The Waikato Chiefs ran away with a 43-27 win over the Northern Bulls in a Super 14 rugby match that came alight with a flurry of second-half tries yesterday.
The match produced nine tries, six by the Chiefs, who came from an early 0-10 deficit to hold a narrow 12-10 lead at halftime, before taking firm control after the turn.
All Blacks Brendon Leonard and Sione Lauaki were dominant figures in the Chiefs line-up.
PHOTO: AP
Lauaki, in tandem with Liam Messam, ensured turnovers heavily favored the Chiefs, while Leonard was pivotal in setting up scoring moves and lifting the spirit in a side that squandered possession of the ball throughout the first half.
The Chiefs enjoyed 70 percent of possession and territory but suffered from a lack of enterprise in the first period, when the Bulls looked the most dangerous despite limited opportunities.
They scored first after Lauaki spilled a Derick Hougaard clearing kick and Pedrie Wannenburg took play up to the 22m line.
When the ball was cleared to Wynand Olivier, the midfield back cut through the Chiefs' defensive line to score wide out.
Hougaard added the extra two points and a penalty soon after to have the Bulls ahead 10-0 after 20 minutes.
The Chiefs' scoring started with a piece of individual brilliance from Lauaki to make up for his earlier error.
The big backrower started a counterattack from halfway and gathered in his own chip kick to send Leonard over for the first of two tries by the halfback.
On the stroke of halftime, Callum Bruce handled twice in one move to score by the posts, with Stephen Donald's conversion making it 12-10.
When play resumed after the break the floodgates opened.
Donald kicked a penalty and converted Leonard's second try for the Chiefs to pull ahead 22-10.
Hougaard reduced the gap with a dropped goal before the Chiefs came back with tries by Dwayne Sweeney and Lelia Masaga, both converted by Donald to open up a 36-13 lead.
The Bulls fought their way back into the reckoning, closing the gap to 27-36 with tries in quick succession to Deon Stegmann and Akona Ndungane, before the Chiefs had the final say with a try to Messam.
Bologna on Thursday advanced past Empoli to reach their first Coppa Italia final in more than half a century. Thijs Dallinga’s 87th-minute header earned Bologna a 2-1 win and his side advanced 5-1 on aggregate. Giovanni Fabbian opened the scoring for Bologna with a header seven minutes in. Then Viktor Kovalenko equalized for Empoli in the 30th minute by turning in a rebound to finish off a counterattack. Bologna won the first leg 3-0. In the May 14 final in Rome, Bologna are to face AC Milan, who eliminated city rivals Inter 4-1 on aggregate following a 3-0 win on Wednesday. Bologna last reached the
If the Wild finally break through and win their first playoff series in a decade, Minnesota’s top line likely will be the reason. They were all over the Golden Knights through the first two games of their NHL Western Conference quarter-finals series, which was 1-1 going back to Minnesota for Game 3 today. The Wild tied the series with a 5-2 win on Tuesday. Matt Boldy had three goals and an assist in the first two games, while Kirill Kaprizov produced two goals and three assists. Joel Eriksson Ek, who centers the line, has yet to get on the scoresheet. “I think the biggest
From a commemorative jersey to a stadium in his name, Argentine soccer organizers are planning a slew of tributes to their late “Captain” Pope Francis, eulogized as the ultimate team player. Tributes to the Argentine pontiff, a lifelong lover of the game, who died on Monday at the age of 88, have been peppered with soccer metaphors in his homeland. “Francisco. What a player,” the Argentine Football Federation (AFA) said, describing the first pope from Latin America and the southern hemisphere as a generational talent who “never hogged the ball” and who showed the world “the importance of having an Argentine captain,
Noelvi Marte on Sunday had seven RBIs and hit his first career grand slam with a drive off infielder Jorge Mateo, while Austin Wynn had a career-high six RBIs as the Cincinnati Reds scored their most runs in 26 years in a 24-2 rout of the Baltimore Orioles. Marte finished with five hits, including his eighth-inning homer off Mateo. Wynn hit a three-run homer in the ninth off catcher Gary Sanchez. Cincinnati scored its most runs since a 24-12 win against the Colorado Rockies on May 19, 1999, and finished with 25 hits. Baltimore allowed its most runs since a 30-3 loss to