The Hurricanes confirmed their early supremacy of Super Rugby in 2015 with a tight 22-18 victory against the Chiefs in a total war of attrition at the Cake Tin in Wellington on Saturday.
After 14 rounds they are guaranteed top spot on the overall log and with that crucial home ground advantage in the semifinals.
All of that and plenty more happened in yet another interesting round of Super Rugby.
The Chiefs initially withstood the onslaught from the Hurricanes and they even led 13-10 at the break. After the break the Hurricanes took the initiative and enjoyed forward dominance that resulted in a try for openside flanker Ardie Savea. But he the symptom, not the direct problem, simply being on hand to finish a fourth Hurricanes maul in a row.
Inside centre from the Hurricanes Ma’a Nonu completed his brace and scored his 50th try in Super Rugby after he intercepted a pass to run in untouched. Flyhalf James Marshall added the conversion and the Hurricanes looked out of sight.
They impress with slick handling and with the ease with which they score tries. The Chiefs, however, would go down fighting after openside flanker Sam Cane forced his way over the chalk and with six minutes to play the game was up for grabs.
The Chiefs had a try disallowed in the final minute by referee Glen Jackson and with this call officiating in Super Rugby in 2015 again came under the spotlight as the Hurricanes snuck home and secured their 11th win of the season and they also stayed atop the overall log and the New Zealand Conference with 52 points.
The Chiefs are second in the New Zealand Conference and fourth on the overall log with 39 points.
On Friday the Blues hung on to beat the Bulls 23-18 at Eden Park in Auckland and the loss dealt the Bulls hopes of finishing atop the South African Conference a massive blow.
The Bulls employed a kicking game with flyhalf Handré Pollard, the only recognised kicker in the side, doing plenty of work with his boot. Pollard acquitted himself well but this error came back to bite the Bulls as he received no support from his teammates.
If you want to kick there must be three or four good kickers in your team, and even after a brace by inside centre Jan Serfontein the Bulls still came up short.
The bonus point they managed to accumulate sees them atop the South African Conference and in third spot on the overall log with 35 points but with a long, arduous tour still ahead they have a lot of work to do.
The Reds also dealt the playoff hopes of the Rebels a major blow in the tightly contested Australian Conference when they surprised friend and foe with a 46-29 victory over the men from Melbourne at the Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane.
After left wing Sefanaia Naivalu broke free and ran 80 metres to score for the Rebels in the first five minutes everyone thought the Reds would be put to shame again.
Exactly the opposite transpired with the Reds running in six unanswered tries after trailing 11-17 at the break. Reds-scrumhalf Will Genia inspired the fightback when he started to run and dart off the back of play again and when this happens the Reds run riot.
On Saturday the Waratahs got passed the Sharks 33-18 in a ill-tempered game at the Allianz Stadium in Sydney which saw the Sharks lose their sixth game on the trot.
The Sharks had numerous chances to put the Waratahs to bed as inside centre Frans Steyn and right wing Odwa Ndungane scored good tries. They came up short as their big name players like Steyn and outside centre JP Pietersen failed to stand up in the last 20 minutes.
After 60 minutes the Waratahs led 23-18 and proceeded to streak away when flyhalf Bernard Foley converted a penalty and scored a soft try to put the result beyond doubt. The Sharks’ players have lost confidence in their individual ability to win games and their season is going from bad to worse.
The Waratahs moved into second spot in the Australian Conference with the win and sixth spot on the overall log with 36 points.
Officiating again came under scrutiny with referee Rohan Hoffman having a very poor game. He made numerous basic refereeing errors and this can be disastrous in a closer game of bigger magnitude. World Rugby and SANZAR should be called upon to investigate because it is unacceptable that a referee with his ills can have such a big influence on a Super Rugby game.
The Brumbies reclaimed top spot in the Australian Conference and second spot on the overall log with a 30-20 victory over the Lions at Emirates Airlines Park in Johannesburg.
The Brumbies went a good way to winning this game with a three-try blitz in eight minutes in the first half. They led 22-6 at the break and it was a long way back for the Lions. Converted tries for the Lions by openside flanker Jaco Kriel and fullback Andries Coetzee in the second half were not quite enough as Brumbies-left wing Joe Tomane secured the bonus point and the win for the Brumbies who now have 38 points on both logs.
The Highlanders concluded the weekend with a thumping victory of 45-24 over the Cheetahs at the Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein in a match that included 10 tries.
The men from Dunedin ran the hapless Cheetahs ragged when they secured the four-try bonus point inside 30 minutes as fullback Ben Smith and outside centre Malakai Fekitoa ran circles around the Cheetahs.
The Highlanders led 26-3 at the break and a slight fightback from the Cheetahs ensued in the second period as both sides scored three good tries but the result were never in doubt.
The victory sees the Highlanders now occupy third spot in the New Zealand Conference and fifth spot on the overall log with 39 points.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.
Amid a week of soul-searching for Stephen Larkham’s men, the Brumbies have received a massive boost ahead of Saturday’s home clash against the ladder-leading…
Jordan Petaia may have played his last match for the Reds, with the off-contract Wallabies back to miss the rest of the Super Rugby…
How much does rugby compare in Europe vs. Australia? James Ramm highlights key positives since making the move to England from the Waratahs, speaking…
The Reds face a tough assignment this weekend playing the Blues. Alex Hodgman gives Christy Doran and Matt Toomua an insight into repping NZ…
The icing on the cake in the Western Force's win over the Crusaders was the return of Kurtley Beale. For former teammate Matt Toomua,…
The Super Rugby Women's competition is a sprint and the finish line, as it does each year, has come up fast. The results of…
