Brumbies' Super Rugby playoff journey continues: Can they break the New Zealand hoodoo?
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — The ACT Brumbies will become the latest Australian team to take on the New Zealand playoff hoodoo in Super Rugby after beating the Wellington-based Hurricanes in Canberra.
The record for Australian teams in playoff matches in New Zealand now stands at 0-20 after the Queensland Reds were beaten 32-12 by the Crusaders in Christchurch.
Advertisement
The Brumbies will face the Chiefs in Hamilton in next weekend's semifinals after the Chiefs were beaten 20-19 by the Auckland-based Blues who scored and converted a try after the fulltime siren. The Chiefs still progressed to the next playoff round as the highest-ranked loser but have lost top seeding to the Crusaders.
The match between the Brumbies and Hurricanes might have been a dead rubber if the Crusaders and Chiefs, the top-two seeds, both had won their playoff matches. Then, both teams in Canberra would have progressed to the semifinals either as the winner or highest-ranked loser.
The Hurricanes title hopes have now foundered in Canberra in three of the last four years after they lost to the Brumbies in quarterfinals in 2022 and 2023.
'We didn't get the job done tonight. That Brumbies team really took it up a notch and showed why they've been so successful here,' Hurricanes captain DuPlessis Kirifi said.
Advertisement
The Brumbies again are the last Australian team standing in the playoffs after reaching the semifinals for the third straight time.
'We're just looking at the Chiefs in Hamilton next week,' coach Stephen Larkham said. 'But we're hoping that the Blues can knock off the Crusaders and we come back here in two weeks for a grand final.'
Crusaders beat the chill
Brute force and home advantage were key factors in the Crusaders' win over the Reds.
The Reds had to come from 23 degrees and fine weather in Brisbane to 4 degrees and a rain-soaked pitch in Christchurch. While they anticipated the conditions and tried to replicate them in training, they couldn't fully prepare for a match played in conditions in which the Crusaders excel.
Advertisement
'Typical Christchurch weather: cold, wet and dark and we love it,' said Crusaders scrumhalf Noah Hotham whose brilliant second half try spelled the end of the Reds' hopes and improved the Crusaders winning record in home playoffs to 30-0.
The Reds couldn't match the power of the Crusaders' scrum and conceded penalties which gave the Crusaders a footing in Reds territory. At the same time, the Reds took too long to match the Crusaders' numbers at breakdowns.
Captain David Havili was a force in the collision area which the Crusaders also dominated.
'They were all over us at the breakdown and collision area and we just couldn't get into our cycle,' Reds captain Tate McDermott said. 'They're really good at disrupting your ball and slowing it down and they did a good job of that.'
Advertisement
Hotham may have helped his All Blacks chances with a strong individual performance behind a dominant pack.
Blues beat the odds
As Rieko Ioane faced the television cameras after the Blues beat the New South Wales Waratahs to qualify for the Super Rugby playoffs, the Blues and All Blacks center said 'as the saying goes, shouldn't have let us get one.'
It was a nod to history.
In 2004 the Boston Red Sox came from 3-0 down to beat the New York Yankees and win their first World Series in 86 years. At 3-0 down Sox outfielder Kevin Millar said 'don't let us get one.'
And in the 2023 NBA Eastern Conference finals, the Boston Celtics were 3-0 down against the Miami Heat. 'Don't let us get one,' Celtics player Jaylen Brown said before his team rallied to force game seven.
Advertisement
From Ioane, it was prophetic. After 'getting one' by making the playoffs in sixth place, the Blues have now stretched their defense of the Super Rugby title into the semifinals.
The Chiefs were favored to win Saturday after beating the Blues twice during the regular season. But the Blues kept their season alive with a converted try after the fulltime siren.
___
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
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Milestone Papalii double lifts Raiders over Souths
Josh Papalii scored a fairytale double as he became the most-capped player in Canberra history and lifted the Raiders to a gritty come-from-behind win over South Sydney. Chants of "Papa" rang through GIO Stadium after the Raiders legend's two late tries, before Papalii converted his second himself to put the icing on a 36-12 victory and send the Raiders to the top of the NRL ladder on Sunday. Despite the veteran's late show, it was young five-eighth Ethan Strange who was responsible for turning the day around for the home side, after two early Rabbitohs tries for Keaon Koloamatangi and Alex Johnston threatened to rain on Big Papa's parade. Strange was unstoppable in wet and near-freezing conditions that made handling a tricky task. Just before halftime, the 20-year-old showed why he is one of the best running halves in the league by pushing past four Souths defenders to muscle his way to the tryline and lift the Raiders back into the game. THE MILESTONE MAN! 👏#NRLRaidersSouths — NRL (@NRL) June 8, 2025 Until then, Canberra had looked bereft of ideas in attack, but momentum suddenly swung their way. Strange replicated his effort after the break, jinking past more flat-footed defenders to put the Raiders back level. Soon after, Johnston failed to defuse a Jamal Fogarty bomb and back-rower Zac Hosking cleaned up the scraps to send Canberra ahead. The Raiders grew in confidence and doubled their lead through Simi Sasagi before Papalii, who was given a rare start by coach Ricky Stuart in his 319th game, came on for his second stint. In the 70th minute, the strong crowd of 19,438 that braved the miserable conditions were sent into raptures when hooker Owen Pattie sent Papalii over with a short range pass. Three minutes later the veteran went over after another Pattie pass and stepped up to land the conversion. The Raiders went top with the result, though Canterbury could usurp them when they face Parramatta on Monday. Other than a brief moment in round 2 of 2024, it's the first time Canberra have topped the ladder since round 6 in 2005.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Chiefs Predicted To Continue AFC West Dominance With One Key Fix
Chiefs Predicted To Continue AFC West Dominance With One Key Fix originally appeared on Athlon Sports. It is crazy to think that just one game ago, the Kansas City Chiefs were looking at potentially becoming one of the greatest teams of the modern era, and possibly ever, yet the loss to the Philadelphia Eagles ruined it all. Advertisement Such was the manner in which Kansas City was blown out 40-22 in the Super Bowl, many bandwagoners have jumped off, thinking the era of dominance is over. But not everyone thinks that. Yes, the AFC West is going to be tougher with the Los Angeles Chargers, Denver Broncos, and Las Vegas Raiders all expected to improve, but for ESPN's Mike Tannenbaum, if the offensive line can sort itself out, the division still runs through Kansas City. "[Patrick] Mahomes had a lot of issues with protections last year," Tannenbaum said. "If that's cleaned up with Xavier Worthy, Hollywood Brown, and Rashee Rice pending suspension, this offense can get back to being the explosive offense we've seen Patrick Mahomes have a couple of years ago. So, I'll take Mahomes and a great offensive line." Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) is pressured by Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Jalyx Hunt (58).Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images Mahomes was sacked a career-high 47 times, including the playoffs, last season, and as we saw in the Super Bowl, it doesn't matter how good your quarterback is if he doesn't have time to throw; you have no shot. Advertisement Joe Thuney was traded, leaving the Chiefs to sign left tackle Jaylon Moore in free agency and draft another in Josh Simmons. Kingsley Suamataia was the left tackle last year but failed to secure the spot, so he is now projected to shift inside to take Thuney's left guard position. That is a lot of moving parts in front of Mahomes, and if the Chiefs are to prove the skeptics wrong in 2025, the offensive line simply has to play better. If it does, we agree with Tannenbaum that the Chiefs have the weapons to be a force; however, if Mahomes is running for his life, we may have a new AFC West champion for the first time in nine years. Related: Chiefs' Patrick Mahomes Reveals 2025 'Motivation' Related: Mahomes, Kelce Reveal Photos of New Restaurant This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 3, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Analysts Debate Buying Or Selling Chiefs Super Bowl Stock
Analysts Debate Buying Or Selling Chiefs Super Bowl Stock originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Kansas City Chiefs have lost significant support following their Super Bowl loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, with some believing the era of dominance is over. Advertisement But some forget that Kansas City still won 15 regular-season games and claimed the AFC. That is nothing to sneeze at. Still, many are selling their Chiefs stock in 2025 in favor of the Buffalo Bills or Baltimore Ravens, two teams Patrick Mahomes and Co. have regularly beaten in the playoffs. But one person who isn't selling is NFL Network's Kyle Brandt, who thinks the Chiefs will come roaring back this season. "We look at the Chiefs now as all of a sudden their stock is dropped or something because they got slapped around in the Super Bowl," Brandt said. "That was an all-time Eagles team, and I don't take anything away from the Chiefs." Advertisement "I look at the Chiefs last year, I think it was the weakest team of the Mahomes era and the most vulnerable team, and they won 15 games and had a bye. That we've seen it was like that was the year to get them, that was the year to take them out. Next year, I think they'll be better than they were this year." Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15).Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images With what is hoped to be a better offensive line, a healthy Rashee Rice, having Marquise Brown for a full season, not to mention the continued improvement from Xavier Worthy and Travis Kelce, who is coming off a down season, the Chiefs have ample room for improvement. Yes, the shine has come off their aura somewhat, but let's not forget that just one game of football ago, this team was seen as potentially one of the greatest of all time. Advertisement The analysts' debate aside ... That doesn't go away after one loss, does it? Kansas City will have to do something it hasn't had to do too often under Mahomes, and that's prove people wrong. For so long the NFL's dominant force, one poor loss has seemingly taken away all of the credits Kansas City had built up over the past three seasons. Let the redemption story begin. Related: It's Chiefs vs. Bills In Top-Ranked Rivalry Game In 2025 Related: Trent McDuffie Labeled Top 3 Corner in NFL This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 3, 2025, where it first appeared.
