Latest news with #TamaitiWilliams
Otago Daily Times
3 days ago
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
Crusaders see off Reds for spot in semis
It wasn't pretty, but the Crusaders have recorded a dominant 32-12 win over the Reds in Christchurch. Friday night's result means the Crusaders can sit back and watch Saturday's games to find out who they'll play in next weekend's semi-finals, while the Reds will be wondering where it all went wrong after such a promising start to the season. A good start would be to look at their scrum, which was smashed to bits by the Crusaders from start to finish in tough conditions in Christchurch thanks to the horrific weather battering the South Island. Crusaders front rowers Codie Taylor, Fletcher Newell and Tamaiti Williams. The Crusaders racked up a 5-0 penalty count early in the first half, with three coming off scrums which in turn were converted into excellent field position. Scott Barrett got the home side on the board first with a well-taken yet slightly questionable try from a turnover near the Reds' line. It certainly appeared that the All Blacks captain came in from an offside position but the referee and TMO seemed more preoccupied with whether Barrett grounded the ball, which he did, so the try stood. The only other scoring in the first half, despite a couple of decent Reds linebreaks, was when Tamaiti Williams crashed over in the 27th minute. The Reds really needed to score straight after the break if they were to have any chance, however by that stage the game had regressed into more of a kicking duel. A half break by Christian Lio-Willie out of nowhere set up the try of the match to Noah Hotham, with the halfback regathering his own kick despite the attention of several Reds defenders. From then on, the result was inevitable, and while the Reds were eventually rewarded with a couple of late tries, it was clear that they'd resigned themselves to defeat long before. It wasn't all perfect for the Crusaders, though. Williams' try was his last act before leaving the field with a knee injury, while Ethan Blackadder was yellow-carded for a needless high tackle. Still, the job was done, and the Canterbury-based side now sit one game away from ultimate redemption for last season.
The Advertiser
4 days ago
- Sport
- The Advertiser
'30-love': Crusaders end Reds' season with amazing stat
The colossal Crusaders have enhanced one of world sport's most remarkable records to ruthlessly end the Queensland Reds' Super Rugby Pacific season. Surpassing tennis's 30-love scoreline, the Crusaders improved their perfect record in home finals to 30-0 with a 32-12 victory over the Reds at their Christchurch fortress on Friday night. Needing to become the first Australian side in three decades to win a play-off match in New Zealand to make the semi-finals, the writing was on the wall for the Reds well before they kicked off at Apollo Projects Stadium. Adding to the odds stacked against Les Kiss's side, the Reds had lost 13 of their previous 14 games against the 12-times Super Rugby kings, while the Crusaders were also riding a 16-match winning streak in finals stretching back to 2016. Queensland had at least been the only Australian team in 21 trips across the Tasman to upset the Crusaders. But the Reds' class of 2025 proved their own worst enemies, conceding the first five penalties of the match on Friday night. The Crusaders, typically, made the ill-disciplined visitors pay with the only two tries of the first half - to injured prop Tamaiti Williams before he hobbled off, and his All Blacks captain Scott Barrett - to take a 12-0 lead into the break. The deficit could have been greater if former Reds and Wallabies playmaker James O'Connor hadn't blundered with an errant kick for touch as the Crusaders threatened to post a third try in the shadows of halftime. Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt may have taken note, but O'Connor's unforced error mattered little to the Crusaders, who resisted an early second-half challenge to put the Reds to the sword. If the Crusaders' third try, to livewire halfback Noah Hotham in the 55th minute, didn't all but end the contest, a penalty goal to Rivez Reihana most certainly put the Reds out of reach, trailing 27-0 and running out of time. The Reds' exit from the finals leaves the ACT Brumbies as Australia's last team standing. After finishing third in the minor premiership, the Brumbies host the fourth-placed Brumbies in the third and last quarter-finals on Saturday night. The colossal Crusaders have enhanced one of world sport's most remarkable records to ruthlessly end the Queensland Reds' Super Rugby Pacific season. Surpassing tennis's 30-love scoreline, the Crusaders improved their perfect record in home finals to 30-0 with a 32-12 victory over the Reds at their Christchurch fortress on Friday night. Needing to become the first Australian side in three decades to win a play-off match in New Zealand to make the semi-finals, the writing was on the wall for the Reds well before they kicked off at Apollo Projects Stadium. Adding to the odds stacked against Les Kiss's side, the Reds had lost 13 of their previous 14 games against the 12-times Super Rugby kings, while the Crusaders were also riding a 16-match winning streak in finals stretching back to 2016. Queensland had at least been the only Australian team in 21 trips across the Tasman to upset the Crusaders. But the Reds' class of 2025 proved their own worst enemies, conceding the first five penalties of the match on Friday night. The Crusaders, typically, made the ill-disciplined visitors pay with the only two tries of the first half - to injured prop Tamaiti Williams before he hobbled off, and his All Blacks captain Scott Barrett - to take a 12-0 lead into the break. The deficit could have been greater if former Reds and Wallabies playmaker James O'Connor hadn't blundered with an errant kick for touch as the Crusaders threatened to post a third try in the shadows of halftime. Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt may have taken note, but O'Connor's unforced error mattered little to the Crusaders, who resisted an early second-half challenge to put the Reds to the sword. If the Crusaders' third try, to livewire halfback Noah Hotham in the 55th minute, didn't all but end the contest, a penalty goal to Rivez Reihana most certainly put the Reds out of reach, trailing 27-0 and running out of time. The Reds' exit from the finals leaves the ACT Brumbies as Australia's last team standing. After finishing third in the minor premiership, the Brumbies host the fourth-placed Brumbies in the third and last quarter-finals on Saturday night. The colossal Crusaders have enhanced one of world sport's most remarkable records to ruthlessly end the Queensland Reds' Super Rugby Pacific season. Surpassing tennis's 30-love scoreline, the Crusaders improved their perfect record in home finals to 30-0 with a 32-12 victory over the Reds at their Christchurch fortress on Friday night. Needing to become the first Australian side in three decades to win a play-off match in New Zealand to make the semi-finals, the writing was on the wall for the Reds well before they kicked off at Apollo Projects Stadium. Adding to the odds stacked against Les Kiss's side, the Reds had lost 13 of their previous 14 games against the 12-times Super Rugby kings, while the Crusaders were also riding a 16-match winning streak in finals stretching back to 2016. Queensland had at least been the only Australian team in 21 trips across the Tasman to upset the Crusaders. But the Reds' class of 2025 proved their own worst enemies, conceding the first five penalties of the match on Friday night. The Crusaders, typically, made the ill-disciplined visitors pay with the only two tries of the first half - to injured prop Tamaiti Williams before he hobbled off, and his All Blacks captain Scott Barrett - to take a 12-0 lead into the break. The deficit could have been greater if former Reds and Wallabies playmaker James O'Connor hadn't blundered with an errant kick for touch as the Crusaders threatened to post a third try in the shadows of halftime. Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt may have taken note, but O'Connor's unforced error mattered little to the Crusaders, who resisted an early second-half challenge to put the Reds to the sword. If the Crusaders' third try, to livewire halfback Noah Hotham in the 55th minute, didn't all but end the contest, a penalty goal to Rivez Reihana most certainly put the Reds out of reach, trailing 27-0 and running out of time. The Reds' exit from the finals leaves the ACT Brumbies as Australia's last team standing. After finishing third in the minor premiership, the Brumbies host the fourth-placed Brumbies in the third and last quarter-finals on Saturday night.
RNZ News
4 days ago
- Sport
- RNZ News
Super Rugby Pacific: Crusaders scrum the Reds out of the play-offs
Will Jordan of the Crusaders. Photo: John Davidson / It wasn't pretty, but the Crusaders have recorded a dominant 32-12 win over the Reds in Christchurch. The result means the Crusaders can sit back and watch tomorrow's games to find out who they'll play in next weekend's semi-finals, while the Reds will be wondering where it all went wrong after such a promising start to the season. A good start would be to look at their scrum, which was smashed to bits by the Crusaders from start to finish in tough conditions thanks to the horrific weather battering the South Island. The Crusaders racked up a 5-0 penalty count early in the first half, with three coming off scrums which in turn were converted into excellent field position. Scott Barrett got the home side on the board first with a well taken yet slightly questionable try from a turnover near the Reds' line. It certainly appeared that the All Blacks captain came in from an offside position but the referee and TMO seemed more preoccupied with whether Barrett grounded the ball, which he did so the try stood. The only other scoring in the first half, despite a couple of decent Reds linebreaks, was when Tamaiti Williams crashed over in the 27th minute. The Reds really needed to score straight after the break if they were to have any chance, however by that stage the game had regressed into more of a kicking duel. A half break by Christian Lio-Willie out of nowhere set up the try of the match to Noah Hotham, with the halfback regathering his own kick despite the attention of several Reds defenders. From then on, the result was inevitable, and while the Reds were eventually rewarded with a couple of late tries, it was clear that they'd resigned themselves to defeat long before. It wasn't all perfect for the Crusaders, though. Williams' try was his last act before leaving the field with a knee injury, while Ethan Blackadder was yellow carded for a needless high tackle. Still, tonight's job was done, and they now sit one game away from ultimate redemption for last season. Read how the game unfolded with RNZ's live blog:
Perth Now
4 days ago
- Sport
- Perth Now
'30-love': Crusaders end Reds' season with amazing stat
The colossal Crusaders have enhanced one of world sport's most remarkable records to ruthlessly end the Queensland Reds' Super Rugby Pacific season. Surpassing tennis's 30-love scoreline, the Crusaders improved their perfect record in home finals to 30-0 with a 32-12 victory over the Reds at their Christchurch fortress on Friday night. Needing to become the first Australian side in three decades to win a play-off match in New Zealand to make the semi-finals, the writing was on the wall for the Reds well before they kicked off at Apollo Projects Stadium. Adding to the odds stacked against Les Kiss's side, the Reds had lost 13 of their previous 14 games against the 12-times Super Rugby kings, while the Crusaders were also riding a 16-match winning streak in finals stretching back to 2016. Queensland had at least been the only Australian team in 21 trips across the Tasman to upset the Crusaders. But the Reds' class of 2025 proved their own worst enemies, conceding the first five penalties of the match on Friday night. The Crusaders, typically, made the ill-disciplined visitors pay with the only two tries of the first half - to injured prop Tamaiti Williams before he hobbled off, and his All Blacks captain Scott Barrett - to take a 12-0 lead into the break. The deficit could have been greater if former Reds and Wallabies playmaker James O'Connor hadn't blundered with an errant kick for touch as the Crusaders threatened to post a third try in the shadows of halftime. Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt may have taken note, but O'Connor's unforced error mattered little to the Crusaders, who resisted an early second-half challenge to put the Reds to the sword. If the Crusaders' third try, to livewire halfback Noah Hotham in the 55th minute, didn't all but end the contest, a penalty goal to Rivez Reihana most certainly put the Reds out of reach, trailing 27-0 and running out of time. The Reds' exit from the finals leaves the ACT Brumbies as Australia's last team standing. After finishing third in the minor premiership, the Brumbies host the fourth-placed Brumbies in the third and last quarter-finals on Saturday night.
Otago Daily Times
5 days ago
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
The playoffs — how the top six shape up
And then there were six. The new-look Super Rugby Pacific playoffs begin tonight. Hayden Meikle explains how it works and looks at the three qualifying finals. HOW IT WORKS There is a lot to be said for the top four teams playing semifinals, and the winners progressing straight to the final. Remember them glorious days? Sigh. Rightly or wrongly, an 11-team Super Rugby Pacific competition introduces a new six-team qualifying series this year. The top six from the regular season — 1 v 6, 2 v 5, 3 v 4 — play each other. The three winners plus the highest-ranked loser proceed to the semifinals next weekend. CRUSADERS v REDS Crusaders record: 11 wins, 3 losses, + 100 points differential, second after regular season. Reds record: 8 wins, 6 losses, +54 points differential, fifth after regular season. History: The Crusaders have won 13 of their past 14 games against the Reds, and triumphed 43-19 in round four. Remarkably, the Crusaders have not lost a playoff game since 2016 — helped that they missed the playoffs last year, obviously. They have won 20 of their past 21 games against Australian opposition in Christchurch. The only team to spoil that run? The Reds in 2024. The oil: Everyone outside the flatlands will be backing the Reds, but the sad reality is the Crusaders are good again. Tamaiti Williams, Codie Taylor, Scott Barrett and Ethan Blackadder set the platform, Noah Hotham and Rivez Reihana control the show, and Sevu Reece and Chay Fihaki do the damage out wide. The Reds will need big, booming games from loose forward stars Harry Wilson and Fraser McReight, but the real keys might be first five Tom Lynagh, who has a deadly accurate boot, and winger Lachie Anderson, fresh off four tries against the Drua. Prediction: Crusaders 35-22. Groan. CHIEFS v BLUES Chiefs record: 11 wins, 3 losses, +231 points differential, first after regular season. Blues record: 6 wins, 8 losses, +47 points differential, sixth after regular season. History: This is a rematch of last year's final, won 41-10 by the Blues. The Chiefs have won nine of their past 11 games against the Blues in Hamilton, but won just 32-31 earlier this season. The oil: Bit of a mismatch on paper as the Chiefs are clearly the best team in the competition and the Blues hold the ''in the playoffs but do not really deserve to be in the playoffs'' spot. The Chiefs are in the top three in every major statistical category this season and do not really have any weaknesses. Tupou Vaa'i, Luke Jacobson and Simon Parker are in smashing form in the pack, Damian McKenzie remains the most influential non-Ardie player in Super Rugby, and there is an embarrassment of riches out wide. The Blues will match up in areas but you sense they will need enormous performances from Hoskins Sotutu, Beauden Barrett and Rieko Ioane to stay close. Prediction: Chiefs 42-20. BRUMBIES v HURRICANES Brumbies record: 9 wins, 5 losses, +87 points differential, third after regular season. Hurricanes record: 8 wins, 1 draw, 5 losses, +106 points differential, fourth after regular season. History: The Brumbies have won two straight playoff games against the Hurricanes. But the Canes had a 35-29 win when the teams met in Canberra in round 11, and are riding a six-game undefeated streak. The oil: Potentially the most intriguing playoff game yet quite possibly one that is basically meaningless. Assuming the Crusaders and the Chiefs win, both these teams will be safely in the semifinals, and with no possibility of playing for home advantage. Weird. The Brumbies are consistent and calm and all the sorts of things you like to see in the crunch stages, and Rob Valetini, Noah Lolesio, Len Ikitau and Tom Wright are class acts. But beware the booming Hurricanes. They are red-hot, powered by Tyrel Lomax, Du'Plessis Kirifi and Peter Lakai, and ignited by Cam Roigard and Ruben Love, and they will sense an upset. Prediction: Hurricanes 32-29 in a thriller.
