Replacement scrumhalf Tyson Keats’ try ruined Tana Umaga’s homecoming as the Wellington Hurricanes sneaked a 29-26 victory over the Waikato Chiefs in their Super 15 clash at Westpac Stadium yesterday.
Former All Blacks captain Umaga, who made 122 Super rugby appearances for the Wellington-based franchise, was making his first visit to the capital since he returned from a stint in France.
The 37-year-old’s substitution in the 61st minute, to resounding applause from the modest crowd of 12,640, coincided with the Hurricanes applying substantial pressure on the Chiefs try-line that ended with Keats squirming over from the edge of a breakdown to give the home side a 23-18 lead.
Photo: EPA
Replacement flyhalf Daniel Kirkpatrick sealed the victory with two long-range penalties in the final 10 minutes of a match that had promised so much beforehand with the prospect of two attack-minded back-lines squaring off, but failed to deliver.
The Hurricanes had not played a match since they opened the competition on Feb. 18 because their second-round match against the Canterbury Crusaders was canceled because of a devastating earthquake in Christchurch and they had the bye last week.
Both sides hammered away at each other and made numerous line breaks, but poor decision making and handling, and desperate scrambling defense snuffed out the attacks.
The match was scoreless for the first quarter, before Chiefs flyhalf Stephen Donald managed to break the shackles in the 22nd minute when he barged over after a sustained period of pressure to give the visitors a 7-0 lead when he converted.
However, the Hurricanes managed to strike straight back through Aaron Cruden’s first penalty, before prop John Schwalger scored and Cruden converted to give them a 10-7 lead.
Donald replied with two more penalties, one on the stroke of halftime, to give the Chiefs a 13-10 lead at the break.
The visitors extended their advantage to 18-10 when Scott Waldrom, another former Hurricanes player, scored an early second-half try, though Cruden kept the hosts in the game with two penalties, before Keats gave the Hurricanes the lead.
Kirkpatrick added the conversion and two more penalties, which was enough breathing space despite a late try from Chiefs fullback Tim Nanai-Williams threatened to snatch a last-gasp victory.
FORCE 22, BLUES 22
AFP, PERTH, AUSTRALIA
A penalty in the dying seconds enabled New Zealand’s Auckland Blues to snatch a lucky draw with Australia’s Western Force in their Super 15 clash yesterday.
It was another agonizing near miss for the Force, who remain winless after three games and who led 22-12 with just three minutes to play.
The brilliance of James O’Connor looked to have secured a Force win, but the match turned when Jono Jenkins was sent off, leaving his side a man down for the last few minutes.
Blues captain Kevin Mealamu then burrowed over for his side’s first try in the 77th minute to ensure a tense finish.
Then, with just 15 seconds left on the clock, the Force conceded a penalty and Blues reserve Stephen Brett stepped up to slot it through the uprights and snatch a draw.
Force skipper Nathan Sharpe could only lament another near miss.
“It stinks,” Sharpe said. “We controlled the game for most of it and to end up with a draw is very disappointing.”
Until the late surge by the Blues, it appeared O’Connor had laid the foundation for an upset Force win. He made six of seven attempts with the boot, with five penalties and one conversion.
O’Connor started the move which led to the Force’s only try in the 38th minute. The 20-year-old produced a superbly weighted chip and then charged forward to regain possession, before handing off to Sam Wykes, who dived over for just the Force’s second try of the season.
The decision went upstairs and Wykes’ effort was ruled out as the ball was held up.
However, from the restart the Force swept the ball wide and Wykes passed off to Nick Cummins for an easy try that gave the home team a 16-9 lead at the break.
Luke McAlister’s fourth penalty conversion early in the second half closed the gap to four points, but successive penalties to O’Connor in the 50th and 62nd minutes gave the Force a 22-12 lead.
O’Connor made a rare blemish in the 70th minute when his long-range penalty attempt fell just short and it proved pivotal to the final result.
STORMERS 18, OTAGO 6
REUTERS, CAPE TOWN
Flyhalf Peter Grant kicked six penalties as South Africa’s Stormers ended the Otago Highlanders’ unbeaten Super 15 run with a tryless 18-6 win on Friday.
Grant, who kicked all 21 of his side’s points in their win over the Cheetahs last weekend, slotted home six from seven against the New Zealand side to keep intact the home team’s unbeaten record.
Grant slotted home four first-half penalties and added another two after the break in a contest in which sterling defense on both sides neutralized numerous promising attacks.
The visitors, unbeaten in three matches, displayed little of the incisiveness or inventiveness they showed in last week’s shock victory over champions the Bulls, while flyhalf Robbie Robinson added to their woes by missing three of five kicks at goal.
Emotions finally boiled over four minutes before the break when Stormers lock Andries Bekker and opposite number Jarrad Hoeata were sin-binned for fighting, having been involved in running battles since the kickoff.
The home side were awarded the post-brawl penalty and Grant was on hand to extend the lead to six points at the break, which became nine in the 55th minute following some indiscipline at the breakdown by the visitors.
Injuries to Stormers props C.J. van der Linde and J.C. Kritzinger forced the adoption of uncontested scrums for the final 15 minutes, but the Highlanders could not make the extra space count.
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