Latest news with #BailynSullivan
RNZ News
12-05-2025
- Sport
- RNZ News
Super Rugby: Hurricanes hit by Covid in chase for playoff berth
Photo: PHOTOSPORT Last week's bye came with a Covid outbreak for the Hurricanes, but they're confident it won't hinder their quest to secure a place in the Super Rugby finals. The sixth-placed side were hit hard by the virus following their win over the Chiefs earlier this month, with multiple players and coaches spending the bye week stuck at home. The Hurricanes Bailyn Sullivan in action. Photo: Photosport Hurricanes hooker Asafo Aumua said most of the players were back training ahead of Friday's match against the Highlanders in Wellington. "Quite a few of us had Covid, so a few of us were quite crook," Aumua said. Assistant coach Jamie Mackintosh believed the timing of the outbreak was a silver lining. "Every team gets sickness, and as coach I'm happy it was last week and not this week." The Hurricanes host the Highlanders on Friday night in a crucial game for both sides. The Hurricanes likely need at least two wins from their last three games to secure a playoff berth. A loss would end the Highlanders' slim hopes of reaching the finals. Aumua was adamant the Hurricanes would not be at a disadvantage because of the sickness. "It was more the front end of the week, so that was good. We could start getting into our remote training by ourselves at the back end and it didn't really affect us too much." Ryan Louwrens of the Melbourne Rebels and Asafo Aumua of the Hurricanes (R). Photo: Photosport The Hurricanes were coming off a draw with the Force, and back-to-back wins over top three sides the Brumbies and Chiefs. Mackintosh felt the team was finding form at the right time of year. "It was a nice time to have a break. A lot of effort went into the last block, particularly with that travel to Australia. "It was a wonderful way to finish. We needed two big games against the Brumbies and Chiefs to get our season back on track and to play the way we did, hopefully instilled some confidence heading into this next block." The Hurricanes' form coincided with the return of some of their top players, many of whom were missing in the early rounds. All Blacks fullback Ruben Love's shift to first-five has proven a success, and All Black Billy Proctor's return to the midfield has improved the Hurricanes backline markedly. "We had a ton of injuries at the start of the year but you can start to see the combinations click, and we're very fortunate to have some guys coming back from injury," Mackintosh said. Timoci Tavatavanawai during the Highlanders v Hurricanes, Super Rugby Pacific match, Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin. Photo: Michael Thomas/ActionPress The Highlanders will be striving to keep their season alive and Mackintosh, a former Highlanders and Southland player, knows the visitors will be tough to beat in Wellington. "Grew up down there. Played a lot of my rugby down there. The way they're coached, they will bring a whole lot of intent and physicality. "It's a huge game for both teams. Mathematically, the Highlanders are still a chance and we know that we need at least two or maybe three wins from our last three games to secure our place in the playoffs. "It's going to be two desperate teams out there." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Straits Times
04-05-2025
- Sport
- Straits Times
Canes stun Chiefs as Super Rugby playoff race hots up
SYDNEY - Winger Bailyn Sullivan scored four tries off the bench to fire the resurgent Wellington Hurricanes to a 35-17 win over the competition-leading Waikato Chiefs as the race for the Super Rugby Pacific playoffs heated up in round 12. There was also an upset loss for the Queensland Reds, who went down 36-33 to bottom club Fijian Drua in Suva, but the third-placed ACT Brumbies closed on the leaders with a 40-17 win over the New South Wales Waratahs in Canberra. The Chiefs still top the standings with the Canterbury Crusaders, who had a bye and will host a top-of-the-table clash between the teams next week, but the loss to the Hurricanes allowed the Brumbies to cut the gap to three points. The Hurricanes topped the standings at the end of the last regular season but made a poor start this year and at one stage looked set to miss out on the six-team playoffs altogether. A switch to flyhalf from the outside backs for Ruben Love helped trigger something of a revival and they went into Saturday's clash with the Chiefs at Wellington Stadium on the back of an impressive away win over the Brumbies. The Chiefs held a 17-9 lead at halftime on the back of two tries from Daniel Rona but Love, Callum Harkin and Billy Proctor produced some backline magic in the second half and Sullivan, an early replacement for Kini Naholo, cashed in. "We're rugby players so sometimes we're a bit slow to learn and slow to take things on," captain Du'Plessis Kirifi said, explaining the turnaround in the Hurricanes' season. "But we're picking it up now and the boys are willing and eager to learn and extremely coachable. So great job this week and we're not done yet." The win moved the Hurricanes up to fifth place in the standings, two points clear of Moana Pasifika in sixth. Moana also had a replacement to thank for their first ever win over the Otago Highlanders in a Dunedin thriller in the last match of the round on Sunday. The Highlanders looked like taking the win when Jack Taylor scored off the back of the rolling maul in the 73rd minute, but Samoa scrumhalf Melani Matavao charged down a clearance kick after the restart and touched down to give Moana a 34-29 win. "We want to win the championship, but first we've got to make the top six, which means winning every week," said inspirational Moana skipper Ardie Savea. "We take the W today, we go home, hug our loved ones ... reset away from footy, and then we come back next week and play the Blues at home." The Auckland Blues continued their mini revival at Eden Park on Friday night with a 40-19 bonus point win over Western Force orchestrated by twice World Player of the Year Beauden Barrett at flyhalf. Force fullback and former Wallaby Kurtley Beale scored an early try on his long-awaited return from injury but the Perth-based outfit were unable to contain the reigning champions in the second half. The Force dropped to eighth behind the seventh-placed Blues on points difference but a point ahead of the Waratahs, who slumped to an eighth successive loss to the Brumbies in the Australian capital on Saturday night. Fullback Joseph Suaalii again shone for the Waratahs but tries from prop Allan Alaalatoa, hooker Billy Pollard and flying winger Corey Toole in the third quarter saw the Brumbies safely home. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
The Star
04-05-2025
- Sport
- The Star
Rugby-Canes stun Chiefs as Super Rugby playoff race hots up
SYDNEY (Reuters) -Winger Bailyn Sullivan scored four tries off the bench to fire the resurgent Wellington Hurricanes to a 35-17 win over the competition-leading Waikato Chiefs as the race for the Super Rugby Pacific playoffs heated up in round 12. There was also an upset loss for the Queensland Reds, who went down 36-33 to bottom club Fijian Drua in Suva, but the third-placed ACT Brumbies closed on the leaders with a 40-17 win over the New South Wales Waratahs in Canberra. The Chiefs still top the standings with the Canterbury Crusaders, who had a bye and will host a top-of-the-table clash between the teams next week, but the loss to the Hurricanes allowed the Brumbies to cut the gap to three points. The Hurricanes topped the standings at the end of the last regular season but made a poor start this year and at one stage looked set to miss out on the six-team playoffs altogether. A switch to flyhalf from the outside backs for Ruben Love helped trigger something of a revival and they went into Saturday's clash with the Chiefs at Wellington Stadium on the back of an impressive away win over the Brumbies. The Chiefs held a 17-9 lead at halftime on the back of two tries from Daniel Rona but Love, Callum Harkin and Billy Proctor produced some backline magic in the second half and Sullivan, an early replacement for Kini Naholo, cashed in. "We're rugby players so sometimes we're a bit slow to learn and slow to take things on," captain Du'Plessis Kirifi said, explaining the turnaround in the Hurricanes' season. "But we're picking it up now and the boys are willing and eager to learn and extremely coachable. So great job this week and we're not done yet." The win moved the Hurricanes up to fifth place in the standings, two points clear of Moana Pasifika in sixth. Moana also had a replacement to thank for their first ever win over the Otago Highlanders in a Dunedin thriller in the last match of the round on Sunday. The Highlanders looked like taking the win when Jack Taylor scored off the back of the rolling maul in the 73rd minute, but Samoa scrumhalf Melani Matavao charged down a clearance kick after the restart and touched down to give Moana a 34-29 win. "We want to win the championship, but first we've got to make the top six, which means winning every week," said inspirational Moana skipper Ardie Savea. "We take the W today, we go home, hug our loved ones ... reset away from footy, and then we come back next week and play the Blues at home." The Auckland Blues continued their mini revival at Eden Park on Friday night with a 40-19 bonus point win over Western Force orchestrated by twice World Player of the Year Beauden Barrett at flyhalf. Force fullback and former Wallaby Kurtley Beale scored an early try on his long-awaited return from injury but the Perth-based outfit were unable to contain the reigning champions in the second half. The Force dropped to eighth behind the seventh-placed Blues on points difference but a point ahead of the Waratahs, who slumped to an eighth successive loss to the Brumbies in the Australian capital on Saturday night. Fullback Joseph Suaalii again shone for the Waratahs but tries from prop Allan Alaalatoa, hooker Billy Pollard and flying winger Corey Toole in the third quarter saw the Brumbies safely home. (Reporting by Nick Mulvenney, editing by Michael Perry)
Reuters
04-05-2025
- Sport
- Reuters
Canes stun Chiefs as Super Rugby playoff race hots up
SYDNEY, May 4 (Reuters) - Winger Bailyn Sullivan scored four tries off the bench to fire the resurgent Wellington Hurricanes to a 35-17 win over the competition-leading Waikato Chiefs as the race for the Super Rugby Pacific playoffs heated up in round 12. There was also an upset loss for the Queensland Reds, who went down 36-33 to bottom club Fijian Drua in Suva, but the third-placed ACT Brumbies closed on the leaders with a 40-17 win over the New South Wales Waratahs in Canberra. The Chiefs still top the standings with the Canterbury Crusaders, who had a bye and will host a top-of-the-table clash between the teams next week, but the loss to the Hurricanes allowed the Brumbies to cut the gap to three points. The Hurricanes topped the standings at the end of the last regular season but made a poor start this year and at one stage looked set to miss out on the six-team playoffs altogether. A switch to flyhalf from the outside backs for Ruben Love helped trigger something of a revival and they went into Saturday's clash with the Chiefs at Wellington Stadium on the back of an impressive away win over the Brumbies. The Chiefs held a 17-9 lead at halftime on the back of two tries from Daniel Rona but Love, Callum Harkin and Billy Proctor produced some backline magic in the second half and Sullivan, an early replacement for Kini Naholo, cashed in. "We're rugby players so sometimes we're a bit slow to learn and slow to take things on," captain Du'Plessis Kirifi said, explaining the turnaround in the Hurricanes' season. "But we're picking it up now and the boys are willing and eager to learn and extremely coachable. So great job this week and we're not done yet." The win moved the Hurricanes up to fifth place in the standings, two points clear of Moana Pasifika in sixth. Moana also had a replacement to thank for their first ever win over the Otago Highlanders in a Dunedin thriller in the last match of the round on Sunday. The Highlanders looked like taking the win when Jack Taylor scored off the back of the rolling maul in the 73rd minute, but Samoa scrumhalf Melani Matavao charged down a clearance kick after the restart and touched down to give Moana a 34-29 win. "We want to win the championship, but first we've got to make the top six, which means winning every week," said inspirational Moana skipper Ardie Savea. "We take the W today, we go home, hug our loved ones ... reset away from footy, and then we come back next week and play the Blues at home." The Auckland Blues continued their mini revival at Eden Park on Friday night with a 40-19 bonus point win over Western Force orchestrated by twice World Player of the Year Beauden Barrett at flyhalf. Force fullback and former Wallaby Kurtley Beale scored an early try on his long-awaited return from injury but the Perth-based outfit were unable to contain the reigning champions in the second half. The Force dropped to eighth behind the seventh-placed Blues on points difference but a point ahead of the Waratahs, who slumped to an eighth successive loss to the Brumbies in the Australian capital on Saturday night. Fullback Joseph Suaalii again shone for the Waratahs but tries from prop Allan Alaalatoa, hooker Billy Pollard and flying winger Corey Toole in the third quarter saw the Brumbies safely home.
