The Canterbury Crusaders shattered records in an awesome 57-29 destruction of the Queensland Reds to send an ominous warning to their Super XV rivals in Brisbane, Australia, yesterday.
The seven-time Super Rugby champions cut loose in the second half after trailing 17-16 at halftime to post six tries to four and overwhelm the disorganized Reds.
The Crusaders totted up 50 points in Australia for the first time in Super Rugby and it was the most points scored by a New Zealand team in Brisbane in the competition.
Flyhalf Colin Slade cashed in on the rout, contributing 27 points from six conversions and five penalties from his 11 goal attempts.
It was the much-improved Crusaders’ fifth straight win and their bonus point victory lifted them to fourth in the overall standings and second behind the Waikato Chiefs in the New Zealand conference.
The Crusaders stormed to victory in the second half scoring 31 unanswered points, before the Reds registered their first points of the half in the 64th minute.
Both the Crusaders wingers Nemani Nadolo and Johnny McNicholl scored two tries, with the others going to loose-head prop Wyatt Crockett and No. 8 Luke Whitelock.
The Reds, who tumbled to their fifth straight defeat, finished with a bonus point for four tries, but the pressure will continue to build on their coach Richard Graham after their humiliating afternoon before their own supporters.
For the Crusaders it is onwards and upwards as they prepare to host competition leaders the Coastal Sharks next weekend in what could prove a significant match in the context of the season.
After the Sharks’ drab kick-obsessed loss to the ACT Brumbies in Canberra on Saturday, the Crusaders produced some exhilarating attacking and ran the Reds off their feet with some superb running rugby.
“We made a conscious effort to look after the ball more in the second half and thankfully we scored more points,” Crusaders captain Ryan Crotty said. “It’s been a process of finding our game, and we had the chance to go over to South Africa and spend a lot of time together and work really hard, and that momentum has carried on since we came home.”
In another plus for the Crusaders, All Black skipper Richie McCaw played out the 80 minutes as he works his way back to full fitness after two months out with a broken thumb.
The record defeat is likely to have reverberations in the Reds camp as their nightmare season continues to plumb new depths.
“Two soft tries at the start of the second half cost us and isn’t good enough,” Reds skipper James Horwill said. “We didn’t do what we said we would do at halftime. In the second half we didn’t chase hard enough on our kicks, and allowed them time and space, and allowed them to dictate terms.”
The Reds next face a crucial home match against the Melbourne Rebels as they attempt to get off the bottom of the Australian conference.
FORCE 23, CHEETAHS 16
AFP, BLOEMFONTEIN
Western Force flyhalf Sias Ebersohn kicked 13 points against his former team the Cheetahs on Saturday in a victory that lifted them to fourth in the Super XV standings.
The playmaker, who moved to Australia after failing to hold down a regular starting place at the South African franchise, potted two conversions and three penalties from five shots at goal.
Fullback Jayden Hayward and winger Nick Cummins scored a try each for the Perth outfit, who led 16-6 at halftime.
No. 8 Boom Prinsloo was credited with Cheetahs’ push-over try, which Johan Goosen converted and the flyhalf also scored three penalties from four attempts.
The result completed a dismal weekend for South African sides against Australasian opponents, with Golden Lions losing at the Otago Highlanders and the Coastal Sharks at the ACT Brumbies.
The victory at Free State Stadium continued a fairy-tale season for traditional southern hemisphere championship strugglers the Force.
It was the seventh win in 10 outings for the Michael Foley-coached side and they are just five points behind combined table pacesetters the Sharks.
Force are even closer to the top of the Australian conference standings, lying three points adrift of former champions the Brumbies.
Success has been achieved largely through the inspirational captaincy of flanker Matt Hodgson, teamwork, outstanding defense and attacking opportunism.
Those qualities were evident in Bloemfontein, although Hodgson spent 10 minutes in the sin bin after slapping the ball from the grasp of Cheetahs scrumhalf Sarel Pretorius.
During his time on the sidelines, the Cheetahs scored a converted try to leave just three points between the teams on a chilly evening, but Cummins also dotted down while the Force were numerically disadvantaged and Ebersohn converted with a superb angled kick.
A 23-13 lead for the west Australian side was trimmed to seven points when Goosen kicked a penalty and the Cheetahs thought they had scored a second try through prop Coenie Oosthuizen, but New Zealand referee Chris Pollock, who ruled out a first-half try by Force center Kyle Godwin for accidental offside, said the huge forward rolled the ball over the line.
Furious South African coach Naka Drotske shook his head in disbelief when the decision was made, but his team wasted several try-scoring chances.
The Cheetahs camped inside the Force 22 for lengthy spells during the closing stages, but could not breach the defensive web spun by the visitors.
The only consolation for the hosts was a losing bonus point, which lifted them off the bottom, one point above compatriots the Western Stormers.
BULLS 28, STORMERS 12
AP, PRETORIA
A perfect kicking display by young flyhalf Handre Pollard helped the Bulls to see off a spirited showing from an injury-hit Stormers side in the Super XV on Saturday.
With a long injury list forcing the Stormers to make 12 changes to their team from the previous weekend’s win over the Highlanders, few gave them a chance in South Africa’s famous north-south derby.
However, the visitors sprung to a 12-0 lead with two early tries, before Pollard hauled them back by halftime with a succession of penalties and a drop-goal.
The 20-year-old then put the Bulls ahead before Akona Ndungane’s try sealed the competition points to put them within touching distance of the playoff spots.
The victory was just reward for the calm manner in which the Bulls stuck to their game plan after an unusually frenetic start to a South African derby.
After a series of handling errors ensured a scoreless first 10 minutes, the Stormers stunned the Loftus Versfeld faithful when they turned the ball over deep inside their own half and kept the ball alive to send flyhalf Kurt Coleman over between the posts.
Nine minutes later they extended their lead when a loose ball was snapped up on halfway and spread wide to center Juan de Jongh, who stepped inside and powered his way to the line.
However, the Bulls kept faith in their traditional tactics and were guided back into the game by the control of scrumhalf Francois Hougaard and the boot of Pollard.
The latter landed three penalties and a drop-goal before halftime, before adding another two penalties as the Stormers failed to respond.
“We gave them two easy tries from turnovers, but the guys stuck to the game plan, and we put them under pressure in their own half and forced penalties,” Bulls captain Victor Matfield said.
With 15 minutes remaining, the game was sewn up when a Stormers handling error gave the Bulls possession and Ndungane pounced on Hougaard’s grubber to score.
While the Bulls moved up to eighth in the standings, just two points off the final playoff position, the Stormers are bottom of the table.
“Unfortunately, with our season at the moment we seem to get it right for about 30 minutes, but that’s not good enough,” Stormers captain Schalk Burger said.
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