Brumbies’ power caused a massive upset in round two of DHL Super Rugby Pacific with a Sunday afternoon dazzler seeing the defending champion Crusaders beaten 50-24 in Christchurch.
That leaves the Crusaders winless to date, but for the Brumbies, it was their first win against the Crusaders in New Zealand since 2000, and it was their second-best effort against them, having won 51-16 in 2001. It was the third consecutive game the Brumbies have scored more than 30 points against the Crusaders. Most importantly, in terms of the competition, it was the fifth consecutive time the Brumbies have won away from home.
Hurricanes 52 Moana Pasifika 10
Putting their first round behind them, the Hurricanes may have conceded the first try to Moana Pasifika, but that was their only try, as the Hurricanes posted eight, wing Josh Moorby achieving a hat-trick, fellow wing Fehi Fineanganofo and No8 Brayden Iose two and centre Billy Proctor one. Yet, satisfying as the win was for coach Clark Laidlaw, the loss of first five-eighths Brett Cameron to an apparent knee injury, on the opposite knee to the ACL he suffered last year, was disappointing. “He worked so hard last year to do a five-and-a-half-month return from the ACL. He’s in great condition, had an awesome preseason and has been leading the team really well. It’s a hammer blow to him.”
The Hurricanes enjoyed a 24-5 halftime advantage, and with such a strong defensive showing, control in the lineouts (where newcomer Warner Dearns excelled), dominance in the scrums, and pace on the flanks, the home team were untroubled by all that the inexperienced Moana Pasifika side could throw at them. Moana Pasifika coach Tana Umaga said his side was not as ruthless in its skill set and that its kicking game was not as good as in its first-round win over the Drua. Fielding eight debutants was beneficial, and the coaching staff learned plenty about those players. “It’s only at this level that you’ll learn a lot around what they need to do to be better at Super Rugby.”
Hurricanes 52 (Josh Moorby 3, Fehi Fineanganofo 2, Brayden Iose 2, Billy Proctor tries; Brett Cameron con; Jordie Barrett 5 con) Moana Pasifika 10 (Patrick Pellegrini, Tuna Tuitama tries). HT: 24-5
Waratahs 36 Drua 13
Flanker Charlie Gamble made light of the heavy defence in the goalmouth to pick up the ball at speed from the base of a ruck, and skip past Drua players in a flash to open the scoring. Six minutes later, the Drua responded with a lineout take, quick hands, and a long pass to wing Taniela Rakuro, who scored in the corner. But the only remaining points the Drua scored were from two penalty goals, one in each half, which wasn’t enough. Wing Max Jorgensen hinted at second-half concerns when, with four minutes left in the first, he swivelled his hips to get room down the outside and run in a try for the Waratahs to lead 14-10 at the break.
Replacement hooker Ioane Moananu marked his debut for the Waratahs by scoring, with a low drive over the line, from his first touch of the ball, eight minutes into the half. Replacement lock Angus Blyth benefited from the Drua not securing a box kick 10 minutes later, while Moananu, off the back of a lineout maul, scored his second in the 61st minute and 45 seconds from the end, Jorgensen benefited from more lead-up work by No8 Pete Samu, to follow a kick ahead to score with hectares of unchallenged space.
Waratahs 36 (Charlie Gamble, Max Jorgensen 2, Ioane Moanunu 2, Angus Blyth tries; Lawson Creighton 3 con) Drua 13 (Taniela Rakuro try; Isaiah Armstrong-Ravula con, 2 pen). HT: 14-10
Highlanders 23 Chiefs 26
A blistering start at Forsyth Barr Stadium saw quick hands from No8 Lucas Casey and wing Caleb Tangitau put wing Jona Nareki in space to score the first try against the Chiefs. But the Chiefs went to the lineout maul in the eighth minute for hooker Samison Taukei’aho to score in response. But after 33 minutes, misery for the Highlanders when flanker Sean Withy was unable to pull in a cross-kick to the in-goal from first five-eighths Cameron Millar. The ball was still in play as Chiefs second five-eighths Quinn Tupaea took a quick drop out, recovered it, ran into space, then fed wing Leroy Carter into a 50-metre to score a turnaround try and a half-time lead of 14-7.
Two Millar penalty goals got the Highlanders within a point, but a pull on halfback Folau Fakatava’s arm out from an attacking ruck saw Chiefs lock Josh Lord pick up the ball and race into open spaces. He ran 50m, dummying this way and that before passing inside to locking partner Tupou Vaa’i, who was tackled short of the line where defender Nareki was sin-binned. The Chiefs failed to score in his 10-minute absence, with two tries ruled out, but the second he returned, the Highlanders failed to control the ball at a lineout five metres from the line, and Taukei’aho scored his second in the 62nd minute. Then a maul, five minutes later and a similar distance from the line, saw replacement flanker Kaylum Boshier extend the lead with a try. A kick to centerfield by Chiefs first five-eighths Josh Jacomb was fielded by fullback Jacob Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens. He fed a flying Tangitau who didn’t have a hand laid on him in a 50m run to the line. A consolation loser’s bonus point was achieved after the hooter when replacement loose forward Veveni Lasaqa scored out wide.
Highlanders 23 (Jona Nareki, Caleb Tangitau, Veveni Lasaqa,tries; Cameron Millar con, 2 pen) Chiefs 26 (Samisoni Taukei’aho 2, Leroy Carter, Kaylum Boshier tries; Josh Jacomb 3 con). HT: 7-14
Force 32 Blues 42
Achieving their desired start against the Force in Joondalup, Perth, the Blues took six minutes to demonstrate their hard core, which was able to cause problems for the home defence. Prop Josh Fusitu’a powered his way over the line for the opening try. The Force had their own contenders in the tight as prop Harry Johnson-Holmes showed similar ability six minutes later. The loss of hooker Brandon Paenga-Amosa to the sin bin did the Force no favours, and first five-eighths Stephen Perofeta benefited after the penalty when capping a series of forward drives with the simplest of tries. Try scorer supreme Carlo Tizzano got one back for the Force after the Blues conceded ball from a length-of-the-field move, only to turn the ball over and concede a 50:22 kick, and lineout play, just before halftime.
But with focus resumed, it was only 90 seconds before a blindside move saw flanker Dalton Papali’i give fullback Zarn Sullivan room down the sideline to run in an uncontested try. Problems with the strong wind behind them proved troublesome with long kicks going dead, but with the Force back within a point. Strong runs by centre AJ Lam and lock Josh Beehre allowed replacement flanker Torian Barnes to charge over in the 53rd minute to put eight points between the sides. That was backed up five minutes later with a charge from wing Caleb Clarke into the goalmouth, setting up fast ball for wing Cole Forbes to score. Beehre added to it in the 69th minute to extinguish hopes of a home comeback through tries to wing Bayley Kuenzle and Donaldson.
Force 32 (Harry Johnson-Holmes, Carlo Tizzano, Bayley Kuenzle, Ben Donaldson tries; Donaldson 3 con, 2 pen) Blues 42 (Josh Fusitu’a, Stephen Perofeta, Zarn Sullivan, Torian Barnes, Cole Forbes, Josh Beehre tries; Perofeta 6 con). HT: 17-14
Crusaders 24 Brumbies 50
An eighth-minute opening try for the Crusaders proved a false dawn for the home team in Christchurch. Skipper David Havili showed his power in getting across after a lineout maul, but the Brumbies showed telling patience in their buildup to their 19th-minute response as fullback Andy Muirhead charged into the line to take a short pass from halfback Ryan Lonergan at a ruck to break the defence to score. Hooker George Bell had a reward for his support running line to race 30m after wing Chay Fihaki had run onto a kick ahead to provide the impetus before Bell was on hand to score. But anything Bell could do, Brumbies prop James Slipper in his 200th Super Rugby game, was in support after a Muirhead bust to get the ball and score. A try three minutes from the break to No8 Charlie Cale off a five-metre scrum gave the visitors a 19-14 half-time lead.
The Crusaders, who had already had lock Antonio Shalfoon in the sin bin, couldn’t take advantage when the Brumbies lost lock Caderyn Neville to the bin, and it was the Brumbies, through centre Kadin Pritchard getting his hands on a kick ahead to run away and extend the lead, who took control. Wing Sevu Reece finally scored to get the Crusaders back in touch, but down to 13 active players, with Muirhead being treated for a jaw injury, the Brumbies still managed to use the short side to see Cale run away for his second. Home flanker Dom Gardiner was sin-binned for the Muirhead incident, but replacement wing Leicester Fainga’anuku kept them in the hunt with a try with 13 minutes left. However, the final say was with the Brumbies as replacement hooker Liam Bowron, flanker Rob Valetini and wing Corey Toole crossed in the final 10 minutes to rub salt into the Crusaders’ wounds.
Crusaders 24 (David Havili, George Bell, Sevu Reece, Leicester Fainga’anuku tries; Tahu Kemara 2 con) Brumbies 50 (Andy Muirhead, James Slipper, Charlie Cale 2, Kadin Pritchard, Liam Bowron, Rob Valetini, Corey Toole tries; Ryan Lonergan 2 con; Tane Edmed 3 con). HT: 14-19
