Vodafone Super Rugby wrap: Hurricanes on top, Jaguares beat Rebels
The Hurricanes sit on top of the Super Rugby competition at the halfway mark of the season.
How did all the matches unfold during the weekend?
Hurricanes vs Chiefs
The Hurricanes' all-star backline has propelled them to a 25-13 win over the Chiefs and the outright Super Rugby lead.
A table-topping Kiwi derby featured no shortage of highlights as the hosts ran out three tries-to-one winners on Friday in Wellington, led by more scintillating attack from Ben Lam, Ngani Laumape and Beauden Barrett.
The trio shared the tries, although Chiefs five-eighth Damian McKenzie and winger Solomon Alaimalo also continued their brilliant campaigns.
RESULT
Hurricanes 25
Tries: Lam, B Barrett, Laumape
Cons: J Barrett 2
Pens: J Barrett 2
Chiefs 13
Tries: Boshier
Cons: McKenzie
Pens: McKenzie 2
Sunwolves vs Blues
The Blues have put the embarrassment of last season's Super Rugby loss to the Sunwolves behind them with a 24-10 win in Tokyo.
Trailing 10-5 at halftime, a repeat of last year's shock 48-21 defeat appeared on the cards.
However, the Blues dominated Saturday's second half, scoring 19 unanswered points to end a three-match losing streak.
While the Blues are still a distant last in the New Zealand conference, a second win from seven games pulls them clear of the battling Japanese side. The Sunwolves sit at the bottom of the overall standings with seven-straight losses.
RESULT
Sunwolves 10
Tries: Lafaele
Cons: Parker
Pens: Tamura
Blues 24
Tries: Hyland 2, Papalii, Ioane
Cons: Perofeta 2
Rebels vs Jaguares
A Will Genia hamstring injury has compounded the blow of a shock 25-22 Rebels' loss to the Jaguares on Saturday.
Genia was in stellar form in Melbourne, orchestrating the side’s opening try and playing a critical role in another on Saturday afternoon.
It was on the way to helping Dane Haylett-Petty to his 49th-minute try that the halfback appeared to hurt his hamstring, immediately coming off the ground.
Genia’s would be arguably the biggest loss the Rebels could suffer, especially on the eve of a make-or-break South Africa tour for the side.
It won't have helped that his replacement, Michael Ruru, was far from his best rugby on Saturday, with his kick charged down as the Jaguares snatched what was ultimately a match-winning score.
After leading 19-6 at the 50-minute mark, the Rebels conceded two tries to one in the next 25 minutes, conceding a yellow card along the way, to trail by three points.
Read the full match report here.
Rebels 22
Tries: Meakes, Koroibete, D Haylett-Petty
Cons: Debreczeni 2
Pens: Debreczeni
Yellow Card: Faulkner (52')
Jaguares 25
Tries: Cancelliere, Moyano, Ezcurra
Cons: Sanchez 2
Pens: Sanchez 2
Highlanders vs Brumbies
Australia’s trans-Tasman drought continues, with the Brumbies going down to the Highlanders, 43-17, in Dunedin.
Brumbies coach Dan McKellar wanted his side to win respect for Australian teams on their trip, and they looked like doing just that until midway through the second half, when the Highlanders scored three tries in 10 minutes to turn a five-point margin into a 26-point buffer.
Highlanders flyhalf Lima Sopoaga didn’t take long to get on the board, with a try in the seventh minute giving them a lead they never lost.
Read the full match report here.
RESULT
Highlanders 43
Tries: B Smiith 2, Sopoaga, Naholo, Frizell, F Smith
Cons: Sopoaga 5
Pens: Sopoaga
Yellow Card: Sopoaga (52')
Brumbies 17
Tries: Naisarani, Powell
Cons: Hawera 2
Pens: Hawera
Waratahs vs Reds
A Taqele Naiyaravoro double has propelled the Waratahs to a 37-16 bonus-point win over the Reds and the top of the Australian conference after round nine.
It was their eighth consecutive win over Queensland, dating back to 2013, but it was by no means easy, with the Waratahs giving away as many opportunities as they took in a heritage clash at the SCG.
Read the full match report here.
RESULT
Waratahs 37
Tries: Naiyaravoro 2, Gordon, Johnson-Holmes
Cons: Foley 4
Pens: Foley 3
Reds 16
Tries: Daugunu
Cons: Lance
Pens: Tuttle 3
Bulls vs Sharks
Fullback Warrick Gelant scored a hat-trick of tries as the Bulls romped to a 40-10 bonus-point victory over the Sharks in a South African Super Rugby derby at King's Park, Durban.
The Springbok hopeful showed pace and guile to give his side a healthy early lead that they never relinquished and record back-to-back wins for the first time in a year.
Hooker Adriaan Strauss and wing John-Ben Kotze also crossed the line, while the visitors were awarded a penalty try as their powerful pack bullied the Sharks into submission.
The home side's only score came via centre Andre Esterhuizen as their pre-season promise looks to be fizzling out, with them having now recorded just two wins in eight games in the competition.
The victory moved the Bulls into second in the South African conference but still 11 points behind runaway leaders the Lions, though they do have a game in hand.
RESULT
Sharks 10
Tries: Esterhuizen
Cons: du Preez
Pens: du Preez
Bulls 40
Tries: Gelant 3, Strauss, Penalty, Kotze
Cons: Pollard 3, Libbok
