The Waikato Chiefs came from behind to beat the Canterbury Crusaders 35-19 on Saturday, moving to the top of the Super Rugby Pacific table with a two-point lead. They were trailing by 16 points but turned the game around in Christchurch to earn their ninth win of the season.
Chiefs fullback Damian McKenzie was the star, scoring 20 points and a try to help his team win the top clash.
“Our opponents were strong and played well in the first half,” said Chiefs captain Luke Jacobson. “But we didn’t feel like we were too far behind.”
The Crusaders looked strong early, scoring tries through Tom Christie, Scott Barrett, and Antonio Shalfon to lead 19-3 by the 38th minute. But the Chiefs didn’t give up.
Emoni Narawa scored just before halftime, giving the Chiefs some momentum. Then McKenzie scored again, bringing the Chiefs within two points.
Leroy Carter ran from deep in his own half to score a brilliant try and put the Chiefs ahead for the first time. Wallace Sititi sealed the win with another try seven minutes before the final whistle.
The ACT Brumbies jumped to second place after beating the Western Force 33-14 in Perth and earning a bonus point.
However, the win may have come with bad news, as flyhalf Noah Lolesio had to be taken off the field in the first half due to a possible neck injury.
This injury could worry Australia’s head coach Joe Schmidt, especially with the British and Irish Lions tour coming up in less than two months.
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For the Brumbies, tries were scored by Len Ikitau, Corey Toole, Tom Hooper, Ollie Sapsford, and Liam Bowron.
The Force started strong with a try from Kane Koteka, and Mac Grealy scored their second. But they now sit in ninth place, and their chances of making the playoffs are getting smaller.
The NSW Waratahs got off to a strong start, taking a 14-point lead early in the match, but they couldn’t keep the pressure on and ended up losing 28-21 to the Queensland Reds. The game was played in rainy conditions at Sydney Football Stadium.
Henry O’Donnell and Jake Gordon scored early tries for the Waratahs in the first 20 minutes. However, the Reds responded with tries from Tate McDermott and Richie Asiata, making the score even by halftime.
In the second half, Taniela Tupou came off the bench and powered through to score, putting the Waratahs ahead again. But things changed after Tupou received a yellow card and had to leave the field. During his absence, Josh Nasser and Lachie Anderson scored for the Reds, helping their team secure the win.
With this result, the Reds held on to fourth place in the standings. Meanwhile, the Waratahs continued to drop, now sitting in eighth position with only three matches left in the regular season.
The Auckland Blues kept up their strong form with an easy 34-5 win against the Fijian Drua, moving up to sixth place. They earned a bonus-point victory in Suva with tries from Marcel Renata, Taufa Funaki, Josh Fusitu’a, Angus Ta’avao, and Cole Forbes.
Blues player Patrick Tuipulotu said, “Finals are coming soon, and we need to find a way to get there. For us, it’s all about taking it one week at a time.”
