Chiefs brace for Hurricanes in windy Wellington
MELBOURNE - The Wellington Hurricanes left wreckage in Canberra last weekend and will hope to inflict more damage on the Waikato Chiefs on their return home to New Zealand's windy capital on Saturday.
The fifth-placed Hurricanes reignited their Super Rugby Pacific season with the 35-29 win at the third-placed ACT Brumbies, putting the stamp on a successful tour of Australia after holding Western Force to a 17-17 draw in Perth.
The leading Chiefs will be a step up for Clark Laidlaw's men but the visitors have been depleted by injuries to key players, including All Blacks playmaker Damian McKenzie and centre Anton Lienert-Brown.
"We're excited for the game this weekend, Chiefs are the top of the table, and we know what sort of challenge that will present," Laidlaw said.
"It'll be a good opportunity to test ourselves .... and build a bit of momentum."
Victory for the Chiefs would mean breathing space from the second-placed Canterbury Crusaders who are level on 37 points but sit out the round with a bye.
Eight points adrift, the third-placed Brumbies host the New South Wales Waratahs, who return from a bye following an away loss to Fijian Drua.
The Waratahs, who have slipped out of the top six, broke a 13-match losing streak against the Brumbies in March but have not beaten anyone outside of Sydney this season.
The Stephen Larkham-coached Brumbies, meanwhile, have won their last seven at home against the Waratahs and will expect to rebound on Saturday in the run-up to the playoffs.
With five rounds left in the regular season, the Queensland Reds are two points behind the Brumbies and challenging their traditional standing as Australia's best Super Rugby outfit.
REDS TO SUVA
The Reds head to Suva hoping for a first away win over bottom-placed Drua on Saturday and with coach Les Kiss free to focus purely on the team.
Kiss was confirmed on Wednesday as Joe Schmidt's successor as Australia coach from mid-2026 after months of speculation.
"We go to Fiji on Saturday and do a job there," Kiss said.
"I'll just be going back and doing what I can on a weekly basis, on a daily basis, to build something that's special (at the Reds)."
The Auckland Blues' title defence is all but over following their 35-21 defeat by the Reds last weekend but the defending champions will bank on keeping their mathematical playoffs hopes alive when they host the Force at Eden Park on Friday.
The Blues' sole defeat to the Force was back in 2008 at North Harbour Stadium, and the Perth team have been lamentable in New Zealand this season.
Thrashed 56-22 by the Chiefs last week, the Force will hope the return of 36-year-old veteran Kurtley Beale from injury can lift them.
Beale said he pondered retiring during his rehab from a ruptured Achilles.
"But there was something burning inside of me, deep down, to continue to play," said the 95-cap Wallaby.
"Not every player gets to finish on their terms."
Moana Pasifika will hope the Blues beat the Force as they prepare to meet the 10th-placed Otago Highlanders in Dunedin on Sunday.
Eighth in the table, Moana have never beaten the Highlanders in five matches but a breakthrough win coupled with a Force loss could see Moana leap into the top six sides who will contest the playoffs. REUTERS
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Straits Times
30-05-2025
- Straits Times
Chiefs secure Super Rugby top spot, Crusaders win battle for second
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CNA
30-05-2025
- CNA
Chiefs secure Super Rugby top spot, Crusaders win battle for second
SYDNEY :Lock Tupou Vaa'i scored a hat-trick of tries as the Waikato Chiefs locked up top spot in the Super Rugby Pacific standings and home advantage throughout the playoffs with a 41-21 victory over the Otago Highlanders on Friday. The second-placed Canterbury Crusaders later closed out their regular season by edging the third-placed ACT Brumbies 33-31 in a Canberra thriller to ensure New Zealand teams would own the top two in the standings for a fourth straight year. The Chiefs, runners-up for the last two seasons, thrashed Moana Pasifika 85-7 last weekend and looked like running rampant again at Dunedin Stadium when they scored three tries, two from Vaa'i, in the first 13 minutes. The young Highlanders side gradually worked their way back into the contest, however, and co-captains Ethan de Groot and Timoci Tavatavanawai both scored tries to cut the deficit to 19-14 at halftime. Scrumhalf Xavier Roe raced away down the blindside to give the Chiefs the perfect start to the second half and replacement back Manasa Mataele gave them a 31-17 lead heading into the final quarter, but the Highlanders would not lie down. Sam Gilbert ran onto a clever Tanielu Tele'a kick to score a try in his final appearance for the Highlanders seven minutes from time and they would have got closer had Cortez Ratima not come up with a brilliant try-saving cover tackle. All Black Vaa'i was not done yet, however, and he pounced on a loose ball from a goal-line drop out in the final minute to condemn the Highlanders to the wooden spoon for the first time since the second season of Super Rugby in 1997. "Although the game wasn't perfect, we got the win," said Chiefs captain Luke Jacobson. "We got the four points, and we're at the top, and we can change our focus to what's in front of us in the quarter-final next week now." The Brumbies also got off to a flying start when prop Feao Fotuaika went over in the second minute but the Crusaders, clinical every time they neared the try line, were soon in front after Christian Lio-Willie and Ethan Blackadder crossed. The hosts hit back with a fine backline try from centre Len Ikitau but the Crusaders were happy to take the points however they came and another close-range effort from Rivez Reihana as well as a Sevu Reece drop goal put them 25-14 up at the break. Flyhalf Reihana kicked a penalty to extend the lead in the 47th minute but replacement prop Rhys van Nek ground over and winger Andy Muirhead finished off a flowing move to lock up the scores at 28-28 with 24 minutes to play. Brumbies flyhalf Noah Lolesio slotted a three-pointer in the 72nd minute but Crusaders replacement hooker George Bell crashed over the line from a rolling maul five minutes later for the match-winning try. "Good to show a bit of composure there at the back end of that game," said Crusaders skipper Codie Taylor. "Seems to be a common trend for us leaking points in that second half but hey, it's always hard fought over here."
Straits Times
30-05-2025
- Straits Times
Chiefs down Highlanders to secure Super Rugby top spot
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