All Blacks Sonny Bill Williams and Israel Dagg scored tries as the Canterbury Crusaders beat South Africa’s Bulls 27-0 in Super 15 rugby yesterday.
Williams’ try in the first half and Dagg’s just after half-time helped the Crusaders to a convincing win, keeping them at the top of the New Zealand conference and hard on the heels of the overall tournament leaders, the Stormers.
Replacement Tom Marshall added a late try which gave substance to the Crusaders’ fifth win from seven games.
The Bulls, the tournament’s defending champions, slumped to their third loss in seven matches.
Canterbury’s victory was based around aggressive defense which deterred, bewildered and eventually demoralized the Pretoria-based Bulls, whose chances of victory dissolved in a blizzard of handling errors.
The Crusaders were without All Blacks captain Richie McCaw and star flyhalf Dan Carter — both injured. They were coming off a bye after playing their previous match in London and were forced from their regular home stadium to a venue in the provincial town of Timaru as a result of earthquake damage in Christchurch.
They overcame all of those disadvantages to overwhelm a Bulls team that looked a shadow of the one which dominated Super rugby in each of its last two years. Canterbury had more than 63 percent of territory in the first half and a huge surplus of usable possession while the Bulls failed to produce a serious attack.
The Crusaders had a steady stream of possession and attacked with efficiency. They produced Williams’ try in the 14th minute from a brilliantly executed set piece and Dagg’s from a Bulls turnover.
Williams ran onto a pass from flyhalf Matt Berquist at pace and from depth on the open side of a scrum and sawed straight through the Bulls’ reluctant midfield defense. Berquist missed the conversion but kicked four penalties, his only successes from nine shots at goal.
Dagg scored in the second minute of the second half when winger Zac Guildford challenged Bulls captain Victor Matfield at the kickoff and forced a handling error. The Crusaders built pressure through phase after phase until Dagg finally cracked the defense.
The Crusaders led 14-0 at half-time and 19-0 when Dagg scored, effectively clinching the match.
The Bulls were well beaten in the contest for possession, they were unable to implement the territorial game which was their strength, and they paid heavily for errors and a lack of discipline.
ACT 17, WELLINGTON 16
AFP, CANBERRA
ACT Brumbies broke a run of five straight losses to keep alive their Super 15 season with a fighting 17-16 win over the Wellington Hurricanes in Canberra yesterday.
It was a try apiece in a slogging match, but Wallaby Matt Giteau’s four penalty goals proved the difference, with his last kick coming 16 minutes from full time.
The Hurricanes crashed to their fourth straight defeat which keeps them fourth in the New Zealand conference, needing to win both their South African tour matches against the Cheetahs and Sharks this month to stay alive.
Aaron Cruden got the Hurricanes off to a flyer with a try which he converted in the third minute, but the Brumbies squeezed in front 11-10 by half-time.
Winger Henry Speight scored a great try just minutes before the break, stepping twice off his left foot after great leadup play from Josh Valentine and Mark Chisholm.
The Hurricanes looked as if they were heading to victory with two penalties from substitute Daniel Kirkpatrick to lead 16-11 after 54 minutes.
However, the Brumbies finished the stronger to enable Giteau to cash in on Hurricanes’ mistakes with two penalties to nudge his team over the line for Rea’s first victory as caretaker coach.
WARATAHS 31, FORCE 3
AP, PERTH, AUSTRALIA
The New South Wales Waratahs routed the Western Force 31-3 yesterday to sweep all four fellow Australian sides so far in Super 15 rugby.
The Waratahs also maintained their perfect record in Perth, with four wins in four games
Wallabies scrumhalf Luke Burgess starred in the dominating display by setting up the Waratahs’ first three tries, and winger Drew Mitchell capped the evening with his second try.
Flyhalf Kurtley Beale kicked five from six goalshots, including converting his own second-half try.
James O’Connor booted over the only points for the Force, who were dealt their fifth loss in seven matches.
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