Vodafone Super Rugby Wrap: All the highlights and match recaps from round six
The best Super Rugby teams are rising to the top as the season hits the one-third mark.
Round six brought with it some thrilling finishes and some important victories.
Miss any of the action? We've got you covered with all the highlights and match reports right here.
SUNWOLVES vs BRUMBIES
The Brumbies ticked off their first win in a critical six-week block for the club with a 47-14 over the Sunwolves.
Holding a 14-point lead at half-time, the Brumbies piled on the points in a four-try-to-one second term.
Brumbies captain Allan Alaalatoa spoke earlier in the week about the importance of this game and the proceeding five matches in solidifying the Brumbies' overall prospects.
In that sense, a bonus-point win over the Sunwolves was the perfect way for the Brumbies to start this block.
"I think we’re building momentum nicely, have a few days off and reset, knowing we've got an important six-week block ahead of us," he said.
"Today was the first game within that block, nice to have a longer turnaround, it was pretty physical out there for the boys and good to get an extra couple of days and just get some time to spend with family again before we get stuck into it on Monday and prepare for the old enemy (the Waratahs)."
RESULT
Sunwolves 14
Tries: Ma’afu, Stolberg
Cons: April, Ogura
Brumbies 47
Tries: Lonergan, Miller, Valetini, Pulu, Kuridrani, Kata, Powell
Cons: Lonergan 5, Lolesio
CRUSADERS vs REDS
Reds coach Brad Thorn says his team has had enough of "noble defeats" and wants no is bitterly disappointed at missing an opportunity to notch a rare away win against the champion Crusaders.
The Reds were left to rue poor kicking after failing to convert a single one of their four tries in their 24-20 loss to the Super Rugby title-holders in Christchurch.
Without form flyhalf James O'Connor due to injury and with a new halves pairing after Tate McDermott (workload related) was named on the bench, the Reds headed into the clash massive underdogs to pinch a first win in Christchurch this century.
But the gallant Queenslanders refused to take a backward step and outscored the Super Rugby champions four tries to three in an effort that should have been rewarded with a match win.
RESULT
RESULT
Crusaders 24
Tries: Moody, Bridge, Fainga'anuku
Cons: Mo'unga 3
Pens: Mo'unga
Reds 20
Tries: Feauai-Sautia, Wilson, Tupou, Speight
WARATAHS vs CHIEFS
Waratahs coach Rob Penney says he is "very concerned" by the 'unacceptable" way Friday night's second half slipped away from his team in a 51-14 loss to the Chiefs.
The Waratahs had worked their way back from a 13-point hole to lead at half-time but the Chiefs blew them away with 38 unanswered second-half points to inflict NSW’s biggest loss to the Waikato side.
Asked which half he would put more significance on in review, Penney began in a circumspect manner but quickly revealed his frustration with the final stages.
'You wouldn't be throwing one out and be a dreamer think it was perfect by throwing the second half away or saying it's all completely doom and gloom by not reflecting on what the first half brought for us," he said.
"It's a combination but we've just got to keep it real, it was 51 points. Crikey."
"There's some pretty brutal terms that's been used to describe what that second-half looked like."
Read the full match report here.
Waratahs 14
Tries: Beale, Dempsey
Cons: Harrison 2
Chiefs 51
Tries: Weber 2, Stevenson, Wainui, Boshier, Lienert-Brown
Cons: Cruden 2, Trask 2
Pens: Cruden 2
HURRICANES vs BLUES
The Blues have beaten the Hurricanes 24-15 in a New Zealand Super Rugby derby destined to be remembered for its controversy rather than its quality.
The Hurricanes were reduced to 12 men in the second half on Saturday after after prop Tyrel Lomax was shown a red card for a shoulder charge, flanker Vaea Fifita was sin-binned for a similar offence and fullback Jordie Barrett received a yellow card for a deliberate knock on which also conceded a penalty try.
In spite of all of those disadvantages, the Hurricanes managed to stay in the game and even took the lead 15-14 with a try after Lomax had left the field.
The Blues managed to edge ahead with the penalty that resulted from Fifita's yellow card, then relied on the penalty try conceded by Barrett to beat the Hurricanes for the first time in their last nine meetings.
It was an indictment on the Blues that even when they held a three-man advantage, they couldn't produce an actual scoring play.
Near the end, with the Hurricanes still reduced to 12 men the Blues incredibly attempted a drop kick at goal.
"We didn't do ourselves any favours," Hurricanes captain T.J. Perenara admitted.
"Obviously we were down to 12 players at one stage there and you can't win football games like that so we've got to right those wrongs and give ourselves a chance to win those football games."
The Hurricanes lost their temper and their discipline in the second half, feeling they had been unfairly treated.
The incident that led to Lomax's dismissal was referred to referee Mike Fraser by his TMO and Fraser rated it a red card offence because Lomax led with his shoulder, didn't wrap his arms and made contact with the head.
RESULT
Hurricanes 15
Tries: Lam, Van Wyk
Cons: Barrett
Blues 24
Tries: Ioane, Telea, Pen
Cons: Black 2
Pens: Black
REBELS vs LIONS
Melbourne continue to break new Super Rugby ground, collecting their maiden win over the Lions with an impressive 37-17 victory at AAMI Park on Saturday night.
Rebels winger Andrew Kellaway continued his Super Rugby resurgence, scoring his third double of the season amongst a tally of seven to lead the competition's try-scoring stats.
Coming off the back of their first win in Dunedin in the last round, the Rebels took the spoils against the Johannesburg-based Lions at their sixth attempt.
The win was sweet revenge after last year's meeting in South Africa when the Rebels blew a 28-point lead to go down 36-33, with a remarkable 20-1 penalty count proving costly.
RESULT
Rebels 37
Tries: Kellaway 2, Hardwick, Naisarani, R Haylett-Petty,
Cons: To'omua 3
Pens: To'omua 2
Lions 17
Tries: Ulengo, Sithole
Cons: Jantjies 2
Pens: Jantjies
SHARKS vs JAGUARES
South Africa's Sharks showed their teeth as they continued an impressive start to the Super Rugby season and moved to the top of the overall table by taming the Jaguares with a 33-19 victory at King's Park on Saturday.
The Durban-based side returned from their tour of Australasia this week but showed no ill-effects of the travel as tries from lock Hyron Andrews, number eight Sikhumbuzo Notshe, centre Andre Esterhuizen and prop Kerron van Vuuren saw off the Argentine side to confirm their status as South Africa's most likely challengers for the title.
The Sharks have 20 points from their six matches, two more than the New Zealand duo of Waikato Chiefs and Canterbury Crusaders, and Australia's ACT Brumbies, though those sides have all played a game fewer.
RESULT
Sharks 33
Tries: van Vuuren, Esterhuizen, Notshe, Andrews
Cons: Bosch 2
Pens: Bosch 3
Jaguares 19
Tries: Cancelliere, Tuculet, Carreras
Cons: Miotti, Diaz Bonilla
BULLS vs HIGHLANDERS
Wing Rosko Specman scored a hat-trick of tries as the Bulls put four consecutive defeats behind them with a first victory this season, winning 38-13 after trailing 10-5 at half-time.
The Highlanders were superior in the opening half and should have built a wider lead before collapsing after falling behind on 56 minutes when Specman struck for the first time.
He claimed the next two tries as well before fellow wing Cornal Hendricks completed the rout with a final-minute try in the bonus-point victory.
Hooker Jaco Visagie and full-back Warrick Gelant were the other try scorers for the Bulls and fly-half Manie Libbok kicked three conversions and his replacement, Morne Steyn, one.
Centre Josh Ioane scored all the points for 13th-place Highlanders from a try, conversion and two penalties.
RESULT
Bulls 38
Tries: Speckman 3, Visagie, Gelant, Hendricks
Cons: Libbok 3, Steyn
Highlanders 13
Tries: Ioane
Cons: Ioane
Pens: Ioane 2
