The Canterbury Crusaders maintained their Super Rugby challenge with a dominant display over the Queensland Reds yesterday, fuelled by a hat-trick from winger Jone Macilai-Tori.
The seven-time champions prevailed 38-5 in a six-try-to-one bonus-point display for their eighth straight win in the competition.
Try-machine Waisake Naholo’s suspension proved no hinderance as another Fijian winger, Macilai-Tori, stepped up with a three-try effort.
Photo: AFP
He had two in the first eight minutes and Crusaders skipper Kieran Read said it set up the victory.
“It certainly does help when you have a start like that,” Read said.
The result was the Crusaders’ fifth straight victory over the Reds since the Australia-based team defeated them in the Super Rugby final in 2011.
Macilai-Tori scored his first try from an overlap after four minutes, then latched onto the end of a slick assist from the base of a scrum for his second.
Scott Barrett crossed for the Crusaders third after pressure from a lineout drive in the 33rd minute to make it 21-0 after the conversion.
Macilai-Tori then completed his hat-trick just after the restart, running in free space into the corner for his third.
He had another disallowed for a double movement, but Jordan Taufua and Codie Taylor completed the rout.
In Canberra, the ACT Brumbies beat the Northern Bulls 23-6.
After a tryless first half, the home side led 9-3 with three penalties to Christian Leali’ifano outdoing one from the Bulls’ Francois Brummer, who added another in the second stanza.
The Brumbies touched down through Nigel Ah Wong and Tomas Cubelli to put the game to rest in the second 40.
Additional reporting by staff writer
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