Super Rugby playoffs set: Chiefs and Blues to face off again
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — The pieces of the playoffs puzzle in Super Rugby locked into place match by match during the last round of the regular season. The Hamilton-based Chiefs sealed first place and the defending champion Blues claimed sixth while Moana Pasifika's best-ever season ended in defeat.
The Chiefs and Blues will now meet next weekend in a repeat of last year's final.
Advertisement
Matches on Friday decided the top-three places which carry home advantage in next weekend's first playoff round, while Saturday's games sorted fourth to sixth place, setting up a series of competitive semifinals.
The second-placed Crusaders will meet the Queensland Reds in Christchurch on Friday; the Chiefs will host the Auckland-based Blues in a contest between neighboring teams Saturday and the ACT Brumbies will face the Wellington-based Hurricanes in Canberra. History shows home advantage is a key factor in Super Rugby playoffs.
The last-placed Highlanders gave the first-placed Chiefs an unexpectedly tough time Friday before losing 41-24.
The Chiefs scored three tries and rushed out to a 19-0 lead in better than even time. But a lengthy injury break around the 20th minute when Chiefs midfielder Quinn Tupaea suffered a head injury broke the Chiefs' momentum and the Highlanders scored two tries to cut the lead to five points at halftime.
Advertisement
The Highlanders trailed by 10 points with six minutes remaining and went close to scoring another try which would have made the final minutes tense. But lock Tupou Vaa'i scored his third try in the 80th minute to inflate the Chiefs' winning margin.
While the Highlanders finished last, the losing margin was less than seven points in eight of its 11 defeats.
Crusaders leap Brumbies
The Crusaders scored a contentious late try to beat the Brumbies 33-31 in Canberra to take second place and consign the Brumbies to third.
The Brumbies have now qualified for the playoffs in eight of the last nine full Super Rugby tournaments. They last qualified in first place in 2004, a year they went on to win the title.
Advertisement
'It's been 21 years and every year we start the season and talk about top two as a goal,' coach Stephen Larkham said. 'So yeah, we've missed an opportunity there again.
'It makes it a little bit harder for us. We're going to need a little bit of luck to get a home semifinal but that's out of our control now.'
Moana Pasifika falls short
The Hurricanes beat Moana Pasifika 64-12 to take fourth place. Moana Pasifika won six matches in a season for the first time, beating the Blues and Crusaders and finishing five points short of the playoffs.
The Moana Pasifika players and fans celebrated the end of their season with enthusiasm, led in song by captain Ardie Savea.
Advertisement
'You know, everyone doubted us, God believed in us,' Savea said. 'These boys came together and we brought people together.
'We're not satisfied. Our goal was to win the thing and make the top six but that wasn't meant to be.'
The Blues started the last round in seventh place and moved into the playoffs with a 46-6 win over the New South Wales Waratahs who also were in playoffs contention.
Their clash with the Chiefs next weekend repeats last year's final in which the Blues beat the Chiefs 41-10. This year, the Chiefs start as firm favorites.
The Reds beat the Fijian Drua 52-7 in the final match of the regular season and finished fifth. The Drua won four matches in the regular season but lacked the ability to win away from home.
___
AP rugby: https://apnews.com/hub/rugby
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Chicago Tribune
8 minutes ago
- Chicago Tribune
Snack Wrap unwrapped: Here's why McDonald's is bringing back a fan favorite on July 10
If McDonald's ever doubted it needed to bring back the Snack Wrap, consider this: Nine years after the fast-food powerhouse discontinued the item in the U.S., customers have continued to order it at drive-thrus. Those customers won't have to leave empty-handed for long. On Tuesday, McDonald's announced that a new version of the Snack Wrap will go on sale July 10. McDonald's invented the Snack Wrap — a tortilla full of chicken, lettuce, shredded cheese and sauce — almost two decades ago to make it easier to eat its chicken on the go. But it was too complicated for its kitchens to prepare, so the burger giant abandoned the Snack Wrap in the U.S. in 2016. The decision devastated fans like Alicia Force, a musician and administrative assistant at a high school in Missouri. Force tried to make Snack Wraps at home and sampled alternatives from Arby's and other restaurants, but nothing was the same. So she started a Facebook group with 86 members urging McDonald's to resurrect the Snack Wrap. Other loyal noshers weighed in too. A petition asking McDonald's to bring back the Snack Wrap has nearly 19,000 signatures. A TikTok video showing a U.S. food reviewer eating Snack Wraps in Ireland — where they're still sold — racked up more than 1.4 million views. It had an impact. McDonald's began teasing a Snack Wrap reappearance earlier this year. 'We listen to our fans, and the Snack Wrap's return is a testament to that,' McDonald's U.S. President Joe Erlinger told The Associated Press. But McDonald's has other reasons for the reboot. The Snack Wrap's lower price point could lure back inflation-weary customers, who have been eating fewer fast-food meals in recent months. The wraps' smaller size and tortilla casing also appeal to the health-conscious. Steve Davis, a mental health counselor in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, used to buy six grilled chicken Snack Wraps at a time and keep them in his fridge as a grab-and-go snack. 'I'm not actually a fast-food fan, but Snack Wraps felt different, like I was eating an actual 'wrap.' I felt like I was being healthier,' Davis said. Snack Wraps will also help McDonald's compete with a growing number of rivals. Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen introduced its own chicken wraps on Monday, while Burger King and Wendy's have sold them since 2023. Even the convenience store chain Wawa sells a chicken wrap. 'There's so much opportunity in the chicken category,' Erlinger said. Fast-food chicken sales are nearly twice the size of beef and are growing more quickly across the globe, Erlinger said. Reviving the Snack Wrap was a years-long process, Erlinger said. First, McDonald's wanted to develop a better fried chicken strip. After several years of testing, the Chicago-based company debuted its peppery McCrispy Strips in early May. McDonald's also had to update its Snack Wrap tools, simplify the preparation process and train workers at its 13,500 U.S. restaurants, Erlinger said. 'With this being one of our most highly anticipated menu items, we knew we had one chance to knock it out of the park. It had to be easy for crew to execute,' Erlinger said. For the U.S. comeback, McDonald's is offering fewer kinds of Snack Wraps to ensure faster service. It used to have both grilled and fried chicken options, but it's only offering fried chicken in the U.S. for now. And the relaunched Snack Wraps will only come in two flavors: Ranch or Spicy. The company used to offer additional sauces like honey mustard and sweet chili. That could disappoint some fans. Force was partial to a Snack Wrap with honey mustard sauce, for example. Davis always got grilled chicken on his Snack Wraps, and he rarely went to McDonald's after they disappeared. McDonald's continues to have a wider range of options in some other markets where Snack Wraps never went away. Canada still offers grilled or fried chicken in its Snack Wraps, for example, as well as chicken, fish and breakfast versions of full-sized wraps. McDonald's wouldn't say if it plans to add more Snack Wrap varieties in the U.S. 'We'll continue listening to our fans when it comes to menu innovations,' the company said. Snack Wraps are returning at a sluggish period for fast-food restaurants. From January through April, U.S. fast-food traffic was down 1% compared to the same period a year ago, said David Portalatin, a senior vice president and industry advisor for food service at market research firm Circana. McDonald's same-store sales – or sales at locations open at least a year – were down 3.6% in the first quarter of the year compared to the same period last year. Its same-store sales grew less than 1% in 2024. Inflation is the main culprit, Portalatin said. In the first quarter of this year, the average check at a U.S. fast-food restaurant was up 41% from the same period in 2019, he said. The higher prices have led many Americans – especially middle- to lower-income families – to eat at home instead of going out. McDonald's has tried to counter that with a limited McValue menu and increased deals. But less expensive options like a Snack Wrap may also help. The company won't say how much the Snack Wrap will cost in the U.S. because prices will vary by location. But Burger King's prices may give a clue. At a Michigan restaurant this week, Burger King charged $2.99 for its Royal Crispy Wrap, the 310-calorie equivalent of a Snack Wrap. Burger King's Royal Crispy Chicken sandwich, with a bun, a larger chicken breast and nearly twice the calories, cost $5.49. Portalatin said snack-sized options from McDonald's and others also reflect Americans' changing dining habits. More people are choosing to eat smaller meals throughout the day instead of having having breakfast, lunch and dinner at their traditional times. 'The consumer doesn't think about things in the neat buckets that we as marketers like to think about them,' Portalatin said. 'We like to say, 'This occasion is lunch and these are lunch foods.' The consumer simply says, 'I'm hungry. What time is it? Where am I?'' That was certainly true for Force, who said she has fond memories of picking up a Snack Wrap after school as a teenager. She's looking forward to making that part of her routine once more. 'Hopefully, they come back and they taste the same, and they don't break my heart again, quite frankly,' she said.
Yahoo
9 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Nicole Richie and Joel Madden Sell $10 Million Beverly Hills Mansion After Hefty Price Cut
Nicole Richie and Joel Madden sold their Beverly Hills mansion on May 30, 2025 for about $10 million The stars' original asking price for the 6,100-square-foot home was $12.95 million Richie and Madden first listed the property in July 2024 just days after Madden's twin brother Benji and his wife, Cameron Diaz, listed theirsNicole Richie and Joel Madden have sold their Beverly Hills mansion — after slashing the price by nearly $3 million. The Simple Life alum, 43, and Good Charlotte frontman, 46, sold the 6,100-square-foot home for $10,183,985 on May 30, according to property records. The original asking price for the Parisian-style abode was $12.95 million, meaning the couple slashed the price by about $2.77 million before finding a buyer. The four-bedroom, 5.5-bath home is located in an exclusive and star-studded gated community in Beverly Hills and features a three-car garage, a library equipped with a fireplace, and a spa, according to the listing. Outside, the luxury home boasts a swimming pool and olive trees. The couple first purchased the property in 2021 after selling their previous residence, according to Before the couple moved in, the property was featured in Architectural Digest in a piece highlighting Simo Design, the Los Angeles-based designers who reimagined it. After the home's makeover, the designers put the home on the market in 2020 for $13 million, and later reduced the asking price to $12.4 million before selling to Richie and Joel, per The stars — who have been married since 2010 and are parents to two teenagers, Harlow, 17, and Sparrow, 15 — first put the property on the market last summer, just days after Madden's twin brother Benji and his wife, Cameron Diaz, listed theirs. Richie and Joel's listing went live on July 12, while Benji, 46, and Diaz, 52, listed their home on July 9. The Holiday actress and Good Charlotte guitarist put their compound, situated in the Benedict Canyon neighborhood, up for sale for $17.8 million, according to The longtime couple — who wed in January 2015 and share kids Raddix, 5, Cardinal, 1 — first bought the seven-bedroom, 8.5-bath mansion home in 2020 for $14.7 million. At the time, a source revealed to PEOPLE why Diaz and Benji decided to let go of the home. "They have multiple residences in Los Angeles and are choosing to let go of the Benedict property so that they can take residency at another one of their homes," the insider said. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Both couples keep their marriages largely out of the spotlight. The twin Good Charlotte rockers did, however, recently open up about their 'healthy fear' of their wives while appearing on Rob Lowe's SiriusXM podcast Literally! in March. "They are absolutely our counterparts, and we all have a healthy fear of our wives... I don't know if I ever thought someone could keep me," Joel said "I was a relationship guy, but then I met Nicole, and she absolutely runs the show — but we are partners." The former reality star, Joel continued, "gave me a way deeper, richer life because of the aspects of my life that she oversees, she runs, and vice versa. We work together, but she's strong. I respect her and fear her a little bit." "That's the queen," Benji later added of Diaz. 'Go against my wife? Good luck. I don't even need to get involved." Read the original article on People
Yahoo
11 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Revel Bikes Gets Back to Roots with Hiring of Original Designer
Revel Bikes Gets Back to Roots with Hiring of Original Designer originally appeared on BikeMag. Revel Bikes surprised and thrilled the mountain bike world when founder Adam Miller bought the troubled company at auction last month, and the good news keeps coming from the Carbondale, Colorado-based company. Miller has brought on Mike Giese, Revel's original bike designer who will now serve as Director of Product Development and Creative worked with Miller back in the day from 2016 to 2018 to create Revel's iconic Rail, Rascal, and Ranger from concept to trail. 'Mike's the real deal,' said Miller in announcing Giese's return to Revel. 'He's got this rare combo of incredible engineering talent, insane bike handling skills, and an eye for design that's unmatched. It's wildly awesome to get to work with him again.' Giese's frame designs, coupled with Chris Canfield's CBF suspension platform, created bikes that racked up awards and created devoted Revel riders. After helping establish Revel, Giese went on to help develop new carbon bikes and components. He brings that experience back to Revel now with plans for exciting new builds, Miller says. 'Mike was a big part of why Revel clicked right from the start," Miller said. "Getting to build the next chapter together is something we're all really stoked about.' 'I am beyond excited for this next chapter with Revel Bikes,' Giese said. 'After working with Adam and team to design the original Rail, Rascal and Ranger, I am looking forward to joining the Revel Bikes team to lead product strategy, design and development for the next generation of bikes, and for the next generation of the brand.' Revel has shifted to a direct-to-consumer model focused on making the high-quality bikes sans the middle markup. Customers can buy complete bikes and frames directly through Revel's website, and Revel ships globally. Revel also support custom builds through local bike shop dealers with their frame-only program. From a serious question as to whether or not Revel would survive at all to the news that it's getting back to its small company, bike-loving roots, the mountain bike world has reason to be excited about the rebirth of Revel. 'Now, it is time to put the foot on the gas and design some insane new bikes, Giese said. 'Let the good times roll!' This story was originally reported by BikeMag on Jun 3, 2025, where it first appeared.
