A field goal by Christian Lealiifano a minute from time saw the ACT Brumbies snatch a dramatic victory over the Otago Highlanders 33-31 to open the Super 14 season yesterday.
It was the second year in a row the Brumbies have beaten the Highlanders by two points as they were rewarded for the faith they’ve placed in the drop-goal as a weapon in their armory.
In a see-sawing game in which both sides took four-try bonus points, the Highlanders raced to a 19-0 lead in the first 20 minutes.
But at no stage did they look to be in control and the Brumbies fought their way back with 30 unanswered points before the Highlanders staged a late revival.
Two tries in the last 10 minutes put the home side in front again before Lealiifano settled the outcome.
The Highlanders opened up with tries by Jason Shoemark, Fetu’u Vainikolo and a brilliant solo effort by Daniel Bowden.
From a lineout on the Highlanders’ 22, Bowden put in a chipkick, fielded the ball and raced more than 70m to score.
The Brumbies gathered momentum with Lealiifano calmly setting up Stirling Mortlock and Adam Ashley-Cooper outside him.
Mortlock scored first, cutting back on the angle from a scrum, while a conversion and penalty from Mark Gerrard had the Brumbies narrowing the gap to 10-19 at the turn.
The second half started as the first half ended with the Brumbies pinning the Highlanders on their line and Mortlock crashing over for his second try less that two minutes after the restart.
A Lealiifano break sent Ashley-Cooper over, Gerrard followed by crashing through three tackles to score and 14 minutes into the second half the Brumbies were up 30-19.
It was enough to spark a Highlanders revival and after 15 minutes of plugging away at the Brumbies’ line, and turning around lopsided territory statistics, they were rewarded with a try by Chris King.
They swept back on attack and were immediately rewarded with a try from Jason Rutledge to regain the lead 31-30 with Bowden’s conversion attempt going just wide.
He would rue the miss minutes later when Lealiifano sealed the outcome.
Meanwhile, the Auckland Blues ran over the top of the Western Force to notch a gritty 25-19 win in their Super 14 clash at Subiaco Oval last night.
The Blues conceded the first two tries of the game and trailed 14-8 at the break, but produced a three-try burst into a strong breeze after half-time to foil the home side, despite losing a couple of key players to injury during the match.
US track and field athletes have about four dozen pieces to choose from when assembling their uniforms at the Olympics. The one grabbing the most attention is a high-cut leotard that barely covers the bikini line and has triggered debate between those who think it is sexist and others who say they do not need the Internet to make sure they have good uniforms. Among those critical or laughing at the uniforms included Paralympian Femita Ayanbeku, sprinter Britton Wilson and even athletes from other countries such as Britain’s Abigail Irozuru, who wrote on social media: “Was ANY female athlete consulted in
Four-time NBA all-star DeMarcus Cousins arrived in Taiwan with his family early yesterday to finish his renewed contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the T1 League. Cousins initially played a four-game contract with the Leopards in January. On March 18, the Taoyuan-based team announced that Cousins had renewed his contract. “Hi what’s up Leopard fans, I’m back. I’m excited to be back and can’t wait to join the team,” Cousins said in a video posted on the Leopard’s Facebook page. “Most of all, can’t wait to see you guys, the fans, next weekend. So make sure you come out and support the Beer
Former US Masters champion Zach Johnson was left embarrassed after a foul-mouthed response to ironic cheers from spectators after a triple bogey at Augusta National on Friday. Johnson, the 2007 Masters winner, missed the cut after his three-over-par round of 75 left him on seven-over 151 for 36 holes, his six on the par-three 12th playing a big role in his downfall. Television footage showed Johnson reacting to sarcastic cheers and applause when he tapped in for the triple bogey by yelling: “Oh fuck off.” Such a response would be considered bad form in any golf tournament, but is particularly out of keeping
The sacred flame for the Paris Olympics was lit yesterday in Olympia, Greece, the birthplace of the ancient Games, in a ceremony inspired by antiquity and marked by messages of hope amid multiple global crises. “In ancient times, the Olympic Games brought together the Greek city states, even — and in particular — during times of war and conflict,” International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach said. “Today, the Olympic Games are the only event that brings the entire world together in peaceful competition. Then as now, the Olympic athletes are sending this powerful message — yes, it is possible to compete fiercely