The Highlanders snapped the Vodacom Bulls‘ five-match winning streak in the Vodacom Super 14 on Saturday, beating the lethargic Pretoria outfit 36-12 in Palmerston North. The Highlanders raced to a 21-5 lead in the first half, then consolidated its lead with two second-half tries to inflict the first defeat on the Bulls in the 2009 season.

Highlanders – Tries: Israel Dagg, Matthew Berquist, Jimmy Cowan, Daniel Bowden, Jason Shoemarck. Conversions: Matthew Berquist (4). Penalties: M.Berquist.
Bulls – Tries: Gerhard van den Heever, Morne Steyn. Conversion: Morne Steyn.

The Vodacom Stormers started their match against Crusaders with hopes of becoming only the third South African team to win in Christchurch in Super rugby history, but they blew it with an error-ridden display that led to an 11-7 defeat. Going into the last 10 minutes the Stormers were still well in the game, but the Crusaders beat them hands down with their kicking game from around the 20 minute mark in the match, and ensured that they played the deciding period of the match in the Stormers half. With the Stormers looking incapable of striking from long range, the match was effectively over when Stephen Brett made the territorial advantage count by slotting a penalty from right in front to make it a four point lead and force the Stormers to look for a try.

Crusaders 11 – Try: Adam Whitelock; Penalties: Stephen Brett 2.

Stormers 7 – Try: Luke Watson; Conversion: Willem de Waal.

Mils Muliaina and Sitiveni Sivivatu scored two tries apiece on Saturday as the resurgent Chiefs beat the Reds 50-26 to return to the top four of the Vodacom Super 14 log. After withstanding a series of attacking raids early, the Chiefs dominated the six-tries-to-four victory with flyhalf Stephen Donald directing traffic and scoring 23 points. The Reds picked up a bonus point when flanker Daniel Braid dived over after pinching a Chiefs’ lineout close to the line in the last five minutes. The Chiefs opened the season with three straight losses but have gained momentum since the return of All Blacks fullback Muliaina and have won four in a row.

The Sharks moved back to the top of the Vodacom Super 14 log with a comprehensive 35-14 win over the Brumbies at ABSA Stadium on Saturday afternoon. It was possibly the most compelling Sharks performance of the season thus far as they scored five tries to two against a Brumbies team that challenged in the middle to later stages of the first half but which was outplayed over the full 80 minutes. The Sharks had clinched their fourth try, the bonus point, as early as the 54th minute, with flank Jacques Botes, so long an unsung hero of the Sharks, forcing his way over after scrumhalf Rory Kockott had taken a quick tap from a free kick near the Brumbies line. The Sharks came second for much of the way in the possession stakes, but then that is a statistic that is often skewed by the phase play approach of the Australian teams. It was in the territorial battle that the Sharks were the Brumbies’ masters, and they scored two outstanding tries in the first half from turn-over ball.

The Sharks:
Tries – JP Pietersen, Stefan Terblanche, Rory Kockott, Jacques Botes, Ryan Kankowski. Conversions – Kockott (5).
Brumbies:
Tries – Christian Lealiifano, Salesi Ma’afu. Conversions – Mark Gerrard (2).

Source: sarugby.co.za

Tags: super 14 results, super 14 roundup