The Auckland Blues kept their faint Super 14 semifinal hopes alive with a pulsating 19-17 win over the Wellington Hurricanes in Auckland on Friday. Trailing 16-17 at half-time, the Blues scored the only points of the second period when fullback Nick Evans kicked his fourth penalty to give his side what turned out to be a match-winning lead.
The Canterbury Crusaders wrapped up top spot going into the Super 14 play-offs but the battle for the remaining three berths stayed wide open after the penultimate round over the weekend. With one game to play, six teams hold a mathematical chance of joining the Crusaders in the semifinals.
The Auckland Blues beat their New Zealand rivals the Otago Highlanders 40-15 at Dunedin on Saturday to keep alive their hopes of making the Super 14 semifinals. The Blues scored five tries to collect a valuable bonus point and move into the top four with only one round to go before the play-offs.
A bonus-point try in the final minute has kept the Auckland Blues’ Super 14 semifinal hopes flickering with a free-wheeling 35-22 win over the Queensland Reds on Friday. Scrumhalf Taniela Moa reached out to plant the ball on the tryline for the Blues’ fourth try to come away with a maximum five points and move to 31 points.
The Canterbury Crusaders strengthened their grip on the Super 14 with a nail-biting 26-22 win over the Auckland Blues on Friday, taking them a huge step closer to a home semifinal spot. During an often frantic clash, the Blues pounded the Crusaders’ line in the last 15 minutes, scoring one try and missing another two by the narrowest of margins.
The ACT Brumbies kept their Super 14 semifinal hopes alive with a tense 16-11 away win over an ill-disciplined Auckland Blues at Eden Park on Saturday. Needing a win to stay in touch with the teams above them, the Brumbies withstood some early Auckland pressure before slowly asserting their dominance.
The New South Wales Waratahs put a tumultuous week behind them to claim their first scoring bonus point of the season with a five-try spanking of the Auckland Blues in their Super 14 game on Saturday. The Waratahs gave their most accomplished performance of the season to down the third-placed Blues 37-16 to move into sixth place and press their semifinal claims.
Auckland flyhalf Nick Evans landed a drop goal seven minutes from time to guide the Blues to a 23-21 win over defending Super 14 champions the Bulls on Saturday. Evans, returning to the New Zealand franchise after two weeks out with concussion, also kicked two penalties and two conversions to help the Blues pinch victory despite the Bulls outscoring them three tries to two.
Six-time champions the Canterbury Crusaders have boosted their team for an anticipated tough battle with the New South Wales Waratahs in this weekend’s feature Super 14 rugby clash in Christchurch. The Crusaders have the opportunity to open up a potential eight-point gap at the top with a bonus-point victory over the Waratahs on Friday.
After a flying start to the season, the powerful Canterbury Crusaders are giving key players a breather for their Super 14 match against tail enders the Cheetahs on Saturday. Despite making six changes, the match remains crucial for the Crusaders with pressure on the regular bench-warmers to maintain the team’s unbeaten record.
Flanker Keegan Daniel scored a 16-second try to give the Sharks a perfect start en route to a 22-17 triumph over the Auckland Blues in a Super 14 thriller on Saturday. Daniel dotted down again as the home team took a 19-3 half-time advantage and then withstood fierce second-half pressure.
Auckland Blues edged ahead of Canterbury Crusaders to continue New Zealand’s early season dominance of rugby’s Super 14 competition with comprehensive victories in South Africa this weekend. The Blues and Crusaders, who between them have won nine of the 12 Super tournaments back to 1996, maintained their unbeaten starts to the Southern Hemisphere provincial series.
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/ 24 February 2008
It was a lesson in skill, speed and possession when the Blues outplayed the Lions 55-10 in a Super 14 match at Ellis Park on Saturday night. The early perception was that the Lions tried to stretch it just for the sake of stretching, with little structure to their forays. The Blues, on the other hand, looked dangerous every time they took it wide or inter-passed.
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/ 16 February 2008
The Blues scored three second-half tries to beat New Zealand rivals the Chiefs 32-14 in an entertaining Super 14 match in Auckland on Saturday. Lock Troy Flavell, winger Joe Rokocoko and replacement Ben Atiga took advantage of the tiring Waikato defence to cross the line after the Chiefs had led 11-8 at the interval.
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/ 4 December 2007
Rugby Sevens, the abbreviated form of rugby union, is seeking to ride the wave of popularity in the sport generated by the highly successful World Cup in France. The three-day season-opening Dubai leg of the World Series Sevens circuit attracted 32 000 spectators a day, but importantly offered a showcase for many future international stars.
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/ 29 September 2007
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New Zealand finished the World Cup pool stage in style with a spectacular demonstration of running and passing to demolish Romania 85-8 on Saturday. The All Blacks racked up 13 tries, three coming from flying winger Joe Rokocoko, as they blew away their opponents with some dazzling rugby to the delight of the packed crowd at the Stade Toulouse.
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/ 15 September 2007
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Odds-on World Cup favourites New Zealand brushed aside a spirited but hopelessly outclassed Portugal 108-13 in a Pool C game on Saturday, but it was not all plain sailing for the All Blacks. Portugal, the last of the 20 teams to qualify for the World Cup and with only three professionals in the match-day squad of 22, never gave up in the blistering heat at Stade Gerland.