David Smith scored a pair of tries, including the clinching five-pointer with less than four minutes left, to give the Western Force a 27-19 win over the ACT Brumbies in Super 15 rugby yesterday.
James O’Connor also scored a Force try and kicked two conversions and two penalties.
Matt Giteau, scored all the home side’s points.
The Brumbies led 10-7 at halftime but their advantage could have been greater had Giteau not missed two penalties.
On the first occasion, the Brumbies lost the ensuing lineout and then Christian Lealiifano turned over possession, allowing O’Connor to score a 75m try on the stroke of halftime. Will Ripia added the conversion.
The Brumbies had opened the scoring in the sixth minute with a Giteau penalty goal. He then capitalized on a Lealiifano break to put the home side 10-0 up with a converted try in the 21st minute.
Giteau gave the Brumbies a six-point lead with a 44th-minute penalty, but the Force took the lead for the first time a minute later when the Brumbies conceded Smith’s first try. O’Connor’s sideline conversion made it 14-13.
A third Giteau penalty restored the Brumbies’ lead before O’Connor put the visitors back in front 17-16.
Giteau and O’Connor traded further penalties before Smith sealed victory.
HURRICANES 50, CHEETAHS 47
REUTERS, BLOEMFONTEIN
A last-minute try by Jeremy Thrush helped the Wellington Hurricanes edge the Cheetahs on Saturday.
The New Zealanders found themselves trailing by three points as the clock ticked down but a superb breakout from deep inside their own half resulted in Thrush getting a clear run to the tryline.
The home side opened the scoring in the second minute thanks to a penalty from Sias Ebersohn but two minutes later Hosea Gear slid over in the corner for the visitors.
The Cheetahs struck back almost immediately when scrumhalf Sarel Pretorius sneaked over from close range for a converted try.
However, the Kiwis regained the lead when Jack Lam broke free 5m from the Cheetahs’ line to canter over for a converted try.
The Cheetahs edged back in front when a break from Riaan Viljoen led to a Riaan Smit try.
The Hurricanes then seemed to take control with two tries that took the visitors into a 27-17 lead.
The hosts struck back again through an Ebersohn penalty and then a second try from Pretorius.
In the last three minutes before the interval, Ebersohn succeeded with two drop goals while the Hurricanes’ Daniel Kirkpatrick wrapped up the first half scoring with a penalty.
The second half began more sedately, Gear scoring in the 50th minute with his second try.
Smit grabbed his second try after intercepting a pass as the home side took a 40-37 lead before Kirkpatrick nailed two penalties as the Hurricanes went ahead again.
With 14 minutes left Pretorius completed his hat-trick.
However, Thrush broke the hosts’ hearts with his late heroics.
STORMERS 33, LIONS 19
REUTERS, JOHANNESBURG
Third-choice Stormers flyhalf Lionel Cronje kicked 13 points as they beat the Lions 33-19 on Saturday.
The visitors had to do without Bryan Habana and Peter Grant, a late withdrawal through injury. They then saw Grant’s deputy, Gary van Aswegen, limp off after 13 minutes.
However, Cronje stepped in with aplomb, landing three penalties and two conversions.
The Stormers opened the scoring in the fifth minute through a penalty by Van Aswegen, who was also instrumental in the build-up to their first try, scored by Danie Poolman.
Dewaldt Duvenage converted Poolman’s try, then handed over the kicking reins to Cronje.
The Lions’ opening points came from Burton Francis.
Cronje booted his second penalty on the half hour to open up a 10-point lead but the Lions scored their first try from the restart.
However, six minutes before the break Jaque Fourie ran through unopposed after a sweeping Stormers attack.
Francis added a second penalty after the break, which was canceled out by Cronje in the 53rd minute.
The Lions flyhalf slotted a third penalty on the hour.
His side trailed by seven points as the clock wound down but a last-ditch attack was snuffed out by Stormers back Johann Sadie, who dived over to seal the win.
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