Crusaders restore normal order with win against Otago

Bulls lock, Danie Rossouw, bottom right, is crushed by the collapsing maul during the Super 14 game between the Bulls and the Stormers in Pretoria, South Africa, on Saturday. PHOTO: EPA

Normal order was restored in the Super 14 rugby competition over the weekend as perennial favorites the Canterbury Crusaders muscled their way to the head of the table.

The Crusaders took control of the logjam at the top of the championship when they beat the Otago Highlanders while previous pace-setters, the Auckland Blues, fell to the Coastal Sharks.

The shake-up put the two New Zealand sides on 37 points, but with the Crusaders ahead on scoring differential, while the Sharks, are three points back in third place.

Nevertheless with just three rounds remaining most of the field retain a mathematical chance at least of making the final four.

The Sharks underscored their playoff credentials when they out-played the Blues in a spiteful encounter that left Blues coach David Nucifora fuming.

While Nucifora accepted the Sharks deserved their win, he was also critical of what he claimed were off-the-ball incidents that went unpunished by Australian referee Stuart Dickinson

The Blues, who had no answer to the kicking of teenage flyhalf Francois Steyn and fullback Percy Montgomery which kept them pinned on defense, now face three tough assignments on the road.

Roy Kinikinilau and Brendon Leonard both scored a hat-trick of tries as the Waikato Chiefs came into contention with an overwhelming 64-36 demolition of the Western Force in a free-flowing spectacular at Waikato Stadium in Hamilton.

The Chiefs recovered from a slow start to run in nine tries, but in a match which produced a staggering 100 points, questions were raised about their defense which leaked five tries.

Although the Chiefs have only won four matches so far, they have amassed nine bonus points from 10 games, while the once high-flying Force are on a slide, conceding 117 points in the past two weeks.

In a South African local derby, the Northern Bulls remained on the edge of the final four when they overwhelmed the Western Stormers 49-12, scoring seven tries, five of them by the forwards who laid the foundations for the win.

The Wellington Hurricanes kept their faint play-off hopes alive, moving up to eighth on the table with a 37-15 win over the Central Cheetahs.

Meanwhile, in the battle for the wooden spoon, the New South Wales Waratahs beat the Queensland Reds 26-13.