The Chiefs got their first win of the season by downing the Western Force 31-13 in their Super 14 match played at the Waikato Stadium in Hamilton on Friday. The Chiefs made an impressive start to score three tries and lead 21-6 at the break but then allowed the Force back into the game and did not secure the bonus point until well after the final hooter – courtesy of the Force keeping the ball alive in an effort to get a point for themselves.

Waratahs replacement Timana Tahu profited from a perfectly placed field kick and good chasing and challenging from his teammates to score the try that killed off arch-rivals the Reds in a Australian derby in Sydney on Friday. Australian derbies are often closely fought and frequently they also produce rugby that can be considered dour and unspectacular. That generalisation was right on the first count, but perhaps not on the second as both teams took turns to entertain as the hosts won 15-11 after trailing 11-10 at half-time. Overall though neither team would be too pleased with their performance, for they generally struggled to protect their own possession enough, with a whopping 52 turn-overs in the game.

All Blacks winger Hosea Gear scored a try in each half to lead the Hurricanes to a 29-12 victory over the Vodacom Cheetahs in New Plymouth on Saturday. Gear scored both tries from turnovers, the first after 20 minutes and the second just after half-time when the Wellington-based side broke out of their own half and the left winger sprinted 50m to give his side breathing room. The try came immediately after the Cheetahs’ Wayne van Heerden had scored under the posts in the 42nd minute and flyhalf Jacques-Louis Potgieter’s conversion had brought the winless South African side within five points at 17-12.
Hurricanes:
Tries – Hosea Gear (2), Tamati Ellison, John Schwalger. Conversions – Piri Weepu (2), William Ripia. Penalty – Weepu.
Vodacom Cheetahs:
Try – Sarel Pretorius, Wayne van Heerden. Conversion – Jacques-Louis Potgieter.

The Sharks’ Vodacom Super 14 challenge started to gain impressive momentum in Auckland on Saturday morning as Johann Muller’s team scored a 35-31 win over the Blues. The Sharks have not been beaten by the Blues since the Super competition was expanded to include 14 teams, and they maintained their dominance over their old rivals with a win that was far more comprehensive than the narrow winning margin might suggest. The Blues scored a late consolation try to Joe Rocokoco, but in reality the Kiwis were a beaten team long before that as the Sharks took control of the game in the second half. There were several outstanding performances from the Sharks, who picked up a four try bonus point en route to their victory, but no-one stood out more than Springbok centre Adrian Jacobs, who is continuing the rich vein of form he established last year. Jacobs repeatedly wrong-footed the Blues defenders, and in so doing created the space needed for Sharks attacking opportunities.

Blues 31 – Tries: Isaiah Toeava, Jimmy Gopperth and Joe Rocokoco; Conversions: Gopperth 2; Penalties: Gopperth 4.

Sharks 35 - Tries: JP Pietersen, Jacques Botes, Steven Sykes, John Smit; Conversions: Rory Kockott 3; Drop-goal: Rory Kockott; Penalties: Rory Kockott 2.

The Crusaders fell all the way off the mountain by losing their third match in a row in this year’s Super 14 as they went down 6-0 in a dire match against the Highlanders in Dunedin on Saturday. The match produced the lowest aggregate score in Super Rugby history (the previous lowest collective score being a 6-3 win for the Brumbies over the Reds in Brisbane in 2007) as Highlanders goal-kicker Daniel Bowden condemned the mighty Crusaders to a third successive defeat for only the second time in their history since they finished bottom of the log in the first year of Super Rugby in 1996.

The Vodacom Bulls repelled a late onslaught from the Vodacom Stormers to score a 14-10 win at Loftus that ensured they end the weekend still unbeaten after four matches and also at the top of the Super 14 log.  The annual north/south derby matches have been horribly one-sided in recent seasons, at least when they are played at the home of the Bulls in Pretoria. Stormers teams have tended to be intimidated by both the opponents and the venue, and since 2003, they have lost every time by a significant margin. This game was different though. The Stormers telegraphed their tactics before the game by choosing Willem de Waal at flyhalf, and in the first half their ploy of playing the Bulls at their own game by kicking them into the corners worked. De Waal had his field kicking boot on in a big way, as did fullback Percy Montgomery, and together they ensured that most of the game was played in Bulls territory. This prevented the Bulls from attaining the early momentum that has been so crucial to them in recent matches against the Stormers, and it also had the effect of making the Stormers feel that they were in the game. Significantly, although no doubt not everyone’s cup of tea, the tactic of kicking most of the ball back at the Bulls ensured that the Stormers did not use up too much energy in the first half. Altitude was a factor that Stormers coach Rassie Erasmus had discussed in the build-up, and his tactics were geared towards negating it. That it didn’t work out for his team was at least partly due to a call made by referee Craig Joubert in the 37th minute of the game. The scores were locked at 3-all at that stage, but Stormers hooker Schalk Brits rather stupidly played the ball while lying on his back. Joubert was right to award a penalty, which Morne Steyn kicked to take his team into a 6-3 lead (also half-time score) after De Waal had earlier responded to a Bulls penalty with a drop-goal. But it is questionable whether the infringement was worthy of a yellow card, and a game of 15 men against 14.

Vodacom Bulls 14 – Try: Wynand Olivier; Penalties: Morne Steyn 2; Drop-goal: Morne Steyn.

Vodacom Stormers 10 – Try: Deon Fourie; Conversion: Peter Grant; Drop-goal: Willem de Waal

Source: sarugby.co.za