The Otago Highlanders thrashed the Waikato Chiefs 36-9 on Saturday to book their place in the Super Rugby playoffs for the second year in a row.
The Highlanders recorded a surprisingly easy win against the highly rated Chiefs, scoring four unanswered tries to secure a vital bonus point at a foggy Rugby Park in Invercargill.
Otago’s win was their 10th of the season, enabling them to leapfrog the Chiefs into second place on the New Zealand conference standings.
They have already wrapped up a wild-card berth with two rounds to go and have a mathematical chance of finishing top of the table.
The Chiefs remain firmly in the hunt for a playoff spot, but their chances of playing a semi-final are fading after they slumped to their fifth loss of the year.
The Highlanders led 11-3 at halftime, after Patrick Osborne scored the only try of the opening 40 minutes, then ran away with it in the second half.
Waisake Naholo added a second try shortly after the restart as the Highlanders started to tighten their grip on the game before finishing with a late flourish.
Richard Buckman dived over out wide for his team’s third try in the final 10 minutes before Ben Smith secured the bonus point two minutes from the end.
In Australia, the Queensland Reds defeated the Western Force 32-10 in Perth, to record just their fourth win of the season.
Flyhalf Quade Cooper made a spectacular return from a shoulder injury, scoring two tries and kicking five goals for a personal haul of 22 points for the Reds.
On Friday, South Africa’s Sharks provided a knockout blow to the Melbourne Rebel’s playoff hopes with a 25-21 victory at King’s Park in Durban.
The Rebels, who played for 52 minutes with 14 men after a red card for prop Laurie Weeks, have 31 points from their 14 matches and with two rounds remaining are now out of the running for a top-six place.
That hope had long disappeared for the Sharks, who have endured a dismal season, but are at least providing a strong finish with back-to-back wins.
The Rebels’ cause was not helped by the sending-off of Weeks on 28 minutes after he became involved in a scuffle with opposite number Jannie du Plessis, landing some punches. The latter got away with a yellow card.
Wings Sibusiso Sithole and Lwazi Mvovo crossed the try line for the Sharks, with replacement center Heimar Williams grabbing their third score.
Flyhalf Lionel Cronje added two penalties and two conversions.
Rebels captain Scott Higginbotham was superb as he crossed for two tries and laid on a third for Bryce Hegarty, but could not claw his side over the line. Flyhalf Jack Debreczeni converted the three tries.
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