The Auckland Blues tore away the predictable facade of Super 14 rugby over the weekend, while the Canterbury Crusaders had their lack of depth exposed as the competition neared the half-way stage.
The Crusaders remain at the top of the league, and the Wellington Hurricanes relied on a last minute try and a questionable decision to cling to second, while the Blues’ upset win over the ACT Brumbies allowed the NSW Waratahs to leap ahead of their fellow Australian franchise into third.
The talent-laden Blues staggered through the first five rounds, but when they found on the weekend they have an explosive backline they produced a 26-15 win over the Brumbies.
It was a scrappy, error-filled game, but at least the Blues sent action the way of Joe Rokocoko and Anthony Tuitavake who carved holes in the Brumbies three-quarter line.
Fullback Isa Nacewa chimed in with 16 points from a try, three penalties and a conversion, helping the Blues to just their second win, while for the Brumbies it was only their first loss but they slipped to fourth on the table.
The gamble by the unbeaten Crusaders to rest six of their top echelon nearly backfired as they were held to 12-12 at half time by the Golden Cats, who have only scored one win.
It wasn’t until the Crusaders unleashed their heavy artillery in the second half, in particular the introduction of All Blacks Richie McCaw and Chris Jack soon after the break, that they gained the momentum they desperately lacked in the opening 40 minutes.
With Andrew Ellis also coming on to add new direction from halfback, after Kevin Senio had suffered behind a struggling pack in the first half, the Crusaders switched into high gear.
They mounted wave after wave of attacks to keep the Cats under pressure and ran in six tries to earn a bonus point, while Daniel Carter became the competition’s first centurion of the year with five conversions and a penalty to take his tally to 107.
The Hurricanes snatched a 26-23 thriller from the Northern Bulls when hooker Andrew Hore drove over with three minutes on the clock at Loftus Versfeld to give the New Zealanders two wins from three outings in South Africa.
But the Bulls were left seething over a second-half decision by the television match official who disallowed a try saying wing Akona Ndungane ”had no control over the ball” when television replays showed Ndungane grounded the ball with the front of his body above the waist.
The Waratahs inflicted further pain on newcomers Western Force, who have yet to register a point on the table, running in four tries to win 32-7.
With the bonus point the Waratahs moved into third position on 23 points, four clear of the Brumbies and one behind the Hurricanes.
Tony Brown, once the hero of the Otago Highlanders, steered his new team the Coastal Sharks to a 26-11 victory over his former teammates.
His aerial bombardment late in the game kept the Highlanders pinned deep in their own half, helping the Sharks break free of an 11-11 deadlock with 18 minutes remaining.
In the battle of the middle order, Central Cheetahs flyhalf Meyer Bosman struck eight penalty-goals and a conversion for a personal tally of 26 points to lead his side to a 31-25 win over the Western Stormers.
It lifted the Cheetahs into sixth position, ahead of the Highlanders, while the Stormers slip to 10th, a point ahead of the Blues. – AFP
