The Vodacom Bulls moved into second place in the Vodacom Super 14 standings after a hard-fought 33-27 win over the Chiefs at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria on Saturday. It was the Chiefs’ first defeat in seven matches. The Bulls were unable to secure a bonus point which leaves them a point behind new log leaders the Hurricanes. The Chiefs did earn a bonus point but it was not enough to keep them at the top of the standings and they have dropped into third place.

The Hurricanes jumped from fourth place to first place after a one-sided 56-7 win over an out-of-sorts Brumbies in Wellington. The Brumbies scored first in the match but had no answer as the rampant Hurricanes responded with eight well crafted tries to score their biggest ever victory over an Australian team.

With the movement in log positions at the top of the table, the Sharks, who had a bye at the weekend, have dropped into fourth place.

The Blues held onto fifth place despite their surprise 31-24 defeat by the lowly Reds in North Harbour on Saturday. The Blues earned two bonus points after scoring four tries in a closely fought encounter and remain in contention for the playoffs.

The other upset of the weekend was the Vodacom Cheetahs’ 20-13 win over defending champions the Crusaders in Bloemfontein on Saturday. The Crusaders took an early lead but the Cheetahs fought back well to lead 10-7 at halftime. The Crusaders drew level shortly after the restart but a penalty and a second try as well as some resolute Cheetahs defence kept the champions at bay. The defeat keeps the Crusaders in contention in eighth place whilst the Cheetahs remain in 14th.

The Vodacom Stormers ended their run of four consecutive losses with an 18-11 win over the Highlanders in Dunedin on Friday. The win comes at the end of a dismal tour for the Cape side who now return for home matches against the Chiefs and the Force before ending their campaign against the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein.

The Western Force jumped three places from 9th to 6th after their one-sided 55-14 win over the Auto & General Lions in Perth on Friday. The Lions drop one spot to 12th with the Stormers now in 11th. It was the Lions’ final tour match.

The Waratahs had a bye and dropped from sixth to seventh without kicking a ball.

Source: sarugby.com

Pic: sarugby.co.za

Tags: super 14 results, super 14 roundup