16 BRUMBIES

KINGS PARK, DURBAN - Saturday 7th May 2011
SHARKS T: Pietersen, Sykes, Jacobs, Bresler C: Lambie (4) P: Lambie (2)
BRUMBIES T: Lealiifano C: Giteau P: Giteau (3)

 

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WEEK 11

WEEK 11 MATCH HIGHLIGHTS [EXTENDED]

The HSBC Waratahs have hit back from back to back losses with a 28-9 victory over the Melbourne Rebels at the Sydney Football Stadium.

The HSBC Waratahs scored three tries to nil and have now conceded just two tries in their six matches against Australian opponents.

The home side dominated field position in the opening stages and were first on the board when hooker Tatafu Polota-Nau crashed over in the 13th minute. Julian Huxley hit back with two penalties, however a three-pointer to Kurtley Beale in the 26th minute took the HSBC Waratahs to a 10-6 lead at the break.

The margin was brought back to one point just three minutes into the second half when Huxley added his third penalty, however that was to be the last time the new franchise troubled the scorers.

With the margin now out to a converted try, the HSBC Waratahs started to play some more adventurous Rugby despite the trying conditions. Eight minutes from full time, Dave Dennis reached out in the tackle to score the second try of the game. Beale converted from wide out to put the result beyond question.

The HSBC Waratahs continued to attack right to the death and captain Dean Mumm capped his Man of the Match performance with a last minute try.

The skipper then declined the conversion attempt in the hope of a quick restart which may have opened the opportunity for a fourth try and a bonus point, however referee Jonathan Kaplan called full-time before the ball was back to half-way.

The Emirates Western Force and Crusaders served up a spectacular feast of running rugby in Perth on Saturday night with the New Zealanders needing two late tries to put away the home side and secure a 12 point win.

In all seven tries were scored with Cameron Shepherd delivering a brace for the West Australians while Israel Dagg had two for the visitors.

James O’Connor’s remarkable season with the boot continued as the youngster slotted five of five penalty attempts.  That takes his tally in the past fortnight to eleven penalties attempts without a blemish.

The Emirates Western Force didn’t get the start they would have liked as the Crusaders come out intent on establishing their authority early.  With a licence to attack the visitors unleash their backs, even from their own 22, and their daring approach paid dividends with just 3 minutes on the clock.

While the conversion missed the visitors were soon celebrating again when Dagg took advantage of some hesitancy in the home sides midfield defence to slice through and touch down under the posts.  The conversion making it a 12-0 lead to the Crusaders.

O’Connor got the Emirates Western Force on the board with a well taken penalty goal and added another two to keep them in touch midway through the half.

In need of a try the West Australian’s were soon celebrating one of the best team tries scored this season from Shepherd. The crowd were still on their feet roaring their approval when Ripia landed the simplest of conversions to hand the Emirates Western Force the lead for the first time.

They barely had time to settle back into their seats before Sonny Bill Williams strolled home under the posts.

O’Connor chipped in again with his fourth penalty goal to keep the contest close, three points separating the sides at the break.

The game’s electrifying pace showed no sign of slackening off in the second stanza, and when Crusaders skipper Richie McCaw was sin-binned the Emirates Western Force were quick to take advantage of their numerical advantage and Shepherd found the line to bag his second try of the night.

The angle of the conversion proved too much even for Ripia’s left boot, but the 14-man visitors were visibly rattled and found themselves five points adrift when moments later O’Connor glided home his fifth penalty of the night.

The Crusaders though were the more composed down the stretch, a Berquist penalty bringing them back to within two points while a couple of converted tries, one to Corey Flynn and the other to Kahn Fotuali'i, in the final 10 minutes delivered a 12 point victory.

The Blues retained the Gordon Hunter Memorial Trophy and made it six victories in a row after triumphing 15-10 over the Highlanders at Carisbrook on Friday night.

In a hard fought match, the Blues relied on the trusty boot of Luke McAlister who, under the prying eyes of the All Black selectors, landed five penalty kicks from six attempts to make it a clean sweep of victories against New Zealand opposition and propel his side to the top of the Super Rugby ladder.

But the 27-year-old pivot was forced from the field with five minutes remaining after sustaining what appeared to be a nasty ankle injury. He currently has his foot in a moon boot and is expected to have X-rays on his ankle on Monday.

It was a stirring victory forged on an outstanding defensive performance by the Blues who more than matched their opponents’ physicality at the breakdown and worked tirelessly to shut down the Highlanders’ threats.

First five-eighths Stephen Brett’s precision kicking gave the Blues early field possession and territory, with the Highlanders’ ill discipline at the breakdown gifting the Blues the first opportunity for points.

McAlister successfully landed his third penalty attempt of the evening with eight minutes of the first half remaining, and when Jarrad Hoeata was sin binned for repeated infringements McAlister made the Highlanders pay as the Blues took a 9-0 lead into the sheds at half time.

But a tense and close fought battle burst into life early in the second half as the Highlanders, playing with 14 men, struck back with a Robbie Robinson try after just two minutes.

McAlister and Robinson then traded penalties as Hoeata returned to the field with the Blues ahead 12-10.

But when the Highlanders received their second yellow card of the evening after halfback Aaron Smith was sent to the sidelines for a dangerous tackle on Toby Morland, McAlister extended the lead with another penalty kick. The final four minutes of the match typified the Blues’ commitment to grinding out victory over the Highlanders as the forwards held on to the ball for more than 25 phases to wind down the clock before kicking the ball into touch to secure the result.

The St.George Reds have staged an incredible come-back against the Hurricanes in Wellington only to be beaten by a late penalty kick.

The Reds showed every inch of their gutsy attitude and skill to lead 26 to 25 in the last minutes of the game only to fall in the final seconds 28-26.

The Reds started brilliantly in the Cake Tin to run away with a try to Higginbotham in the first couple of minutes. The dominant display rattled the Kiwis but they steeled and fought back.

In the 13th minutes the Canes struck back with a try that went unconverted and by the 32nd minute they had touched down again to lead 17-5. Three minutes later the Canes hit back again with a try after winning a line out. They went to the break at 22-5.

The half time motivating talk by Head Coach Ewen McKenzie proved decisive in the early stages of the second half; Morahan again used his speed and skill to score, converted by Cooper to take the score to 22-13.

The Hurricanes fought back with good performances in the line-outs and scrums to keep the pressure on the Reds but Morahan again showed his class scoring in the 63rd minute. A penalty kick to Cooper added extra points.

In the 73rd minutes the Reds took the lead 26-25 and the pressure was all on the Canes with the Reds showing the true grit that has dominated their performances since the 3rd round of the Super Rugby competition.

The Reds were looking good for an 8th win on the trot when a penalty went against them in the last minute. That penalty saw the Canes took the lead 28-26 as the siren sounded.

The DHL Stormers strengthened their lead at the top of the South African Conference log, and are now only one point behind the overall log-leading Blues from New Zealand following their stunning 32-12 victory over the Sharks at DHL Newlands on Saturday.

The Cape team secured their second bonus point victory of the competition after running in four tries while keeping their Durban opponents try-less after they produced yet another superb defensive effort in front of a sell-out Newlands stadium.

Winger Gio Aplon kicked a drop goal and was one of the try-scorers along with hooker Deon Fourie and centres Jean de Villiers and Jaque Fourie. Fly half Lionel Cronje kicked two conversions and a penalty, while Vodacom Super Rugby rookie Kurt Coleman added one conversion. All 12 points scored by the Sharks came via the boot of fly half Patrick Lambie who kicked four penalties and ended round 11 as the second leading South African points’ scorer in the competition with 101.

He is however 29 points behind the leading South African points scorer this season, Morne Steyn, who was one of the star performers for the Vodacom Bulls at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday following their 43-27 victory over the Chiefs. The defending champions achieved maximum points from this match which saw them end a three-match losing run which included away defeats against the Crusaders, Reds and the Western Force. Centre Wynand Olivier scored a brace of tries while No.8 Pierre Spies and winger Gerhard van den Heever ran in the hosts other five-pointers.

Steyn converted all four tries, kicked four penalties and slotted a drop goal to end the match with a personal points’ haul of 23. The Chiefs, who at one stage enjoyed a 20-3 lead, failed to achieve any log points from this fixture. The Waikato team scored three tries which came thanks to the efforts of Fritz Lee, Brendon Leonard and Mils Muliaina. Fly half Stephan Donald kicked three conversions and two penalties.

Meanwhile the Toyota Cheetahs recorded their second victory of the 2011 Vodacom Super Rugby competition following their 47- 36 win over the Brumbies at the Free State Stadium on Friday night.

The Bloemfontein team achieved maximum points from this fixture – thus ensuring that they ended the round in 13th position on the overall log – one point clear of the Rebels and six ahead of the MTN Lions who had a bye weekend.

Scrum half Sarel Pretorius also ended the round as the current joint leading try-scorer of the competition along with Sean Maitland of the Crusaders after he scored a brace of tries during his team’s victory which was also their second Australian scalp this season. The Toyota Cheetahs’ other five-pointers were scored by their props - Man of the match Coenie Oosthuizen; and WP Nel.

Fly half Sias Ebersohn kicked five penalties and three conversions while fullback Riaan Viljoen kicked two drop goals.

The Brumbies ran in five tries which were scored by Francis Fainifo, Dan Palmer, Michael Hooper, Adam Ashley-Cooper and Robbie Coleman. Fly half Matt Giteau kicked four conversions and one penalty.

RESULTS

HIGHLANDERS 10 - 15 BLUES

CARISBROOK, DUNEDIN - Friday 29th April 2011
HIGHLANDERS T: Robinson C: Robinson P: Robinson Jarrad Hoeata, Aaron Smith
BLUES P: Luke McAlister (5)

CHEETAHS 47 - 36 BRUMBIES

FREE STATE STADIUM, BLOEMFONTEIN - Friday 29th April 2011
CHEETAHS T: Oosthuizen, Pretorius (2), Nel C: S Ebersohn (3) P: S Ebersohn (5) DG: R Viljoen
BRUMBIES T: Fainifo, Alexander, Hooper, Ashley-Cooper, Coleman C: Giteau (4) P: Giteau Christian Lealiifano

HURRICANES 28 - 16 REDS

WESTPAC STADIUM, WELLINGTON - Saturday 30th April 2011
HURRICANES T: Levave, Cruden, Taylor, Tialata C: Cruden P: Cruden (2)
REDS T: Higginbotham, Morahan (2) C: Cooper P: Cooper (3)

WARATAHS 28 - 9 MELBOURNE REBELS

SYDNEY FOOTBALL STADIUM - Saturday 30th April 2011
WARATAHS T: Polota-Nau, Dennis, Mumm C: Beale (2) P: Beale (3)
REBELS P: Huxley (3)

FORCE 30 - 42 CRUSADERS

PERTH OVAL - Saturday 30th April 2011 
FORCE T: Shepherd (2) C: Ripia P: O'Connor (5), Ripia
CRUSADERS T: Dagg (2), Williams, Flynn, Fotuali'i C: Berquist (4) P: Berquist (3) Richie McCaw

BULLS 43 - 27 CHIEFS

LOFTUS VERSFELD STADIUM, PRETORIA - Saturday 30th April 2011
BULLS T: Olivier (2), van den Heever, Spies C: Steyn (4) P: Steyn (4) DG: Steyn
CHIEFS T: Muliaina, Leonard, Lee C: Donald (3) P: Donald (2) Ben Afeaki

STORMERS 32 - 12 SHARKS

NEWLANDS STADIUM, CAPE TOWN - Saturday 30th April 2011 
STORMERS T: de Villiers, Aplon, J Fourie, D Fourie C: Cronje (2), Coleman P: Cronje DG: Aplon
SHARKS P: Lambie (4) Bismarck du Plessis

 

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WEEK 10

WEEK 10 MATCH HIGHLIGHTS [EXTENDED]

THE St.George Reds scored their record breaking seventh straight Super Rugby victory as they claimed the Templeton Cup for the first time in seven years with a thrilling 19-15 victory over the NSW Waratahs at Suncorp Stadium.

The win is Queensland’s first against their interstate rivals since 2004 and ensures they remain at the top of the Super Rugby ladder while also extending their lead in the Australian Conference to 11 points.

Wallabies fly half Quade Cooper scored all 19 of the Reds points but it was their spirited defence and effort up front which was most responsible for the historic win.

The Waratahs threw everything they could muster at the Reds, especially during prolonged periods during the second half, but were denied on numerous occasions.

That character was highlighted during a defining stage of the game, commencing at the 50 minute mark, where despite enormous pressure the Reds front-row muscled up to deny a try from a Waratahs’ five metre scrum feed.

The Waratahs did enjoy some success at the breakdown midway through the opening stanza and were rewarded with three Kurtley Beale penalty goals.

It was however his post-try antics that lifted the huge Queensland crowd with the talented fly half’s celebration consisting of a perfectly executed back-flip.

Cooper capped off the match with a penalty goal in the dying stages.

The poignant moment of the match however was watching Wallaby wing Drew Mitchell being stretchered in the first quarter off having dislocating his right ankle and fracturing a bone in his leg. This has now been operated on and Mitchell is determined he will be back in time for the Rugby World Cup, having been told by the medics that with the right rest and rehab, he should be back on the park in early August.

The Vodacom Bulls have never won their last game on Australasian soil and that disappointing run continued in Perth on Saturday after the defending champions conceded a 26-21 defeat to Western Force at the nib Stadium in Perth.

The win was very much a team display with defence the cornerstone of the performance for the West Australians who were able to celebrate for the first time in front of their home fans this season.

The forwards, led by Nathan Sharpe and an impressive Richard Brown, muscled up to get over the top of their much-vaunted opponents while the back division also pitched in on a night when try-scoring opportunities were at a premium.

James O’Connor’s unerring boot contributed significantly to the result with the youngster booting six penalties while Cameron Shepherd scored the club’s only try on his return after a week on the sidelines.

Vodacom Bulls fly half Morne Steyn kicked three penalties and converted winger Bjorn Basson’s try. Hooker Chiliboy Ralepelle was the other player to score a five-pointer for the visitors.

A gutsy and rugged performance from the Emirates Western Force powered them to an impressive and worthy victory over reigning champions and perennial Super Rugby heavyweights the Bulls. The defeat, which was the fifth loss for the Bulls this season, ensured that they ended the weekend in eighth position on the combined log with 22 points. They are in third place on the South African conference log – 12 points behind the Sharks and 15 behind the DHL Stormers.

THE Good Friday Blues vs Melbourne Rebels match started on a solemn note, with both teams taking the field together in an ANZAC tribute. The Rebels also wore black armbands as a sign of respect for Nic Henderson, who was mourning a death in his family.

The Blues outscored the visitors by six tries to two in a thrilling contest, but their periods of sheer brilliance were punctuated by moments of mediocrity as they were forced to dig deep against a spirited Rebels outfit.

Ahead 17-3 after 18 minutes thanks to two tries by Rene Ranger and a superb five pointer by fellow wing Joe Rokocoko, the Blues’ defence lapsed as they let in two soft tries before the half time break.

A brilliant try from Cooper Vuna and the accurate boot of Danny Cipriani weren’t enough as the RaboDirect Rebels lost a 40-23 slugfest to the Blues at Auckland’s North Harbour Stadium. 

The Highlanders were fired up for this clash after losing their earlier encounter at Carisbrook, and were dynamic in attack and defiant in deference against the Crusaders in Nelson. 

Former Canterbury wing James Paterson scored two tries for the Highlanders, with fellow wing Siale Piutau scoring a third.

For the Crusaders, Zac Guildford scored an excellent first half try following good work by Israel Dagg.
The Crusaders other try was scored by second-five Adam Whitelock, who swooped on a dropped ball by the Highlanders to run 60m and score.

It was a complete team performance that saw the visitors run in three tries to the Crusaders two, beating the homeside 26-18 at Trafalgar Park, deserving their victory.

THE Sharks maintained the pressure on the South African Conference log leading DHL Stormers after they secured their sixth win of the 2011 Vodacom Super Rugby competition following their 40-24 victory over the Hurricanes at Mr Price Kings Park on Saturday.

The Durban team, who ended round ten on 34 log points, are now only three points behind their Cape rivals who had their second bye of the competition. These teams will be playing for pole position in the South African Conference on Saturday when they go head-to-head at DHL Newlands at 19h10.

The Sharks, who came off a bye were in impressive form at home and achieved maximum points after running in five tries against the Hurricanes. Winger Lwazi Mvovo scored a brace while hooker and captain John Smit, centre Meyer Bosman and No 8 Ryan Kankowski were the other try-scorers for the hosts.

Fly half Patrick Lambie, who returned back to action following a finger injury which kept him out of action for three matches, kicked three penalties and three conversions. The Hurricanes scored two tries which came thanks to the efforts of Cory Jane and Faifi'li Levave. Fly half Dan Kirkpatrick kicked four penalties and a conversion.

Meanwhile the MTN Lions woes at home continued at Coca-Cola Park on Saturday after the Chiefs consigned the hosts to their ninth loss of the 2011 season following their 34-30 loss in Johannesburg.

The Waikato team achieved maximum points while the team coached by John Mitchell gained a bonus point for losing within four points of the Chiefs. Scott Waldrom (2), Romana Graham, Toby Smith and Dwayne Sweeney were the try-scorers for the visitors while Stephen Donald kicked three penalties and a conversion.

 

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RESULTS

BLUES 40 - 23 MELBOURNE REBELS

NORTH HARBOUR STADIUM, NORTH SHORE CITY - Friday 22nd April 2011
BLUES T: Ranger (2), Rokocoko, Stanley, Payne, Braid C: Brett, McAlister P: Brett (2)
REBELS T: Vuna, Mitchell C: Cipriani (2) P: Cipriani (3)

CRUSADERS 18 - 26 HIGHLANDERS

TRAFALGAR PARK, NELSON - Saturday 23rd April 2011
CRUSADERS T: Guildford (13), A Whitelock C: Berquist P: Berquist DG: Berquist
HIGHLANDERS T: Piutau, Paterson (2) C: Brown P: Brown (3)

REDS 19 - 15 WARATAHS

LANG PARK, BRISBANE - Saturday 23rd April 2011
REDS T: Cooper C: Cooper P: Cooper (3) DG: Cooper
WARATAHS P: Beale (5)

FORCE 26 - 21 BULLS

PERTH OVAL - Saturday 23rd April 2011
FORCE T: Shepherd P: O'Connor (6), Ripia YC James O’Connor
BULLS T: Ralepelle, Basson C: Steyn P: Steyn (3)

 

SHARKS 40 - 24 HURRICANES

KINGS PARK STADIUM, DURBAN - Saturday 23rd April 2011
SHARKS T: Smit, Mvovo (2), Bosman, Kankowski C: Lambie (3) P: Lambie (3)
HURRICANES T: Jane, Levave C: Kirkpatrick P: Kirkpatrick (4) James Broadhurst, Ma'a Nonu

LIONS 30 - 34 CHIEFS

ELLIS PARK, JOHANNESBURG - Saturday 23rd April 2011
LIONS T: Killian, Strauss, Grobbelaar C: Francis (2), Kockott P: Francis (3)
CHIEFS T: Waldrom (2), Graham, Smith, Sweeney C: Donald (3) P: Donald

 

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WEEK 9

WEEK 9 MATCH HIGHLIGHTS [EXTENDED]

A powerful display of forward pressure and clinical finishing saw the Highlanders triumph 40-18 over the RaboDirect Rebels at AAMI Park on Friday night.

The Highlanders put the Rebels to the sword, scoring six tries to two in Melbourne and running out winners 42 points to 18.  Adam Thomson was again in dominant form with two tries, and Siale Piutau crossed for a brace also.  The Highlanders went into the break leading 22 points to 6, and the boys from the deep south put the foot on the pedal in the second half to record their sixth win of the 2011 season.

The St. George Reds equal their longest winning streak in the professional era with a historic and thrilling bonus point 39-30 victory over 2010 champions the Bulls at Suncorp Stadium. The Vodacom Bulls conceded their fourth defeat of the season and their second loss on tour.

The defeat for the defending champions ensured that they ended the round in eighth position on the Combined Vodacom Super Rugby log with 21 points. They are currently in third place on the South African Conference log and are eight points behind the Sharks who trails the DHL Stormers by four.

Winger Bjorn Basson scored a brace while reserve forward Danie Rossouw dived in to score the defending champions’ third try of the match. Fly half Morne Steyn kicked three penalties and three conversions.

The victory for the Reds resulted in them ending the round in pole position on the Combined and Australian Conference logs with 35 points. The Brisbane team ran in six tries against the Vodacom Bulls which were scored by Luke Morahan (2), Quade Cooper, Radike Samo, Digby Ioane and James Horwill. Cooper kicked two conversions and a drop goal.

A wonderful team orientated defensive effort and two tries from speedy winger David Smith has helped the Emirates Western Force claim a vital four points against the Brumbies in Canberra.

The 27-19 result is the first win for the Perth side against an Australian opponent this season and a welcome return to form with matches against the Bulls and Crusaders looming at home in the coming fortnight.

With both sides desperate for a win the games remained on a knifes edge until two minutes from time when Smith scored his second try of the half and James O’Connor’s conversion gave the West Aussies an eight point advantage.

The lead switched hands five times during the second stanza but it was the Emirates Western Force who held their nerve and maintained defensive pressure until the end.

THE Crusaders scored a bonus-point 34-16 victory over the Chiefs at Mt Maunganui in a good night for the team who have been boosted with the return from injury of regular skipper Richie McCaw.

Replacement lock Luke Romano scored the Crusaders’ fourth try just before fulltime, adding to five-pointers from Robbie Fruean, Sean Maitland and Andy Ellis.

That fourth try helped the Crusaders to five competition points and they sit on top of the Investec Super Rugby table, with the Reds yet to play the Bulls this weekend.
McCaw played the final 30 minutes and he added some solidity to the Crusaders who were harassed by a Chiefs team looking to up the intensity and unsettle the visitors in front of a packed 16,500 sell-out crowd at Baypark Stadium.

Dan Carter had been ruled out of the match against the Chiefs at Mt Maunganui on Friday night after his hamstring tightened during training earlier in the day.

The HSBC Waratahs staged a second half comeback but were unable to reel in the Blues, going down 31-17 at Eden Park.

The Blues scored four tries in the space of 17 minutes in the first half to open up a 26-0 lead, and while the tide was starting to turn in the second half, two disallowed tries in the space of four minutes ultimately proved crucial.

The HSBC Waratahs hit the board in the 31st minute when Daniel Halangahu converted a period of extended pressure with a try to the left of the uprights. The try was his fourth against Blues making him the visitors’ most prolific try scorer against Auckland or the Blues in 129 years of history between the provinces.

Beale converted, however the Blues were not done for the opening half with No.9 Alby Mathewson scoring their fifth try just before the break; half time score: 31-7.

The visitors kept the Blues scoreless in the second half, however the margin was too big to overcome.

A reinvigorated HSBC Waratahs side came out in the second half and it wasn’t long before possession and field position turned into point-scoring opportunities. The visitors almost scored twice but in the 48th minute the ball was ruled to be held up, and minutes later Lachie Turner flew over in the corner for Tahs but jolted his arm and the ball forward before it was over the line.

Drew Mitchell crossed for his sixth try of the season in the 55th minute. Beale’s sideline conversion attempt hit the post and bounced away, leaving the score at 31-12. Twelve minutes before full-time the visitors were over again, this time through Ryan Cross. The try meant the HSBC Waratahs were now within two converted tries of the Blues entering the closing stages, and within one converted try of two bonus points.

However the visitors were unable to cross the line for a fourth time, leaving the Blues with a bonus point win despite not conceding a second half point.

THE DHL Stormers maintained their lead at the top of the South African Conference as the Vodacom Super Rugby competition reached the half way stage of league fixtures following their 33-19 victory over the MTN Lions at Coca-Cola Park on Saturday.

The Cape team ran in three tries as they returned to winning ways in Johannesburg after going down 19-6 to the Reds at DHL Newlands last Saturday. The visitors were guilty of squandering numerous try-scoring opportunities in this match which saw them dominate territory and possession during most periods of the game.

DHL Stormers winger Danie Poolman and centre Jaque Fourie scored tries before the break, while substitute back Johan Sadie dived in under the posts with the Cape teams’ third try on the stroke of full time.

Reserve fly half Lionel Cronje who replaced the injured Gary van Aswegen during the first half kicked three penalties and converted Fourie and Sadie’s five-pointers. Van Aswegen kicked one penalty and converted Poolman’s try before leaving the field.

The MTN Lions managed to score one try which was thanks to the efforts of No.8 Warren Whiteley. Fly half Burton Francis converted Whiteley’s try and also kicked three penalties and a drop goal.

The Toyota Cheetahs conceded a late try in the final minute of their match against the Hurricanes before going down 50-47 at the Free State Stadium on Saturday night.

Toyota Cheetahs scrumhalf Sarel Pretorius scored a hat-trick of tries and Riaan Smith ran in with a brace of five-pointers which saw the hosts salvage two bonus points despite the defeat.

The Bloemfontein team secured a bonus for scoring five tries and for losing within seven points of their Wellington opponents. Fly half Sias Ebersohn converted all five tries and also kicked two penalties and two drop goals.

 

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RESULTS

CHIEFS 16 - 34 CRUSADERS

WAIKATO STADIUM, HAMILTON - Friday 15th April 2011
CHIEFS T: Masaga C: Delany P: Delany (3)
CRUSADERS T: Fruean, Maitland, Ellis, Romano C: Berquist (4) P: Berquist (2)

MELBOURNE REBELS 18 - 40 HIGHLANDERS

MELBOURNE RECTANGULAR STADIUM - Friday 15th April 2011
REBELS T: Pyle, Somerville C: Cipriani P: Cipriani (2)
HIGHLANDERS T: Thomson (2), Soakai, Piutau (2), Poki C: Robinson (2) P: Robinson (2)

BLUES 31 - 17 WARATAHS

EDEN PARK, AUCKLAND - Saturday 16th April 2011
BLUES T: Afoa, Mailau, Payne, Ranger, Mathewson C: McAlister (3)
WARATAHS T: Halangahu, Mitchell, Cross C: Beale

REDS 39 - 30 BULLS

LANG PARK, BRISBANE - Saturday 16th April 2011
REDS T: Cooper, Samo, Morahan (2), Ioane, Horwill C: Cooper (3) DG: Cooper
BULLS T: Basson (2), Rossouw C: Steyn (3) P: Steyn (3)

LIONS 19 - 33 STORMERS

ELLIS PARK, JOHANNESBURG - Saturday 16th April 2011
LIONS T: Whiteley C: Francis P: Francis (3) DG: Francis Doppies La Grange
STORMERS T: Poolman, J Fourie, Sadie C: Duvenhage, Cronje (2) P: van Aswegen, Cronje (3)

CHEETAHS 47 - 50 HURRICANES

FREE STATE STADIUM, BLOEMFONTEIN - Saturday 16th April 2011
CHEETAHS T: Pretorius (3), Smit (2) C: S Ebersohn (5) P: S Ebersohn (2) DG: S Ebersohn (2)
HURRICANES T: Gear (2), Lam, Taylor, Leiua, Thrush C: Kirkpatrick (3), Barrett P: Kirkpatrick (4)

BRUMBIES 19 - 27 FORCE

CANBERRA STADIUM - Sunday 17th April 2011
BRUMBIES T: Giteau C: Giteau P: Giteau (4)
FORCE T: O'Connor, Smith (2) C: Ripia, O'Connor (2) P: O'Connor (2)
 

 

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WEEK 8

WEEK 8 MATCH HIGHLIGHTS [EXTENDED]

BRUMBIES fans celebrated a nail-biting win carrying a slender one point advantage to the full-time siren to beat the Hurricanes 17-16 at Canberra Stadium on Saturday night.

It had been seven weeks since the Brumbies had last tasted victory leaving the team with plenty to smile about as the full-time siren sounded.

Hurricanes Aaron Cruden was the first to put points on the board for the visitors with a converted try, and added a penalty before the break, when he was replaced by Daniel Kirkpatrick.

A try to Fijian flyer Henry Speight highlighted the win just before half time, while Captain Matt Giteau was accurate enough with the boot to kick his team to victory. The homeside went into the break with a narrow 1 point lead, 11-10.

The second half saw the Hurricanes take the lead by two penalties from Kirkpatrick before Giteau saved the day with two of his own.

The HSBC Waratahs have posted wins against all Australian teams following their 31-3 defeat of the Western Force at nib Stadium.

The HSBC Waratahs were never headed on the scoreboard in a dominant display witnessed by a crowd of 14,578. The visitors scored two tries in each half to earn their third four-try bonus point of the season, and also kept their opponents try-less for the third time this year.

Kurtley Beale opened the scoring in the seventh minute with a penalty before James O’Connor levelled the scores at the 20 minute mark. Despite the parity on the scoreboard, the HSBC Waratahs were dominating territory and it seemed only a matter of time before the defence would open up.

At the 30th minute it did just that when man of the match Luke Burgess challenged the defence from the scrum base before sending Tom Carter over for the first try of the game.

Seven minutes later the HSBC Waratahs were in again, this time off a scything run from Drew Mitchell who crossed for his fourth try of the season. Beale converted and sent the visitors to the break with a 17-3 lead.

The second half started much like the first with the ascendency not converting into points for the first 20 minutes. However midway through the half Beale showed great footwork and speed to weave through the Force defence and touch down under the posts in the 62nd minute.

The focus was then on the bonus point and it only took five minutes to come with Dave Dennis breaking down the left before linking with Mitchell who stepped the last two defenders to score close in.

Beale’s conversion extended the margin to 31-3 which is how it stayed through to the final whistle.

THE Toyota Cheetahs salvaged a bonus point for losing within seven points of the Highlanders in Dunedin after they went down 21-24 at Carisbrook on Friday. They have also been elevated from the bottom of both the Vodacom Super Rugby and South African Conference logs due to their superior points differential to the MTN Lions. The Highlanders went into the match with 21 points from four wins and two loses and the Cheetahs with eight points from a win and six losses. 

The Highlanders had a three-point lead at halftime (17-14) but they would have been disappointed they had let the Cheetahs back into the game when they had the momentum.  The Cheetahs spent a fair portion of the half defending but they pounced on the chances when they came. 

The Highlanders could not capitalise on their territorial advantage as they lapsed again into some loose unstructured play punctuated by mistakes. The Cheetahs missed 25 tackles but the Highlanders lost possession too many times to make the most of those blemishes. 

Both sides scored three tries and, had Robert Ebersohn not missed three penalty attempts, the Cheetahs may well have won. 

The Vodacom Bulls failed to trouble the scorers in Timaru after they were held scoreless by the Crusaders during their 27-0 defeat at the Alpine Energy Stadium on Saturday.

The defending champions failed to build much momentum during this match and were guilty of conceding numerous handling errors in this match. They however managed to deny the hosts a four-try bonus point after the Crusaders crossed the try line on three occasions when Sonny Bill Williams, Israel Dagg and Tom Marshall contributed five-pointers for the Canterbury team. Fly half Matt Berquist kicked four penalties.

THE DHL Stormers conceded their first defeat of the 2011 Vodacom Super Rugby and surrendered their position at the top of the Vodacom Super Rugby combined log on Saturday following their 19-6 loss against the Reds at DHL Newlands.

The Cape Town franchise were relegated to third place on the combined log, but are still the pace-setters in the South African Conference as they are currently in first position on the log with 29 points, four clear of The Sharks.

The DHL Stormers’ only points in this match came via the boot of fly half Peter Grant who kicked two penalties to steer his seasonal points’ tally to 100. Centre Michael Harris scored the only try of the game in the 74th minute of the match which was converted by No.10 Quade Cooper who also contributed four penalties to end the fixture with a personal points’ haul of 14.

The defeat for the DHL Stormers meant that they failed to break a franchise record for the most consecutive victories in Vodacom Super Rugby. This feat of six victories is now jointly held by the current squad and the DHL Stormers team of 1999.

The Sharks though, restored some South African pride and were the only team in their franchise to secure a win in round eight following their 27-3 victory over the MTN Lions at Mr Price Kings Park on Saturday.

The Durban franchise achieved their first haul of maximum points at home this season after they ran in four tries to consign the Johannesburg team to their seventh loss of the season. Scrumhalf Charl McLeod, winger JP Pietersen, fullback Louis Ludik and loose forward Willem Alberts all scored the tries while centre Meyer Bosman and fly half Jacques-Louis Potgieter each kicked one conversion. Potgieter also chipped in with one penalty.

The victory for The Sharks promoted them to second position on the South African Conference log and to sixth place on the combined Vodacom Super Rugby standings at the conclusion of round eight.

 

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RESULTS

HIGHLANDERS 24 - 21 CHEETAHS

CARISBROOK, DUNEDIN - Friday 8th April 2011
HIGHLANDERS T: Thomson (2), Lynn C: Slade (3) P: Slade
CHEETAHS T: Nel, R Ebersohn, Burger C: S Ebersohn (3)

CRUSADERS 27 - 0 BULLS      

FRASER PARK, TIMARU - Saturday 9th April 2011
CRUSADERS T: Williams, Dagg, Marshall P: Berquist (4)

BRUMBIES 17 - 16 HURRICANES

CANBERRA STADIUM - Saturday 9th April 2011
BRUMBIES T: Speight P: Giteau (4)
HURRICANES T: Cruden C: Cruden P: Cruden, Kirkpatrick (2)

FORCE 3 - 31 WARATAHS

PERTH OVAL - Saturday 9th April 2011
FORCE P: O'Connor David Smith
WARATAHS T: Carter, Mitchell (2), Beale C: Beale (4) P: Beale

STORMERS 6 - 19 REDS

NEWLANDS STADIUM, CAPE TOWN - Saturday 9th April 2011
STORMERS P: Grant (2) Deon Fourie Duane Vermeulen
REDS T: Harris C: Cooper P: Cooper (4)

SHARKS 27 - 3 LIONS

KINGS PARK STADIUM, DURBAN - Saturday 9th April 2011
SHARKS T: Ludik, Alberts, Pietersen, McLeod C: Bosman, Potgieter P: Potgieter
LIONS P: Jantjies
           

 

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WEEK 7

WEEK 7 MATCH HIGHLIGHTS [EXTENDED]

THE HSBC Waratahs have scored back-to-back wins on a six-day turnaround after defeating the Chiefs 23-16 at the Sydney Football Stadium. The home side was forced to withstand a second half comeback from the Chiefs who got to within four points before a Kurtley Beale penalty on full-time sealed the seven-point win.

The HSBC Waratahs took control of field position from the opening kickoff and a tighthead from the opening scrum of the game kept them there. The final say of the first half went to Beale who landed his second penalty after the siren to send the home side to the break with a 20-6 lead.

The second half was dominated by the Chiefs, however it took almost 20 minutes before Tim Nanai-Williams crossed after a period of growing momentum. But it was the HSBC Waratahs who held their nerve best and when they were awarded a penalty with little more than a minute left on the clock, Beale kicked the goal as the seconds wound down to finish at 23-16.

Tatafu Polota-Nau was named Man of the Match in an awesome return from injury in front of a crowd of 20,720.

The match doubled as the HSBC Waratahs annual fundraising fixture with jerseys worn being auctioned online in aid of the Cerebral Palsy Alliance; bidding ends on 13th April and you can bid right here:

The Emirates Western Force suffered a heartbreaking one point loss to the Melbourne Rebels at nib Stadium tonight going down 25-26.

The home side exerted plenty of force but were unable to take advantage of their strong build up play with yet again simple errors costing the Emirates Western Force.

Big lock Sam Wykes was a standout as he continued his outstanding season, scoring a try and continually menacing the Rebels line.

With the clock ticking down young gun James O’Connor lined up for a penalty goal but his shot sailed agonisingly wide of the left hand upright, the Rebels holding on for their first away win.

Both sides scored three tries, and the Rebels only converted one to Force’s two, but the single point difference ended up being young Cipriani proving his worth and clearing three penalties to O’Connor’s two.

THE Highlanders returned to their winning ways with a solid win against the Brumbies at Rugby Park Stadium in Invercargill.  The Highlanders scored two first half tries, both to Hooker Jason Rutledge, which sent the Brumbies into the sheds at halftime down 15 points to 7. 

The second half started in shaky fashion for the visitors, with the Highlanders pinning the Brumbies deep in their own half for the first 10 minutes of play. On numerous occasions the Brumbies found themselves attacking the Highlanders line, but turnovers and strong-Highlanders defence halted the visitors’ ability to convert that momentum into points.

A late try to Patrick Phibbs could have been the deciding factor but  Highlanders skipper Jamie Mackintosh dotted down late in the second half to secure the teams 4th win of the 2011 Investec Super Rugby competition. 

The Vodacom Bulls secured their fourth victory of the competition and their first win on their Australasian tour following their 26-14 defeat of the Wellington Hurricanes in Napier on Saturday.

Springbok fly half Morne Steyn was the chief contributor to the defending champions’ success in this match after he contributed 21 points for the Pretoria team by kicking two drop goals and five penalties. The Vodacom Bulls scored one try which was thanks to the efforts of winger Francois Hougaard.

The result for the team captained by Victor Matfield meant that they ended the weekend in sixth position on the combined Vodacom Super Rugby log with 21 points. They are also one point clear of The Sharks (20) who are in third place on the South African conference log.

The Toyota Cheetahs also managed to salvage a bonus points for losing within seven points of the Blues on Saturday during their 29-22 loss at the Noll Stadium in Whangarei. The Bloemfontein team launched an impressive second half performance against the Aucklanders, but failed to convert most of their opportunities into points.

The Toyota Cheetahs scored three tries which were scored by scrumhalf Sarel Pretorius (2) and prop Coenie Oosthuizen. Naas Olivier kicked two conversions while Sias Ebersohn added one penalty.

THE DHL Stormers strengthened their lead at the top of the South African Conference at the conclusion of Round Seven in the Vodacom Super Rugby competition following their 16-6 victory over The Sharks at Mr Price Kings Park on Saturday.

The result for the Cape team ensured that they ended the weekend on 29 log points. They are now eight points clear of the second-placed Vodacom Bulls. The DHL Stormers are also in pole position on the combined Vodacom Super Rugby Log, and are three points clear of Australia’s Reds, and New Zealand’s Crusaders franchises.

The Cape team, who are currently the only undefeated side in the competition, were once again in impressive form on defence and held their opponents try-less in a match which produced limited try scoring opportunities.

Flanker Schalk Burger’s five-pointer in the first half was the only try scored in this fiercely contested South African derby.

Fly half Peter Grant ended round seven in pole position on the leading points’ scorer’s table with 94 points. The Cape fly half kicked three penalties and converted Burger’s try. The Sharks’ only points in the match came via the boot of No.10 Jacques-Louis Potgieter who kicked two penalties.

Meanwhile the MTN Lions’ disappointing run against the Reds in Johannesburg continued on Saturday afternoon after they conceded a 30-25 loss at Coca-Cola Park. The hosts managed to achieve one log point for losing within seven points of their Brisbane opponents, but are still winless at home this season.

The MTN Lions scored two tries which were added by Michael Killian in the first half, and then Jaco Taute after the break. Andre Pretorius kicked four penalties while Rory Kockott kicked a 55-metre penalty kick to ensure that the hosts ended the match within seven points of the Reds.

 

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RESULTS

WARATAHS 23 - 16 CHIEFS

SYDNEY FOOTBALL STADIUM - Friday 1st April 2011
WARATAHS T: Pakalani, Penalty try C: Beale (2) P: Beale (3)
CHIEFS T: Nanai-Williams C: Delany P: Delany (2), Nanai-Williams YC Nathan White

HIGHLANDERS 26 - 20 BRUMBIES

CARISBROOK, DUNEDIN - Friday 1st April 2011
HIGHLANDERS T: Rutledge (2), Mackintosh C: Slade P: Slade, Brown (47, 66) Tony Brown
BRUMBIES T: Giteau , A Smith, Phibbs C: Giteau P: Giteau

SHARKS 6 - 16 STORMERS

KINGS PARK STADIUM, DURBAN - Saturday 2nd April 2011
SHARKS P: Potgieter (2)
STORMERS T: Burger C: Grant P: Grant (3)

LIONS 25 - 30 REDS

ELLIS PARK, JOHANNESBURG - Saturday 2nd April 2011
LIONS T: Killian, Taute P: Pretorius (4), Kockott
REDS T: Morahan, Cooper, Ioane C: Harris (3) P: Harris (3) James Slipper, James Horwill

FORCE 25 - 26 MELBOURNE REBELS

PERTH OVAL - Saturday 2nd April 2011
FORCE T: Wykes, Charles, Sidey C: O'Connor (2) P: O'Connor (2)
REBELS T: Gerrard, Pyle, Kingi C: Cipriani P: Cipriani (3) Mark Gerrard

HURRICANES 14 - 26 BULLS

WESTPAC STADIUM, WELLINGTON - Saturday 2nd April 2011
HURRICANES T: Lilo C: Kirkpatrick (2), Cruden
BULLS T: Hougaard P: Steyn (5) DG: Steyn (2)

BLUES 29 - 22 CHEETAHS

EDEN PARK, AUCKLAND - Saturday 2nd April 2011
BLUES T: Rokocoko, Brett, Saili, Toeava C:  McAlister (3) P: McAlister
CHEETAHS T: Pretorius (2), Oosthuizen C: Olivier (2) P: S Ebersohn

 

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WEEK 6

WEEK 6 MATCH HIGHLIGHTS [EXTENDED]

AAMI Park hosted another Super Rugby epic on Friday night as the RaboDirect Rebels roared back from a 17-point deficit to claim a bonus point 42-25 victory over the Hurricanes.

The comprehensive scoreline seemed unthinkable when the Hurricanes raced into a 17-0 lead inside 15 minutes but the Rebels forwards built a platform and, roared on by a 16,809 strong Rebel Army, outscored their opposition six tries to four.

The Rebels forwards, who collectedly dominated the game, scored four tries between them. Debutant, Rodney Blake, scored the first, Al Campbell scored twice, with Michael Lipman also crossing. Copper Vuna and Nick Phipps collected the other 5-pointers, with an uncharacteristically inaccurate Danny Cipriani kicking 12 points.

The Hurricanes threw everything they could at the Rebels thereafter but the home side held firm until the 78th minute when reserve hooker, Dane Coles earned the Wellington-based side a bonus point. The Rebels would not be denied though and the AAMI Park crowd went wild as the home side made it two wins from their opening six rounds.

A try to Sitaleki Timani with just nine seconds left on the clock has delivered the HSBC Waratahs a 29-22 victory over the Brumbies at Canberra Stadium. In what was a nail-biting finish in front of 18,011 fans, the Brumbies locked the game up with only three minutes remaining before the Timani reached out for the match-winner.

The two sides matched each other point for point in the first half and went into the break 12 points apiece. The trend continued, and as the clock wound down, the visitors looked to have claimed a last minute victory when a perfectly-weighted kick was grounded by Atieli Pakalani. However TMO Matt Goddard found separation in the grounding and awarded the Brumbies a five metre scrum with barely more than 60 seconds on the clock.

With a reversal of fortunes...and the scrum...the Tahs committed the Brumbies forwards close to the ruck with a series of raids before Timani reached out and after consulting the TMO, the reserve lock was awarded his maiden NSW try. Beale converted after the siren for a memorable 29-22 win, just the second HSBC Waratahs Super Rugby victory in Canberra.

St.George Reds captain James Horwill has made a successful comeback from injury in a record breaking 41-8 bonus point victory over the Cheetahs at Suncorp Stadium who conceded their first defeat on their Australasian tour.

The victory was the seventh straight win in Brisbane for the Reds with the winning streak now their largest at home since the inception of Super Rugby.  The Reds had twice won six consecutive games in Brisbane - in 1996 and over the course of the 2000/01 seasons.

The Toyota Cheetahs conceded six tries against the Reds. Their only points in this match came thanks to the efforts of captain Wilhelm Steenkamp who scored his team’s only try, and fly half Sias Ebersohn, who kicked one penalty.

The Reds had the bonus point for scoring four tries wrapped up by halftime with two tries to winger Rod Davies going with five-pointers from Digby Ioane and Saia Faingaa in the opening stanza.

The defeat for the Bloemfontein team consigned them to 15th position on the combined log after six matches. They are also currently at the bottom of the South African conference with seven log points.

The win gives the Reds plenty of momentum heading into their two-game South African tour with the squad flying out early Sunday morning ahead of games against the Lions in Johannesburg and Stormers in Cape Town. 

THE BLUES overcame a spirited Chiefs outfit to grind out a hard-fought 16-13 win in torrential conditions in Hamilton on Saturday night.

The Chiefs outscored the Blues by two tries to one, but it was the boot of Luke McAlister that made the difference as he nailed three penalties, grubbered the ball through for Jared Payne’s try and landed a superb conversion from the sideline to edge the visitors in front.

The pouring rain was never going to be conducive to expansive running rugby as both sides reverted to a traditional up front battle, but it was a thrilling spectacle nonetheless as the Blues managed to fight back from conceding two early tries to clinch the win late in the second half.

The All Black fly half, Carter, contributed 22 points after scoring a try, kicking four conversions and three penalties in the Crusaders’ 44-28 victory over The Sharks at the historic Vodacom Super Rugby match played at Twickenham on Sunday afternoon.

The Sharks got one bonus point four scoring four tries, by loose forward Willem Alberts, lock Alistair Hargreaves, fly half Jacques-Louis Potgieter and winger Odwa Ndungane. Potgieter added two penalties and one conversion.

CRUSADERS vs SHARKS HIGHLIGHTS @ TWICKENHAM  

AFTER two home defeats, the Vodacom Bulls resurrected their 2011 Vodacom Super Rugby campaign at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday when they beat the MTN Lions by 30-23 in the only South African derby played this weekend.

The defending champions ended their winless streak in Pretoria - against the Highlanders (28-35) and DHL Stormers (13-23). The MTN Lions, on the other hand, conceded their fifth defeat of the season and is currently in 14th position on the combined Vodacom Super Rugby log with eight points.

The Vodacom Bulls ended the weekend in seventh place on the combined log with 17 points. They are currently in third position on the South African conference, three points behind The Sharks who are in second place with 20 points.

The DHL Stormers retained their status at the top of the South African Vodacom Super Rugby conference and are currently in pole position on the combined log following their comprehensive 51-16 victory over the Western Force at DHL Newlands on Saturday.

The Cape Town team were in buoyant mood and ran in six tries to the one scored by the visitors. Captain Jean de Villiers and lock Andries Bekker scored five-pointers, while the two Fouries, centre Jaque and hooker Deon, each scored twice.

DHL Stormers fly half Peter Grant entertained the Newlands faithful with a flawless kicking display after converting all six tries scored by his team. The Cape fly half also notched up four penalties to end the match with a personal points’ haul of 24.

Grant’s recent performances with the boot elevated his position to second place in the Vodacom Super Rugby leading point scorers table. He is currently on 83, one point behind Crusaders fly half Dan Carter.

 

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RESULTS

REBELS 42 - 25 HURRICANES

MELBOURNE RECTANGULAR STADIUM - Friday 25th March 2011
REBELS T: Blake, Campbell (2), Lipman, Vuna, Phipps C: Cipriani (3) P: Cipriani (2)
HURRICANES T: C Eaton, Vito, Kirkpatrick, Coles C: Kirkpatrick P: Kirkpatrick

BULLS 30 - 23 LIONS

LOFTUS VERSFELD, PRETORIA - Saturday 26th March 2011
BULLS T: Potgieter, GVG Botha, Basson C: Steyn (3) P: Steyn (3)
LIONS T: D van Rensburg, van der Merwe C: Pretorius (2) P: Jantjies (3)

STORMERS 51 - 16 FORCE

NEWLANDS STADIUM, CAPE TOWN - Saturday 26th March 2011
STORMERS T: J Fourie (2), D Fourie (2), de Villiers, Bekker C: Grant (6) P: Grant (3) Francois Louw
FORCE T: O'Connor C: O'Connor P: O'Connor (3)

BRUMBIES 22 - 29 WARATAHS

CANBERRA STADIUM - Saturday 26th March 2011
BRUMBIES T: Alexander C: Giteau P: Giteau (5)
WARATAHS T: Cross, Timani C: Beale (2) P: Beale (5)

CHIEFS 13 - 16 BLUES

WAIKATO STADIUM, HAMILTON - Saturday 26th March 2011
CHIEFS T: Messam, Taumalolo P: Delany
BLUES T: Payne C: McAlister P: McAlister (3)

REDS 41 - 8 CHEETAHS

LANG PARK, BRISBANE - Saturday 26th March 2011
REDS T: Ioane, Davies (2), SM Faingaa, Genia (2) C: Cooper (3), Harris P: Cooper
CHEETAHS T: Steenkamp P: S Ebersohn Wilhelm Steenkamp

  CRUSADERS 44 - 28 SHARKS

TWICKENHAM STADIUM, LONDON - Sunday 27th March 2011
CRUSADERS T: Maitland (2), Carter, Dagg, Guildford C: Carter (4), Berquist P: Carter (3)
SHARKS T: Alberts, Potgieter, Hargreaves, Ndungane C: Potgieter P:  Potgieter (2)

 

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WEEK 5

WEEK 5 MATCH HIGHLIGHTS [EXTENDED]

The St.George Reds continued their winning streak in Brisbane by scoring their seventh consecutive win at Suncorp Stadium with a record breaking 53-3 display against the Melbourne Rebels.

The winning score of 53 points is the highest points total ever recorded by the Reds in Super Rugby while the winning margin of 50 is also their largest.

The victory eclipsed the previous points scoring record set in 1996 - a 52-16 win over the Crusaders - while their previous highest winning margin was 40 points, coming against Western Force last season.

The dominant seven try effort has the Reds walking away with the maximum five competition points, which elevates them to the top of the Australian Super Rugby conference ladder as of tonight. The Rebels managed a solitary penalty from Danny Cipriani.

The win is the Reds third in four games played this season with previous victories over the Brumbies and Force.

The Toyota Cheetahs achieved their first Vodacom Super Rugby victory on Australian soil on Saturday following their 23-2 win over the Waratahs.

The Bloemfontein team also became the third South African franchise in 10 years to win a Vodacom Super Rugby match in Sydney. Man of the Match - fly half Sias Ebersohn – kicked three penalties and two conversions to end the game with a personal points’ haul of 13. The Toyota Cheetahs’ two tries were scored by winger Philip Snyman and scrum half Sarel Pretorius. The Waratahs’ only points were achieved thanks to a penalty kick by fullback Kurtley Beale.

The victory for the Toyota Cheetahs ensured that they ended round five in fourth position on the South African Conference – ahead of the Lions due to a superior points’ differential – with 7 points.

The Sharks surrendered their position at the top of thetables following their 15-9 defeat against the Chiefs in Hamilton on Friday.

The defeat was the first loss for the Durban franchise, who are scheduled to take on the Crusaders at Twickenham next Sunday. No tries were scored in this match with The Sharks’ only points being scored by fly half Patrick Lambie who kicked three penalties. The Chiefs’ points were accumulated by Mike Delany who kicked four penalties, and Tim Nanai-Williams who added one three-pointer.

The Crusaders walked all over the Highlanders in the second half as they cruised to a 44-13 win in the Investec Super Rugby match at Carisbrook on Saturday. The Crusaders scored six tries, four in the last quarter, as they overpowered the weary Highlanders.

The Crusaders dominance started at the scrum and continued through the tight five and the loose trio and into their lethal backs where Robbie Fruean and Israel Dagg were lethal on attack.

The Highlanders looked tired and jaded and were a shadow of the team which won their first three games.

There was little for their supporters to cheer about as they spent most of the game on the back foot, the only joy a consolation try to loose forward Adam Thomson on the final whistle.

The Blues bounced back from their lacklustre performance against the Western Force last week to smash the Hurricanes 41-17 at Eden Park on Saturday night.

Prop Tony Woodcock’s 100th Blues game was brought up in emphatic style as the home side ran in five tries to one to secure a valuable bonus point in front of 22,507 screaming fans at Eden Park.

Despite Andrew Hore also racking up 100 Super Rugby caps in the same match, it will surely be a night he would rather forget as it was his sin-binning in the 63rd minute that was the catalyst for the Blues’ rout. Hore's yellow card for interfering with halfback Alby Mathewson as he tried to clear the ball opened the floodgates with three tries following in short order to the home team.

The DHL Stormers ended round five in pole position on the Vodacom Super Rugby and South African Conference logs after they recorded their first victory at Loftus Versfeld against the Vodacom Bulls since 2003 following their 23-13 win on Saturday.

The Cape team is currently the only undefeated franchise in this season’s competition. Both teams scored one try and the majority of the points’ scoring coming via the boots of DHL Stormers fly half Peter Grant and fly half Vodacom Bulls Morne Steyn.

Grant kicked six penalties to end the match with a personal points’ haul of 18 while Steyn notched up eight points’ for the defending champions thanks to two penalties and a conversion. The Pretoria fly half converted his team’s only try of the game which was scored by winger Bjorn Basson.

The DHL Stormers’ try was scored by former Vodacom Bulls winger Bryan Habana, who contributed the Cape team’s second five-pointer of the season.

Meanwhile the Lions remained winless at Coca-Cola Park following their 27-15 loss against the Western Force on Saturday. The Perth team scored two tries in this match which was played in wet conditions in Johannesburg. Nick Cummins and Alfie Mafiwere the try-scorers for the visitors while fly half James O’Connor kicked five penalties. Cameron Shepherd converted Mafi’s five-pointer.

Lions fly half Elton Jantjies was the sole points contributor for his team. The former SA Under-20 fly half kicked four penalties and a drop goal. Jantjies is currently the sixth leading points’ scorer in this season’s competition with 53 points. Lambie is still currently the leading points’ scorer after five rounds with 74 points while Grant is in fourth place with 62.

 

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RESULTS

CHIEFS 15 - 9 SHARKS

WAIKATO STADIUM, HAMILTON - Friday 18th March 2011
CHIEFS P: Nanai-Williams, Delany (4)
SHARKS P: Lambie (3)

REDS 53 - 3 MELBOURNE REBELS

LANG PARK, BRISBANE - Friday 18th March 2011
REDS T: AS Faingaa, Wallace-Harrison, Higginbotham, Daley, Harris (2), Morahan C: Cooper (5), Harris P: Cooper (2)
REBELS P: Cipriani

HIGHLANDERS 13 - 44 CRUSADERS

CARISBROOK, DUNEDIN - Saturday 19th March 2011
HIGHLANDERS T: Thomson C: Robinson P: Brown (2)
CRUSADERS T: Fruean, Read, Dagg (2), Fotuali'i, Crockett C: Carter (3), Berquist P: Carter (2) Sam Whitelock

BLUES 41 - 17 HURRICANES

EDEN PARK, AUCKLAND - Saturday 19th March 2011
BLUES T: Ranger , Brett, Munro, Mathewson, Payne C: McAlister (2), Munro (3) P: McAlister (2)
HURRICANES T: Tialata P: Kirkpatrick (4) Andrew Hore

WARATAHS 3 - 23 CHEETAHS

SYDNEY FOOTBALL STADIUM - Saturday 19th March 2011
WARATAHS P: Beale
CHEETAHS T: Snyman, Pretorius C: S Ebersohn (2) P: S Ebersohn (3)

LIONS 15 - 27 FORCE

ELLIS PARK, JOHANNESBURG - Saturday 19th March 2011
LIONS P: Jantjies (4) DG: Jantjies
FORCE T: Cummins, Mafi C: Shepherd P: O'Connor (5) James O'Connor

BULLS 13 - 23 STORMERS

LOFTUS VERSFELD, PRETORIA - Saturday 19th March 2011
BULLS T: Basson C: Steyn P: Steyn (2)
STORMERS T: Habana P: Grant (6)

 

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WEEK 4

 

THE Emirates WESTERN FORCE came agonisingly close to picking up what would have been a deserved first win of the season against the BLUES on Saturday night. However had to settle for a share of the spoils when an after the buzzer penalty from Blues’ replacement fly-half Stephen Brett saw the scores locked at 22 apiece.

Youngster James O’Connor continued his outstanding season with 17 of the club’s points and was ably backed up by excellent contributions from team mates across the park. The West Aussies made their intentions clear from the outset as they took an early lead and maintained their advantage all the way through until Brett’s last gasp successful penalty.

FOR the first 40 minutes the CRUSADERS hiccupped their way to a 19-10 lead over the BRUMBIES in their Super Rugby match at Trafalgar Park in Nelson, but by 47 seconds into the second half they had turned the game around en route to a 52-10 win.

Whereas indecision and failure to secure possession had proved costly for the Crusaders during the first half, it was precision plus during the third quarter when a long pass from the re-start by second five-eighths Sonny Bill Williams allowed consummate playmaker Dan Carter to slip the ball through two tacklers to centre Robbie Fruean and he fed wing Sean Maitland in for the second of four tries he scored on the night.

That changed the nature of the game and the Crusaders ran rampant in what turned out to be a suitable celebration of lock Chris Jack's 100th game for the side. 

The HURRICANES held out a fast-finishing CHIEFS side to claim an exciting 29-26 win at Westpac Stadium.

The home side were outscored by three tries to two but some superb goal-kicking from first five-eighths Aaron Cruden and Daniel Kirkpatrick got them across the line.

It took 22 minutes before the first points were scored but the Chiefs could have had a try as early as the opening minute after lock Jason Eaton botched the kick-off.

In a close run game, the match still hung in the balance when Nanai-Williams scored a try in the corner with less than two minutes to go - Hurricanes nerves were jangling.

But Delany missed the conversion and the Hurricanes held on for a vital win.

THE LIONS ended their 17-match winless streak in Vodacom Super Rugby following their 25-20 victory over the Toyota CHEETAHS at the Free State Stadium on Saturday.

The Johannesburg team last secured a win in the competition during May 2009, and managed to do just enough to see off the home challenge of their Bloemfontein hosts in this South African derby.

The Lions flyhalf Elton Jantjies notched up 15 points with the boot by kicking five penalties while the Johannesburg team’s tries were added by winger Lionel Mapoe and flanker Derick Minnie. The Toyota Cheetahs’ points were achieved thanks to a try by captain and centre Andries Strauss while flyhalf Sias Ebersohn notched up 15 points by kicking five penalties.

The SHARKS re-wrote the record books on Friday after they set a new South African milestone for the most number of victories (24) over Australian opposition when they ran in four tries and defeated the REBELS 34-32 in Melbourne.

The Durban team, together with the DHL Stormers, are the only undefeated teams in the 2011 competition and is currently in pole position on the South African Conference and combined conference logs with 18 points.

Hooker Bismarck du Plessis, winger Lwazi Mvovo, centre Meyer Bosman and No 8 Ryan Kankowski were the try scorers for the visitors while flyhalf Patrick Lambie succeeded by converting all of his team’s five pointers at the AAMI Stadium on Friday. The former SA U20 fullback also kicked two penalties to end the match with a personal points’ haul of 14. Lambie is currently the leading points’ scorer in the 2011 Vodacom Super Rugby competition with 65 points and is 15 behind the Crusaders Dan Carter (50).

The Rebels’ tries were scored by Cooper Vuna, Daniel Cipriani, Jarrod Saffy and Julien Huxley. Cipriani kicked three conversions and two penalties. The Melbourne team are currently in 14th position on the combined log with six log points.

Meanwhile in Cape Town, the DHL STORMERS consigned the HIGHLANDERS to their first defeat of the 2011 Vodacom Super Rugby competition following their 18-6 victory at DHL Newlands on Friday evening.

Both teams were solid on defence and as a result no tries were scored in this match. Peter Grant kicked six penalties for the hosts, while his opposite number Robbie Robinson kicked two for the Otago team.

The victory for the DHL Stormers ensured that they ended round four in fourth position on the combined log with 16 points, and in second place on the South African conference.

 

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RESULTS

CRUSADERS 52 - 10 BRUMBIES

TRAFALGAR PARK, NELSON - Friday 11th March 2011
CRUSADERS T: Maitland (4), Williams, Dagg C: Carter (4), Berquist P: Carter (4)
BRUMBIES T: Giteau C: Giteau P: Giteau Giteau

MELBOURNE REBELS 32 - 34 SHARKS

MELBOURNE RECTANGULAR STADIUM - Friday 11th March 2011
REBELS T:  Vuna, Huxley, Cipriani, Saffy C: Cipriani (3) P:  Cipriani (2) Cooper Vuna
SHARKS T: BW du Plessis, Mvovo, Kankowski, Bosman C: Lambie (4) P: Lambie (2)

STORMERS 18 - 6 HIGHLANDERS

NEWLANDS STADIUM, CAPE TOWN - Friday 11th March 2011
STORMERS P: Grant (6)
HIGHLANDERS P: Robinson (2) Jarrad Hoeata

HURRICANES 29 - 26 CHIEFS

WESTPAC STADIUM, WELLINGTON - Saturday 12th March 2011
HURRICANES T: Schwalger, Keats C: Cruden, Kirkpatrick P: Cruden (3), Kirkpatrick (2)
CHIEFS T: Donald, Waldrom, Nanai-Williams C: Donald P: Donald (2), Delany

FORCE 22 - 22 BLUES

PERTH OVAL - SATURDAY 12th March 2011
FORCE T: Cummins C: O'Connor P: O'Connor (5) Jono Jenkins
BLUES T: Mealamu C: Brett P: McAlister (4), Brett

CHEETAHS 20 - 25 LIONS

FREE STATE STADIUM, BLOEMFONTEIN - Saturday 12th March 2011
CHEETAHS T: Strauss P: S Ebersohn (5)
LIONS T: Mapoe, Minnie P: Jantjies (5) James Kamana

 

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WEEK 3

 

THE St.George REDS won against the BRUMBIES in Canberra for the first time to record their 2nd win of the Super Rugby 2011 season. In a performance considered by many as ‘workmanlike’ the Reds ground out the win thanks in part to Quade Cooper’s boot and ability at flyhalf.

Poor discipline by the Brumbies led to the Reds taking the lead with a penalty kick by Cooper at 2 minutes into the game. Cooper stood out scoring 26 points with conversions, penalties and a field goal that Cooper himself described as ‘Ugly but over’.

The Brumbies scored four tries but the Reds were up to the challenge hitting back at every opportunity to keep the Reds in the game.

A home game that promised plenty was quickly turned on its head for the Emirates WESTERN FORCE as they faced tournament fore-runners SHARKS, with injuries to outside centre Mitch Inman (elbow) and star flanker David Pocock (knee) within the opening ten minutes.

The home side’s job made even harder when Inman’s replacement Rory Sidey was red carded shortly after. While the Emirates Western Force battled hard, the Sharks made full use of their advantage to record a 39-12 victory at nib Stadium, their third successive win to start the Super Rugby season.

THE HSBC WARATAHS suffered their first loss of the 2011 Super Rugby season, going down 33-18 to the CRUSADERS at Trafalgar Park, Nelson.

Each side scored three tries, however a perfect night with the boot from flyhalf Dan Carter delivered the Crusaders their first win of the season in emotional circumstances. The result comes just ten days after the Christchurch earthquake and in a match which was already being played as a tribute to the victims of the Pike River mine disaster last November.

The RaboDirect REBELS failed to back up their round two victory, falling 38-10 to the CHIEFS at a wet Waikato Stadium. The hosts better handled the greasy conditions as persistent errors pockmarked the Rebels display.  

A Gareth Delve try was bettered by four from the Chiefs as the home side’s possession and control ground the Rebels into submission and secured them a bonus point for their efforts. 

Much of the Rebels’ difficulties began at the set pieces, with the lineout particularly vulnerable. As with last week, Mark Gerrard’s searching kicks from fullback proved a feature of the game, one swing of the fullback’s boot frequently turning defence into attack. Further forward, Danny Cipriani’s probing grubbers earned good field position, but fragility at the set pieces denied them opportunities to convert promise into points.

THE SHARKS ended round three in pole position on the combined Super Rugby log following their 39-12 win over the WESTERN FORCE at the nib Stadium in Perth.

The Durban franchise secured their third win of the 2011 competition by running in five tries as they achieved their first bonus point victory of the season. Odwa Ndungane, Bismarck du Plessis, Steven Sykes, Willem Alberts and Patrick Lambie were the try scorers for the visitors. Lambie kicked four conversions and two penalties.

The Sharks dominated most periods of the game and played an attacking brand of rugby as they troubled the Western Force defence. The hosts’ only points came via four penalty kicks which were scored by James O'Connor.

The Vodacom BULLS conceded their first home defeat since April 2008 on Saturday when the HIGHLANDERS ended their 20-match “home” winning streak by securing a 35-28 win at Loftus Versfeld.

The Otago franchise ran in four tries in this match which saw the Pretoria team miss numerous first-time tackles. The Highlanders also dominated the breakdown while the defending champions were guilty of making numerous handling errors throughout the game.

The Vodacom Bulls ran in three tries from Flip van der Merwe, Fourie Du Preez and Bjorn Basson. Morne Steyn kicked three penalties and two conversions.

The Highlanders’ tries came from Kade Poki, Man of the Match Adam Thomson and Josh Bekhuis. Veteran fly half Tony Brown kicked three conversions and a penalty while Robbie Robinson also kicked two penalties.

The DHL STORMERS secured their second home victory after they managed to grind out a 21-15 win over the Toyota CHEETAHS at Newlands.

The points scoring in this match were dominated by the boots of DHL Stormers Peter Grant and Toyota Cheetahscaptain Naas Olivier.

Neither the hosts nor their opponents threatened each other’s try line with very few try scoring opportunities being created in this match. Both teams failed to gain much rhythm due to the many handling and unforced errors conceded during the 80 minutes. Grant kicked seven penalties while Olivier added four. The Bloemfontein team’s fifth penalty was kicked by substitute fullback Riaan Viljoen.

Meanwhile the LIONS conceded their 17th consecutive defeat following their 41-32 loss against the BLUES at Coca-Cola Park on Friday.

The Johannesburg team achieved their first bonus point victory for scoring four tries this season after Jano Vermaak, flanker Joshua Strauss, Warren Whitley and Doppies la Grange scored tries for the hosts. Elton Jantjies kicked three conversions and two conversions.

The Blues winger Rene Ranger added a brace while Joe Rokocoko, Jared Payne and Alby Mathewson were the other try scorers for the visitors.

 

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RESULTS

CRUSADERS 33 - 18 WARATAHS

TRAFALGAR PARK, NELSON - Friday 4th March 2011
CRUSADERS T: Fruean (2), Williams C: Carter (3) P: Carter (4)
WARATAHS T: Carter, Burgess, Pakalani P: Beale

LIONS 32 - 41 BLUES

ELLIS PARK, JOHANNESBURG - Friday 4th March 2011
LIONS T: Vermaak, Whiteley, la Grange, Strauss C: Jantjies (3) P: Jantjies (2)
BLUES T: Rokocoko, Payne, Ranger (2), Mathewson C: McAlister (4), Brett P: McAlister DG: McAlister Kurtis Haiu

CHIEFS 38 - 10 MELBOURNE REBELS

WAIKATO STADIUM, HAMILTON - Saturday 5th March 2011
CHIEFS T: Sivivatu, Masaga (2), Taumalolo C: Donald (3) P: Donald (4)
REBELS T: Delve C: Cipriani P: Cipriani

BRUMBIES 25 - 31 REDS

CANBERRA STADIUM - Saturday 5th March 2011
BRUMBIES T: Moore, McCabe, Vaea, Alexander C: Giteau P: Giteau
REDS T: Higginbotham C: Cooper P: Cooper (7) DG: Cooper Ben Daley

FORCE 12 - 39 SHARKS

PERTH OVAL - Saturday 5th March 2011
FORCE P: J O'Connor (4) Nick Cummins Rory Sidey
SHARKS T: Ndungane, BW du Plessis, Sykes, Alberts, Lambie C: Lambie (4) P: Lambie (2)

STORMERS 21 - 15 CHEETAHS

NEWLANDS STADIUM, CAPE TOWN - Saturday 5th March 2011
STORMERS P: Grant (7)
CHEETAHS P: Olivier (4), Viljoen (2)

BULLS 28 - 35 HIGHLANDERS

LOFTUS VERSFELD, PRETORIA - Saturday 5th March 2011
BULLS T: van der Merwe (56), du Preez (67), Basson C: Steyn (2) P: Steyn (3)
HIGHLANDERS T: Thomson, Bekhuis, Poki (2) C: Brown (3) P: Robinson (2), Brown

 

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WEEK 2

 

A transformed MELBOURNE REBELS side arrived at the Rectangular Stadium this week to face the BRUMBIES on Friday, following their 0-43 point drubbing in the first round of the tournament.

Former London Wasps and England import Danny Cipriani brushed aside any fallout worries of his alleged nightclub shenanigans from the previous weekend and kicked the homeside to victory. Cipriani scored 20 of the 25 points that saw the new Super Rugby franchise clock up their first win, with a 72nd minute try from Australian international, Stirling Mortlock, adding another 5 points.

The visitors went into the break with a 7 point lead thanks to a Pat McCabe try converted by Matt Giteau who also added three penalties. But despite a 75th minute try from Henry Speight and a drop goal from Giteau, the failed conversion meant the Brumbies had to be content with a losing bonus point rather than the draw.

On Saturday in Sydney, the NSW WARATAHS ran roughshod over the REDS in no polite fashion. The Queensland visitors could only muster two penalties from the Australian sensation, Quade Cooper. The Waratahs, in the meantime, notched up a 10 point lead at the interval with tries from Drew Mitchell and David Dennis, and two penalties from Berrick Barnes. HT: 10-0.

The onslaught continued after the break with another two tries from Lachie Turner and Benn Robinson, both converted by Kurtley Beale who took over kicking duties. The homeside waltzed their way to a 30-6 victory against a poor opposition.

IN New Zealand Super Rugby took a back seat following the devastating earthquake in Christchurch. Sadly, Crusaders Board Member and former Mid-Canterbury Rugby Football Union Chairman Philip McDonald is among those who perished in the earthquake.

The Crusaders –with the support of the New Zealand Rugby Union and SANZAR– withdrew from their Super Rugby match against the Hurricanes in Wellington and the match is deemed a draw. Crusaders Chief Executive Hamish Riach said the decision not to travel to Wellington this weekend came after discussions between the Crusaders coaches, senior players and Crusaders’ Board.

“After all that has happened here in Christchurch and with so many lives affected by this event, we have decided it would not be appropriate to play. All of the Crusaders players, team management, staff and board members have been directly affected by this terrible tragedy and it’s our desire to stay here and support our families and community at this time.”

Hurricanes Chairman Paul Collins said: “We fully support the Crusaders’ decision not to play this fixture and we wish to extend our sympathies to everyone who has been affected by this tragedy.”

NZRU Chief Executive Steve Tew said the NZRU will also work with its rugby family on how rugby as a sport can appropriately acknowledge the tragedy in Christchurch and support efforts to help those affected. “Our support and solidarity is with those affected by the earthquake, especially those who have lost loved ones and our thanks to all those New Zealanders and from further afield who have sent messages of support to and through New Zealand Rugby.”

The other NZ match did go ahead and the CHIEFS ran out on Carisbrook alongside the HIGHLANDERS wearing black arm bands in recognition of all of the people affected by the Christchurch Earthquake.

The Highlanders started off the game on the back foot with the Chiefs holding 71% of the territory in the first half. Mike Delany's form could not be faltered as he converted 2 penalties along with his own try to bring the halftime score to 13-6.

The visitors held up a try by the Highlanders at the beginning of the second half but persistence allowed Nasi Manu to bring the game to a draw with a Robbie "the kid" Robinson conversion.

The Chiefs' went down to 14 players when Tawera Kerr-Barlow was yellow carded, and the Highlanders notched up another penalty. A final flourish from Kade Poki saw the final game score 23-13 to the homeside.

THE DHL STORMERS continued the second longest winning streak against a single opponent in Vodacom Super Rugby history by continuing a 10-match winning run against the LIONS after they secured a 19-16 victory in a match that could have gone either way.

The Johannesburg team dominated most of the territory and possession of the first half, but trailed the hosts 9-8 at half time. Super Rugby rookie Gary van Aswegen kicked three penalties for the Stormers while the Lions points in the first half came thanks to a try by Waylon Murray and a penalty kick by Elton Jantjies.

Jantjies added a second penalty after the restart before man of the match Jaco Taute scored in the corner to hand the visitors a 16-9 lead. Louw crashed over the try line to steer the hosts to their first victory of the 2011 championship.

The SHARKS ended round two in first position on the South African Conference log and in second position on the overall standings after they secured a 26-12 victory over the BLUES in Durban.

The hosts dominated the match and were rewarded with two tries from man of the match Patrick Lambie and JP Pietersen. Lambie kicked four penalties and two conversions to end the game with a personal points haul of 21.

The Blues never threatened the Sharks’ try line and were guilty of numerous handling errors throughout the game. Their only points came via the boots of Stephen Brett (3) and Luke McAlister.

The Vodacom BULLS left it late, but had enough fire power in the final quarter of their match against the Toyota CHEETAHS to defeat the hosts 25-23 at the Free State Rugby Stadium.

The Bloemfontein team enjoyed a 23-8 lead, but failed to close off the game and secure a rare first Super Rugby home win against the defending champions.

Bulls scrum half Fourie du Preez celebrated his 100th Vodacom Super Rugby point against the Toyota Cheetahs after he added his 20th try in the history of the competition.

The defending champions’ other points came from tries from Bakkies Botha and Danie Rossouw. Morne Steyn kicked two penalties and two conversions.

The Toyota Cheetahs’ tries were notched up by Ashley Johnson, Andries Strauss and Robert Ebersohn. Fly half Naas Olivier kicked two penalties and one conversion. The result for the hosts ensured that they ended round two in fifth position on the South African conference with one log point.

 

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RESULTS

CHEETAHS 23 - 25 BULLS

FREE STATE STADIUM, BLOEMFONTEIN - Friday 25th February 2011
CHEETAHS  T: A Strauss, R Ebersohn, A Johnson C: N Olivier P: N Olivier (2) W Steenkamp
BULLS T: J Botha, F du Preez, D Rossouw C: M Steyn (2) P: M Steyn (2)

MELBOURNE REBELS 25 - 24 BRUMBIES

MELBOURNE RECTANGULAR STADIUM - Friday 25th February 2011
REBELS T: S Mortlock C: N D Cipriani Olivier P: D Cipriani (6)
BRUMBIES T: P McCabe, H Speight C: M Giteau P: M Giteau (3) DG: M Giteau

HIGHLANDERS 23 - 13 CHIEFS

CARISBROOK, DUNEDIN - Friday 25th February 2011
HIGHLANDERS T: N Manu, K Poki C: R Robinson (2) P: R Robinson, L Sopoaga (2)
CHIEFS T: M Delany C: M Delany P: M Delany (2)

STORMERS 19 - 16 LIONS

NEWLANDS STADIUM, CAPE TOWN - Saturday 26th February 2011
STORMERS T: P Louw C: P Grant P: P Grant, G van Aswegen (3) D Fourie
LIONS T: J Taute, W Murray P: E Jantjies (2)

SHARKS 26 - 12 BLUES

KINGS PARK STADIUM, DURBAN - Saturday 26th February 2011
SHARKS T: P Lambie, J Pietersen C: P Lambie (2) P: P Lambie (4)
BLUES P: S Brett (3), L McAlister

WARATAHS 30 - 6 REDS

SYDNEY FOOTBALL STADIUM - Saturday 26th February 2011
WARATAHS T: D Dennis, B Robinson, L Turner, D Mitchell C: K Beale (2) P: B Barnes (2)
REDS  P: Q Cooper (2)

HURRICANES D - D CRUSADERS

WESTPAC STADIUM, WELLINGTON - Saturday 26th February 2011

SANZAR CEO Greg Peters announced that the Crusaders would withdraw from their Super Rugby match against the Hurricanes in Wellington, following the devastating earthquake that struck Christchurch. All the SANZAR rugby nations New Zealand, South Africa and Australia stand behind the Crusaders and their decision.

SANZAR executive committee involving all three countries had agreed to declare the Hurricanes v Crusaders match a draw and the competition points would be shared evenly between the two franchises.

 

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WEEK 1

 

ROUND 1 of the new expanded Super Rugby competition kicked off in style with more than 64,800 people turning out to the three Australian games in Melbourne, Canberra and Brisbane while a record number of viewers tuned into Fox Sports’ coverage of the first round of action across the weekend.

The record number of viewers started to accumulate during the highly anticipated debut of the new MELBOURNE REBELS on Friday night in their game against the NSW WARATAHS at AAMI Park. Unfortunately for the Rebels the result was not remotely as expected with the homeside accumulating two yellow cards and no points as the visitors saw them off 0-43.

On Saturday night the BRUMBIES took on the CHIEFS in the nation’s capital The home side ought off a late charge from the Chiefs to open their 2011 Super Rugby campaign with a hard-fought win at Canberra Stadium, 28-20.

Then on Sunday the REDS vs FORCE secured a larger audience than any of the 2010 regular season Super Rugby matches. St.George Reds fly half Quade Cooper has celebrated his 50th game for Queensland with a thrilling 21-20 victory over the Western Force. The Reds were forced to come back from a 12-6 halftime deficit with hookers Saia Faingaa and James Hanson grabbing five-pointers in the last quarter of the match. Cooper secured the victory with a clutch conversion in the 75th minute after Hanson drove his way across the line from close range.

With more people playing and watching the game and with Super Rugby delivering more teams, more games and more finals 2011 is shaping as an exciting year for Rugby in Australia.

THE HIGHLANDERS began their Super Rugby campaign with an away win against the HURRICANES. A Jimmy Cowan break halfway through the first half led to the only try in this the first Super Rugby match in the 2011 competition.  Highlanders first five, Lima Sopoaga, latched on to a no-look Cowan pass and dived over uncontested to give the Highlanders a first half lead which they did not relinquish.

The Highlanders went into the break leading 11 points to 6, and replacement Robbie Robinson added a penalty to maintain the visitors lead – 14 points to 9.

The BLUES kicked off their 2011 Super Rugby campaign in emphatic fashion, defeating the CRUSADERS 24-22 in a thriller at Eden Park on Saturday night.

Trailing by 6-19 at half time, the Blues showed incredible resolve to stage a dramatic comeback, scoring three second half tries to clinch their first victory over the Crusaders since 2007.

THE SHARKS are the first local franchise to top the South African conference in the Vodacom Super Rugby after they kicked off their 2011 campaign with a 24-9 victory over the Toyota CHEETAHS on Saturday.

Only two tries were scored in this match as both teams found it difficult to play much attacking rugby due to the wet and rainy conditions in Durban.

The Sharks held an 8-3 lead at the break after fly half Patrick Lambie and the Toyota Cheetahs fly half Naas Oliver traded penalties during the first half.

Penalties continued on both side, and the final points of the game for the hosts came via the boot of Jacques–Louis Potgieter.

The Sharks celebrated the 100th Super Rugby cap of Adrian Jacobs in the final two minutes of the match.

Meanwhile the Vodacom BULLS celebrated scrum half Fourie du Preez’s 100th cap with a 24-20 victory against the LIONS as they kicked off their 2011 title defence in Johannesburg.

The Pretoria team were quickly out of the blocks and raced to a 15-0. Morne Steyn stretched Bulls’ lead to 18-0 before Lions centre Waylon Murray scored his team's first try. Steyn kicked two further penalties to steer his side to a 24-5 half time lead.

The Lions fought their way back into the match when Martin Bezuidenhout and Warren Whitely both added tries after the restart. However their efforts were not enough as the defending champions held on to kick start their 2011 campaign with an away victory against their trans-Jukskei rivals.

 

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RESULTS

HURRICANES 9 - 14 HIGHLANDERS

WESTPAC STADIUM ,WELLINGTON - Friday 18th February 2011
HURRICANES P: A Cruden (3) M Nonu
HIGHLANDERS T: L Sopoaga P: R Robinson, L Sopoaga B Mitchell

MELBOURNE REBELS 0 - 43 WARATAHS

MELBOURNE RECTANGULAR STADIUM - Friday 18th February 2011
MELBOURNE REBELS G Robinson, K O'Neill
NSW WARATAHS T: K Beale, R Horne, P Waugh, D Mitchell (2), T Polota-Nau C: K Beale, B Barnes (3) D Mumm

BLUES 24 - 22 CRUSADERS

EDEN PARK, AUCKLAND - Saturday 19th February 2011
BLUES T: K Mealamu, T Woodcock, B Stanley P: S Brett
CRUSADERS T: A Ellis, S Maitland P: D Carter

BRUMBIES 28 - 20 CHIEFS

CANBERRA STADIUM - Saturday 19th February 2011
BRUMBIES T: S Ma'afu, F Fainifo, R Coleman C: M Giteau (2) P: M Giteau (3)
CHIEFS T: L Masaga, T Kerr-Barlow, S Sivivatu C: S Donald P: S Donald N White

SHARKS 24 - 9 CHEETAHS

KINGS PARK STADIUM, DURBAN - Saturday 19th February 2011
SHARKS T: B du Plessis, J Botes C: P Lambie P: P Lambie (3), J Potgieter
CHEETAHS P: N Olivier (3)

LIONS 20 - 24 BULLS

ELLIS PARK, JOHANNESBURG - Saturday 19th February 2011
LIONS T: W Murray, M Bezuidenhout, W Whiteley C: E Jantjies P: E Jantjies
BULLS T: Z Kirchner, G van den Heever C: M Steyn P: M Steyn (4) S Dippenaar

REDS 21 - 20 FORCE

LANG PARK, BRISBANE - Sunday 20th February 2011
REDS T: S Faingaa, J Hanson C: Q Cooper P: Q Cooper (3) R Davies
FORCE T: J O'Connor P: J O'Connor (5) M Hodgson

 

 

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