Last-gasp Blues and Brumbies join Chiefs in Super Rugby semis
SYDNEY :The Auckland Blues kept alive their title defence with a last-gasp 20-19 victory over the Waikato Chiefs and the ACT Brumbies beat the Wellington Hurricanes 35-28 to complete the Super Rugby Pacific semi-final line-up on Saturday.
The Chiefs lost the top seeding they earned by topping the regular-season standings to the Canterbury Crusaders, who outmuscled the Queensland Reds 32-12 on Friday, but still progressed to the last four as "lucky losers".
The 12-times champion Crusaders will host the Blues on Friday in Christchurch, where they are unbeaten in 30 Super Rugby playoff matches, while the Chiefs will stay in Hamilton to play the Brumbies on Saturday.
The Chiefs looked to have locked up victory at Waikato Stadium on Saturday when a try from centre Daniel Rona and 14 points from the boot of Damian McKenzie gave them a 19-13 lead with time running out.
The Blues have been playing catch-up since losing their first two matches of the year, however, and they battered away at the Chiefs defence after the hooter until lock Josh Beehre reached over the line to score and Beauden Barrett converted.
"There's been a whole lot of ups and downs through our season and... although there's another week for us, we've got to enjoy that kind of moment," said Blues skipper Patrick Tuipulotu.
The Chiefs, runners up for the last two years, were left stunned after leading for most of the game and will need to regroup over the next week before they resume their bid for a first title since 2013.
"I thought we had that game in the bag," said lock Tupou Vaa'i. "I guess footy's a strange game sometimes, you can start on a high and then it can humble you real quick."
The final playoff would have been a dead rubber had the Chiefs won, with both teams guaranteed a spot in the semi-finals under the "lucky loser" rule, but Beehre's try ensured a heated contest on a chilly night in Canberra.
HURRICANES STRIKE EARLY
The Hurricanes initially grabbed the momentum with crisp backline moves resulting in tries for fullback Ruben Love and winger Fatafehi Fineanganofo in the opening quarter.
The Brumbies hit back in more prosaic fashion with hooker Billy Pollard going over twice and prop Allan Alaalatoa once, all from close range, to give the hosts a 21-14 halftime lead.
The home side showed they also had some flair soon after the break when an inside pass from Rob Valetini set fullback Tom Wright free to carve through the defensive line for a fourth try.
The Hurricanes, though, responded in kind when winger Bailyn Sullivan ran a beautiful line to cut the deficit to 28-21 with 55 minutes on the clock.
The Brumbies went back to battering down the front door for their fifth try from James Slipper but his fellow prop Pasilio Tosi powered over 14 minutes from time to make it a one-score game again.
The Hurricanes pressed for another try to send the tie into overtime but the Brumbies managed field position well and held firm to keep the Australian flag flying in the competition.
"It felt good to earn ourselves another week, we knew it was probably going to take everything we had," said Brumbies skipper Alaalatoa.
Hurricanes co-captain Du'Plessis Kirifi was disappointed but said his team should take some pride in finishing the season strongly after a stuttering start.
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Straits Times
8 hours ago
- Straits Times
Last-gasp Blues and Brumbies join Chiefs in Super Rugby semis
SYDNEY - The Auckland Blues kept alive their title defence with a last-gasp 20-19 victory over the Waikato Chiefs and the ACT Brumbies beat the Wellington Hurricanes 35-28 to complete the Super Rugby Pacific semi-final line-up on Saturday. The Chiefs lost the top seeding they earned by topping the regular-season standings to the Canterbury Crusaders, who outmuscled the Queensland Reds 32-12 on Friday, but still progressed to the last four as "lucky losers". The 12-times champion Crusaders will host the Blues on Friday in Christchurch, where they are unbeaten in 30 Super Rugby playoff matches, while the Chiefs will stay in Hamilton to play the Brumbies on Saturday. The Chiefs looked to have locked up victory at Waikato Stadium on Saturday when a try from centre Daniel Rona and 14 points from the boot of Damian McKenzie gave them a 19-13 lead with time running out. The Blues have been playing catch-up since losing their first two matches of the year, however, and they battered away at the Chiefs defence after the hooter until lock Josh Beehre reached over the line to score and Beauden Barrett converted. "There's been a whole lot of ups and downs through our season and... although there's another week for us, we've got to enjoy that kind of moment," said Blues skipper Patrick Tuipulotu. The Chiefs, runners up for the last two years, were left stunned after leading for most of the game and will need to regroup over the next week before they resume their bid for a first title since 2013. "I thought we had that game in the bag," said lock Tupou Vaa'i. "I guess footy's a strange game sometimes, you can start on a high and then it can humble you real quick." The final playoff would have been a dead rubber had the Chiefs won, with both teams guaranteed a spot in the semi-finals under the "lucky loser" rule, but Beehre's try ensured a heated contest on a chilly night in Canberra. HURRICANES STRIKE EARLY The Hurricanes initially grabbed the momentum with crisp backline moves resulting in tries for fullback Ruben Love and winger Fatafehi Fineanganofo in the opening quarter. The Brumbies hit back in more prosaic fashion with hooker Billy Pollard going over twice and prop Allan Alaalatoa once, all from close range, to give the hosts a 21-14 halftime lead. The home side showed they also had some flair soon after the break when an inside pass from Rob Valetini set fullback Tom Wright free to carve through the defensive line for a fourth try. The Hurricanes, though, responded in kind when winger Bailyn Sullivan ran a beautiful line to cut the deficit to 28-21 with 55 minutes on the clock. The Brumbies went back to battering down the front door for their fifth try from James Slipper but his fellow prop Pasilio Tosi powered over 14 minutes from time to make it a one-score game again. The Hurricanes pressed for another try to send the tie into overtime but the Brumbies managed field position well and held firm to keep the Australian flag flying in the competition. "It felt good to earn ourselves another week, we knew it was probably going to take everything we had," said Brumbies skipper Alaalatoa. Hurricanes co-captain Du'Plessis Kirifi was disappointed but said his team should take some pride in finishing the season strongly after a stuttering start. "We just weren't good enough tonight and they were," he said. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
CNA
8 hours ago
- CNA
Last-gasp Blues and Brumbies join Chiefs in Super Rugby semis
SYDNEY :The Auckland Blues kept alive their title defence with a last-gasp 20-19 victory over the Waikato Chiefs and the ACT Brumbies beat the Wellington Hurricanes 35-28 to complete the Super Rugby Pacific semi-final line-up on Saturday. The Chiefs lost the top seeding they earned by topping the regular-season standings to the Canterbury Crusaders, who outmuscled the Queensland Reds 32-12 on Friday, but still progressed to the last four as "lucky losers". The 12-times champion Crusaders will host the Blues on Friday in Christchurch, where they are unbeaten in 30 Super Rugby playoff matches, while the Chiefs will stay in Hamilton to play the Brumbies on Saturday. The Chiefs looked to have locked up victory at Waikato Stadium on Saturday when a try from centre Daniel Rona and 14 points from the boot of Damian McKenzie gave them a 19-13 lead with time running out. The Blues have been playing catch-up since losing their first two matches of the year, however, and they battered away at the Chiefs defence after the hooter until lock Josh Beehre reached over the line to score and Beauden Barrett converted. "There's been a whole lot of ups and downs through our season and... although there's another week for us, we've got to enjoy that kind of moment," said Blues skipper Patrick Tuipulotu. The Chiefs, runners up for the last two years, were left stunned after leading for most of the game and will need to regroup over the next week before they resume their bid for a first title since 2013. "I thought we had that game in the bag," said lock Tupou Vaa'i. "I guess footy's a strange game sometimes, you can start on a high and then it can humble you real quick." The final playoff would have been a dead rubber had the Chiefs won, with both teams guaranteed a spot in the semi-finals under the "lucky loser" rule, but Beehre's try ensured a heated contest on a chilly night in Canberra. HURRICANES STRIKE EARLY The Hurricanes initially grabbed the momentum with crisp backline moves resulting in tries for fullback Ruben Love and winger Fatafehi Fineanganofo in the opening quarter. The Brumbies hit back in more prosaic fashion with hooker Billy Pollard going over twice and prop Allan Alaalatoa once, all from close range, to give the hosts a 21-14 halftime lead. The home side showed they also had some flair soon after the break when an inside pass from Rob Valetini set fullback Tom Wright free to carve through the defensive line for a fourth try. The Hurricanes, though, responded in kind when winger Bailyn Sullivan ran a beautiful line to cut the deficit to 28-21 with 55 minutes on the clock. The Brumbies went back to battering down the front door for their fifth try from James Slipper but his fellow prop Pasilio Tosi powered over 14 minutes from time to make it a one-score game again. The Hurricanes pressed for another try to send the tie into overtime but the Brumbies managed field position well and held firm to keep the Australian flag flying in the competition. "It felt good to earn ourselves another week, we knew it was probably going to take everything we had," said Brumbies skipper Alaalatoa. Hurricanes co-captain Du'Plessis Kirifi was disappointed but said his team should take some pride in finishing the season strongly after a stuttering start.
Straits Times
10 hours ago
- Straits Times
Reigning champions Blues stay alive with last-gasp win over Chiefs
SYDNEY - Josh Beehre scored a converted try after the hooter as the Auckland Blues kept alive their Super Rugby Pacific title defence with a 20-19 victory over the Waikato Chiefs in Hamilton on Saturday to scrape into the playoff semi-finals. The Chiefs will join the Blues and the Canterbury Crusaders in the last four under the "lucky losers" rule, with the last contender to be decided when the ACT Brumbies and Wellington Hurricanes meet in Canberra later on Saturday. A try from centre Daniel Rona and 14 points from the boot of Damian McKenzie looked to have earned the Chiefs the win but the Blues pounded away at the line in a frantic finish before lock Beehre reached over to score and Beauden Barrett converted. "There's been a whole lot of ups and downs through our season, and... although there's another week for us, we've got to enjoy that kind of moment," said Blues skipper Patrick Tuipulotu. "I'm glad we were able to sort of grind it out in that last 10 minutes." The match at Waikato Stadium was dominated by a titanic forward battle complemented by a dazzling duel between All Blacks playmakers McKenzie and Barrett. Three penalties from McKenzie to one from Barrett gave the Chiefs a 9-3 lead at halftime after both sides bombed what looked like certain tries. Chiefs centre Daniel Rona burst down the left wing in the 27th minute and while his kick infield looked to have given Cortez Ratima a try on a plate, the scrumhalf knocked on with the line at his mercy. McKenzie gave the Chiefs a 6-3 lead with his second penalty four minutes later and hit the turf soon afterwards after being tripped by Ricky Riccitelli while chasing a Shaun Stevenson chip through. That earned the hooker 10 minutes in the sin bin and McKenzie added his third three-pointer from the resultant penalty but Barrett was not done with his contribution to the first half. The twice World Player of the year chipped the ball over the home defensive line at midfield, got to it first and volleyed it past the last defenders but was unable to get his hands on it under the posts. Barrett cut the deficit with his second penalty soon after the break but McKenzie responded in kind three minutes later and the Chiefs were 19-6 ahead just before the hour mark. The home side laid siege to the Blues try line and a superbly judged pass from McKenzie sent Rona through a gap in the defensive line for the first try of the game. Caleb Clarke got across the try line for the Blues minutes later only to have the ball knocked out of his grasp but forward Kurt Eklund was able to force his way over for a converted try that cut the deficit to 19-13 with 15 minutes to play. Blues number eight Hoskins Sotutu was denied what would have been a winning try when he was called back for crawling and it was left to Beehre to secure the victory. "I thought we had that game in the bag," said Chiefs lock Tupou Vaa'i. "I guess footy's a strange game sometimes and you can start on a high and then it can humble you real quick. "I guess we've still got a life now, and our season's not over yet." REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
