A terrible 10 minutes has cost the Queensland Reds a heroic victory in Samoa, as they fell 34-29 to the Blues.
Queensland’s finals hopes were quashed last week and that meant they were simply playing for pride on Friday night.
Maybe that’s what they should have been playing for all season, as they fought back tonight in a fashion not yet seen by this team in 2017
Nick Stiles backed his young guns to perform and they did just that.
RESULT
Blues 34
Tries: Ranger, R Ioane, Pryor, Cowley-Tuioti, Perofeta
Cons: Francis 2, Perofeta
Pens: Francis
Reds 29
Tries: Tupou 2, Ready, Korczyk
Cons: Cooper 3
Pens: Cooper
Crusaders vs Highlanders
A sensational 45-metre Mitchell Hunt drop goal three minutes into injury time gave the Crusaders a 25-22 win over the Otago Highlanders on Saturday in a Super Rugby clash that may have repercussions for the All Blacks.
It was the second heart-break finish for the Highlanders against the only unbeaten side in the competition after the Crusaders produced a stunning fightback to turn a 6-27 deficit into a 30-27 victory when they met in round two.
This time the Highlanders were up 22-19 with four minutes to go after a pair of Waisake Naholo tries early in the second half lifted them from a 19-10 deficit at the turn.
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RESULT
Crusaders 25
Tries: Drummond, Tamanivalu, Bedwell-Curtis
Cons: Mo’unga 2
Pens: Hunt.
Drop: Hunt
Highlanders 22
Tries: Naholo 2 Buckman,
Cons: Banks 2
Pens: Banks
Chiefs vs Waratahs
A second-half resurgence fell just short for the Waratahs in a 46-31 loss to the Chiefs.
After trailing by as much as 29 points just after half-time, a back-end flurry cut the margin back to just eight points with five minutes left, but it was ultimately another run left all too late.
Any hopes the Waratahs had of snapping Australia’s 0-21 record against New Zealand sides looked snuffed out by two Chiefs tries in four minutes after half-time, before they piled on 28 points to seven in the ensuing half hour.
RESULT
Chiefs 46
Tries: Lowe 3, Kerr-Barlow 2, Brown
Cons: McKenzie 5
Pens: McKenzie 2
Yellow Cards: Brown (64′)
Waratahs 31
Tries: Horne, Skelton, Clark, Kepu
Cons: Foley 2
Pens: Foley
Yellow cards: Latu (38′) Ryan (64′)
Brumbies vs Rebels
The Brumbies will be the only Australian team in the Super Rugby finals this year, after a 32-3 win over the Rebels.
A bonus-point win over the battling, and undermanned, Rebels was all they needed to secure the top spot in the Australian conference and a quarter-final berth.
With that in the bag, they sit 14 points clear of the Waratahs and 16 ahead of the Force, an unassailable margin for either side to mos down with just two matches remaining.
RESULT
Brumbies 32
Tries: Smiler, Kuridrani, Hawera, Ah Wong
Cons: Hawera 2
Pens: Hawera 2
Rebels 3
Pens: Hodge
Force vs Hurricanes
The Hurricanes unleashed a second-half masterclass to power past a brave Western Force outfit 34-12 in Saturday night’s Super Rugby clash in Perth.
A boilover was on the cards when Force fullback Dane Haylett-Petty scored a 44th-minute try to reduce the margin to just five points in front of 10,384 fans.
The Force had dominated play up until that point, and it was only the Hurricanes’ resolute defence that had kept the home side at bay.
But the Hurricanes ran in four tries within the space of 17 minutes in the second half to blow the game apart.
RESULT
Hurricanes 34
Tries: Laumape 2, Uhila, Apisai, Aso, Perenara
Cons: Beauden Barrett 2
Force 12
Tries: Dane Haylett-Petty, Hardwick
Cons: Grant
STANDINGS
Australia Conference
Brumbies 33 (Q3)
Waratahs 19
Force 17
Reds 17
Rebels 8
New Zealand Conference
Crusaders 63 (Q1)
Hurricanes 53 (Q5)
Chiefs 49 (Q6)
Highlanders 46 (Q7)
Blues 37
Africa 1 Conference
Stormers 30 (Q4)
Cheetahs 16
Bulls 15
Sunwolves 7
Africa 2 Conference
Lions 56 (Q2)
Sharks 42 (Q8)
Jaguares 24
Kings 19
Please note: Q denotes qualifying position. Conference winners have home advantage in
quarter-finals: Q1 vs Q8, Q2 vs Q7, Q3 vs Q6, Q4 vs Q5
NEXT GAMES
June 9
Hurricanes vs Chiefs