The Canterbury Crusaders scrambled to a scrappy 11-7 win against the Western Stormers in their Super 14 mid-table clash yesterday.
Both sides could only manage a try apiece and the injury-hit Crusaders were a shadow of the try-scoring machine that won the title last season.
They dominated possession for long periods of the game, but were unable to build pressure in a performance peppered with mistakes.
Captain Kieran Read was relieved his side had returned to their winning ways after just two victories in their first six games.
“It’s good for us to win a close one like that, it was backs against the wall a little bit,” a relieved Read said. “We needed to be patient and build pressure and we couldn’t do that. We would have liked a few more tries, but we’ll take the win.”
The match was scrappy and shapeless, with both sides responsible for a welter of mistakes, including sloppy passing, poorly aimed kicks and problems in fielding the high ball.
Each side’s errors canceled the other’s out and this was reflected in the slim 8-7 lead the Crusaders took into the halftime break.
But the New Zealanders were guilty of wasting the most opportunities, squandering a two to one advantage in possession by losing control at crucial times.
The Stormers were first on the scoreboard after 11 minutes when No.8 Luke Watson spun and fended his way through four tackles in a 25m run to the line converted by fly-half Willem de Waal.
A big cutout pass by Crusaders flanker Read put winger Adam Whitelock into the corner for a 33rd minute try.
Fly-half Stephen Brett missed the conversion, but an earlier successful penalty gave the home side a one point lead at the break.
The second half was a continuing tale of wasted opportunities, with neither side able to build momentum or to cross the try line. Both sides had their chances, but Stormers skipper Jean de Villiers said it was difficult for his side to make an impression when they were so far behind on territory.
An easy penalty kicked by Brett — who generally had a night to forget — in the 75th minute at least cut off the option of a drop goal for the Stormers to snatch a late victory.
Taiwan’s top women’s badminton doubles duo, Hsieh Pei-shan (謝沛珊) and Hung En-tzu (洪恩慈), achieved a straight-sets victory over Japan’s Kaho Osawa and Mayui Tanabe at the Badminton World Federation (BWF) Super 300 Macau Open on Sunday. The Taiwanese pair won the final 21-18, 21-12, marking the duo’s second title this year after their win at the BWF Super 300 Taipei Open in May. The match on Sunday was their first encounter with the Japanese duo, ranked No. 63 in the world. Hsieh and Hung, ranked No. 12, began the opening game well. Hung, who plays left-handed, performed strongly at both the net and the
Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko upset top-seeded Coco Gauff 6-1, 6-4 on Saturday night to reach the National Bank Open quarter-finals. “Your support was incredible,” Mboko told the crowd in French after a chorus of “Ole, Ole, Ole” chants echoed around the venue. “I’m really happy to win today ... It’s incredible. I’m so happy to beat such a great champion.” Gauff dropped to 2-3 since winning the French Open. She followed the major victory with opening losses in Berlin and Wimbledon, then overcame double-fault problems to win two three-set matches in Montreal. Gauff had five double-faults on Saturday after having 23 in
Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen on Thursday said that he is staying with the Red Bull team next year, ending months of speculation over his future. “Some people just like to stir the pot, some people just like to create drama, but, for me, it’s always been quite clear, and also for next year,” the four-time champion said ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix. “I’m discussing with the team already the plans — the things that we want to change for next year, so that means that I’m also staying with the team for next year,” he said. Verstappen has a contract with
Alex Michelsen on Thursday rallied for a 3-6, 7-6 (7/4), 6-4 upset victory over third-seeded Lorenzo Musetti in the men’s singles, converting his seventh match point to reach the fourth round of the Canadian Open. Michelsen reached the last 16 of a Masters 1000 for the first time with his second win over a top-10 player in eight attempts. The 20-year-old American survived nearly 50 unforced errors and converted just two of nine break chances, but it was enough to vanquish Italy’s Musetti, a two-time Grand Slam semi-finalist ranked 10th in the world. “It feels really good,” the 26th-ranked Michelsen said. “I’ve put
RSS