The Canterbury Crusaders remained unbeaten and the expansion Western Force stayed winless as the ninth round of rugby union’s Super 14 provided both blockbuster and B-grade attractions. The Crusaders edged the New South Wales Waratahs 17-11 in a star-studded cliffhanger which had hype and intensity but lacked the final plot twist which might have made it more memorable.
The inconsistent Auckland Blues picked up their first bonus point of the Super 14 season on Saturday with a 32-15 victory over the the Western Stormers. Fill-in flyhalf Isa Nacewa contributed 17 of the Blues’ points as the star-studded side moved up one place to 10th to remain in the unflattering bottom half of the table after eight matches.
The Canterbury Crusaders maintained their unbeaten record and took over the lead in rugby union’s Super 14 on Friday with a 17-11 win over the New South Wales Waratahs. The Crusaders edged the Waratahs two tries to one, posting their eighth win from as many starts to lead the competition by two points.
The New South Wales Waratahs and the Canterbury Crusaders will settle the Super 14 rugby pecking order on Friday and nothing will be more crucial than the head-to-head battle between flankers Richie McCaw and Phil Waugh. McCaw, the All Black captain-in-waiting, has faced a barrage of media criticism this week.
All Blacks number eight Sione Lauaki scored a vital second-half try for the Waikato Chiefs Saturday on their way to a 16-13 win over the Otago Highlanders in Super 14 rugby. Lauaki’s 62nd-minute try, a reward for a sustained and bruising performance, separated the teams, giving breathing space to the Chiefs.
The Canterbury Crusaders shrugged off a midseason bye to beat the Wellington Hurricanes 20-11 on Saturday and retain their unbeaten record in rugby’s Super 14. Soft first-half tries to hooker Corey Flynn and halfback Andy Ellis gave the Crusaders a 17-6 half-time lead.
The Auckland Blues answered their critics with a 30-17 win over the Northern Bulls in Auckland on Friday to produce their third win from seven matches and put a dent in the Bulls’ hopes of making the Super 14 top four. The inconsistent Blues have been under the microscope in the past week, with a host of rugby brains called in to help exorcise the ineptness that has plagued their season.
The unbeaten Canterbury Crusaders face fellow competition leaders the Wellington Hurricanes this weekend on the first leg of a two-week campaign that should unravel the cluttered top end of the Super 14 table. The following week they play the New South Wales Waratahs, who co-lead the championship with the Hurricanes.
A classy 83 from Brian Lara and an unbeaten 70 from Runako Morton carried the West Indies to 256 for four against New Zealand before further rain brought an early end to the second day of the third and final cricket Test in Napier on Sunday. Only 78 overs have been possible in the first two days, and with more rain forecast over coming days, the chance of an outright decision is becoming remote.
The NSW Waratahs’ demolition of an inept Auckland Blues caterpulted them from third to the top of the Super 14 ladder at the weekend joining the Wellington Hurricanes who produced another late win, this time over the Sharks. The unbeaten Canterbury Crusaders, who had a bye, slipped to third but only one point behind and with a game in hand, while the ACT Brumbies clung on to a two-point win over the Waikato Chiefs.
The Canterbury Crusaders endured an anxious mid-race pitstop in rugby union’s Super 14 on the weekend, sitting idle as New South Wales and Wellington passed them and the ACT Brumbies closed in on them from behind. The Brumbies’ thrilling 28-26 win over the Waikato Chiefs on Saturday, inspired by a man-of-the-match performance from captain Stirling Mortlock, helped them consolidate fourth place and move within four points of the Crusaders.
Brian Lara’s battle against a form slump brightened an autumn gloom on the first day of the third cricket Test between New Zealand and the West Indies on Saturday. Only 27.2 overs were bowled on a day which started more than five hours late because of a saturated outfield and ended an hour early because of bad light, but the hour and 49 minutes that intervened belonged to Lara.
The Wellington Hurricanes overtook the Canterbury Crusaders as leaders of the Super 14 rugby competition on Friday by beating South Africa’s Sharks 23-17 to start off the seventh round. The Crusaders had a bye as the regular season reached its halfway point.
The West Indies are hoping for a massive reversal of fortunes in the final Test against New Zealand in Napier on Saturday while the hosts are looking to pull off a clean sweep in preparation for their expected tough tour of South Africa. Despite their 10-wicket loss in the second Test in Wellington being the West Indies’ eighth successive defeat, coach Bennett King claimed his team’s spirits were still intact.
New Zealand television network C4 apologised on Thursday for showing an episode of South Park that featured a bleeding statue of the Virgin Mary, and pledged not to repeat the episode. Roman Catholic bishops and church members condemned the decision to air the show, and on Thursday dismissed the channel’s ”so-called sincere apology” as ”self-serving”.
The Wellington Hurricanes return from overseas to confront a South African opponent on home turf on Friday at the start of the seventh round of rugby union’s Super 14. In the absence of the competition leaders, the Canterbury Crusaders — who have a bye — the Hurricanes have the chance to move into first place if they can dispatch the Sharks.
Stephen Fleming led New Zealand to an emphatic 10-wicket victory over the West Indies on the fourth day of the second cricket Test, to wrap up the series 2-0 with a game to spare in Wellington on Monday. In terms of overs bowled, the win was achieved in just three days of cricket with only foul weather forcing play into the fourth day.
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.
Henno Mentz and Jaques Botes scored second-half tries and Tony Brown landed 11 points against his former teammates to give South Africa’s Sharks a 26-11 win over the Otago Highlanders in a Super 14 rugby match on Saturday. Mentz scored the first try of the second half in the 65th minute, snapping an 11-11 deadlock at Carisbrook and pushing the Durban-based Sharks towards their second win in six matches this season.
All Blacks Leon MacDonald and Aaron Mauger scored two tries each on Friday to give the Canterbury Crusaders a bonus point from a 43-15 win over South Africa’s Cats. Fullback MacDonald and centre Mauger both scored tries in each half, All Blacks lock Chris Jack and halfback Andy Ellis added others as the Crusaders ensured their place at the top of the championship ladder cannot be overtaken in the sixth round.
The powerful Canterbury Crusaders will put their self-confidence to the test against the lowly Cats on Friday, trying to strengthen their hold on the Super 14 rugby championship while resting six front-line players, including captain Richie McCaw. The second-placed Wellington Hurricanes remain in South African to play the Bulls.
A powerful six from West Indies opener Chris Gayle inadvertently put New Zealand on course for a dramatic 27-run win in the first cricket Test at Eden Park in Auckland on Monday. It was New Zealand’s lowest Test winning margin, extending the West Indies losing streak to seven.
The West Indies on Saturday batted and bowled themselves into a position to break a streak of six straight Test-match losses. On the third day of the first cricket Test against New Zealand, openers Chris Gayle and Daren Ganga kept their wickets intact for more than an hour before stumps to leave the tourists 48 without loss when play ended.
All Blacks flyhalf Daniel Carter scored a try and kicked 10 points on Friday to give the Canterbury Crusaders a 25-19 win over the Waikato Chiefs in a Super 14 rugby match. Carter scored within 15 seconds of the kick-off at Waikato Stadium, charging down a clearing kick from his opposite number, Stephen Donald.
The coaches of the Crusaders and Blues have lashed out at each other over ”negative” play after the best Super 14 rugby match of the season in which the Crusaders won 39-10. Crusaders coach Robbie Deans launched the outburst by accusing the Blues of being negative, and the Blues’ David Nucifora hit back, saying Deans should look at his own team’s first-half performance.
New Zealand is aiming to wrap up their one day cricket series 5-0 against the West Indies here on Saturday but already has one eye on the Test series starting next week. Spinner Daniel Vettori, sure to be a crucial member of the Test attack, is being rested for the final one dayer, although team management said there was no injury problem for the left-armer.
Lou Vincent compiled a watchful century, and Nathan Astle and Stephen Fleming made half-centuries on Wednesday to give New Zealand a 91-run victory over the West Indies in the fourth limited-overs cricket international. New Zealand compiled 324 for six at McLean Park after being sent in to bat.
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/ 26 February 2006
The Canterbury Crusaders rallied late for a 22-20 victory over South Africa’s Sharks on Saturday, keeping it within a point of the Wellington Hurricanes, while the Auckland Blues, Otago Highlanders and Bulls also won close games to improve their standing in rugby’s Super 14.
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/ 25 February 2006
All Blacks flyhalf Daniel Carter kicked a long-range dropped goal with eight minutes remaining on Saturday to give the Canterbury Crusaders a 22-20 win over South Africa’s Sharks in rugby’s Super 14. Carter’s shot from 50m — the second dropped goal of his first-class career — gave Canterbury the lead for the first time in the match.
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/ 24 February 2006
The Wellington Hurricanes ran in four tries to one in a 29-16 win over gritty South African side the Cats in their Super 14 rugby clash in Wellington on Friday. The Cats defence disrupted the free-flowing Hurricanes backline in a match peppered with errors. Two touchdowns ensured a flattering scoreline for the home side.
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/ 24 February 2006
A South African grandmother caught carrying more than 3kg of cocaine hidden inside garden gnomes was found guilty of drug smuggling on Friday after a week-long trial in the Auckland High Court. Linda Martin (52) had denied the charge, claiming she had been framed by a Nigerian drug ring that put the four drug-filled gnomes into a suitcase she was carrying.
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/ 23 February 2006
Four teams without a win after two rounds of rugby’s Super 14 have been drawn against each other in the third round starting on Friday, increasing pressure to lift their games. Australia’s Western Force play the Waikato Chiefs on Friday, and the Auckland Blues meet the Queensland Reds on Saturday in matches which may determine which of those teams remain competition contenders.